Iowa Senator Joni Ernst followed Tuesday’s loud and cantankerous public forum in Maquoketa with a closed-door meeting with a drug abuse fighting organization in Clinton. Ernst spoke with local reporters after the meeting and expressed concern about the tone of the Maquoketa meeting. “I am o.k. with people coming out and exercising the right to free speech,” Ernst said. “They certainly can do that, but what is concerning is that when are we going to start coming together and having a productive dialogue.”

Ernst says she hosted the Maquoketa forum to discuss veterans-related issues. “It was really hard. We had a veterans roundtable and we’re gathering a lot of information about veterans initiatives and where we need to do better, so there were a number of issues that were presented and it was really hard to delve into those issues…when you had so many other people talking over those veterans,” Ernst says.

“For the most part,” she said, “the crowd tried to remain respectful of those veterans that actually attended to get their information to us, but there were others that were just so angry that it didn’t matter what the discussion was, they weren’t going to pay attention.” When Ernst arrived at the Maquoketa forum, she was greeted with a chant of “just one term,” and when she ended the event at the 45 minute mark, the crowd erupted with chants of “do your job” and “shame on you.” Ernst says Republicans in Washington are focusing on promises made to voters during 2016.

“What we have seen is a president now that’s transitioned into the administration. He’s doing everything that he said he would do when he was out on the campaign trail, so people shouldn’t be surprised at his actions out there,” Ernst says. “Nor should they be surprised that in the senate we’re trying to get down to work…to move in the direction that they asked us to move in this last election cycle.”

Ernst also held a private meeting in Davenport with a cancer support group yesterday (Tuesday).

(Radio Iowa)