Congressman Duncan Hunter is one of five San Diego members of the House of Representatives. Hunter is also the only Republican among this delegation. While these representatives are elected by the citizens of San Diego, an imbalance in the representation of both parties leads to a stacked conversation.
In these five representative’s discussions at the Chamber at Congressional Luncheon in April, the heated discussions often left Hunter frustrated as his views were consistently shut down and distorted. “There’s four of you, just one of me,” Hunter said.
Climate change and the Green New Deal were major topics of discussion, and with the divide over climate change being one of the most polarizing subjects across parties, it was clear that Hunter’s responses were cut short and regarded as invalid often because of his minority status.
Ultimately, the inherently biased nature of the conversation leads to the unproductivity of such discussions. Instead of equally giving each side fair attention, the conversation featured a sense of the predetermined outcome.
The Chamber at Congressional Luncheon is an opportunity for San Diegans to learn about what and how their representatives are approaching pressing issues; instead, such events simply become fodder for confirmation bias to thrive.
