Testing the 'Gus is for Us' theory

Highlighted on the calendar Wednesday was our congressman’s town hall.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis met with residents at the Sugarmill Woods Country Club. About 50 people showed up, a decent number I guess.

I attended for a few reasons.

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One, I’ve been reading and hearing about congressional town halls throughout the country that are free-for-all partisan battles, mainly against the Republicans. Turns out folks aren’t too crazy about the “Big Beautiful Bill” or many other actions of the current White House occupant.

Would that happen here? Would hordes arrive with signs and pitchforks? (Quick answer: No.)

Two, I wanted to see if Bilirakis’ town hall differed from our congressional predecessor, the often wooden Daniel Webster. I’ll return to this in a minute.

Three, I had to answer the question for myself: Is Gus for us? That’s his campaign slogan. “Gus is for Us!”

My take from an hour-long town hall? Gus is a Donald Trump guy. That’s expected, of course, but it clouds the “Us” part.

I’m not a big town hall fan. Yeah, they’re easy stories, but generally not a lot of depth. Town hall meetings often are focused on the politician explaining why he/she voted a certain way, rather than citizens offering their views.

Webster’s town halls were the worst. He did “listening” tours, meaning Webster would sit in the front of the room while a microphone was passed among citizens, who each had a minute or two to state a case or ask questions. Webster would nod or smile on occasion, but not say a word until everyone finished.

Then he’d spend the next 10 minutes telling us all the wonderful things he’s doing for Citrus Countians in the nation’s capital. People left there fuming.

Bilirakis ran a true town hall. He rattled off a few highlights of the “Big Beautiful Bill” and then took questions.

Like I said, about 50 mostly well-behaved citizens showed up. It did get a little testy. A few shouts here and there. I heard “We’re all Americans!” once or twice, but not in a friendly way.

So, some observations:

— Bilirakis clearly enjoys mingling with citizens, even those he disagrees with. One woman wouldn’t let go of a particular subject until Bilirakis finally said, “You have a right to your opinion.”

To which she shot back: “Yes, I do!”

— In my notes, I later have Bilirakis stating: “I put America before the party. I think the president is doing a helluva job, a helluva job.”

— One man wore a “Gulf of America” cap. “I love your hat,” Gus told him.

The man was clearly not happy that some chose to criticize the congressman.

“Get with it, people! I think this man deserves some respect,” he said.

There were a few other back-and-forth exchanges. Nothing too crazy.

— (Not necessarily specific to the event, but a plus for Gus: He has a great district team, and everyone connected in Citrus County knows how easy it is to get their attention. Constituent service goes a very long way.)

— Now, the political reality. Gus Bilirakis will be our District 12 congressman until he decides he no longer wants it, or Citrus County lands in a new district. Yes, we have elections every two years, and technically, someone can defeat him at the polls.

But there is no greater job security than that of a United States Congressperson. And while the party in the White House generally loses congressional seats in a midterm election, that’s difficult to see in a strong red district like ours.

Not making any predictions for 2026. Just stating the obvious.

Gus is all in Team Trump. Whether that’s “Us” or not depends on your outlook.

And with that, I’ll sign off the day. Enjoy it, friends.

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