Amid Supreme Court battle, Grassley met with ire at town hall

http://www.omaha.com/news/iowa/amid-supreme-court-battle-grassley-met-with-ire-at-town/article_103ad488-b278-59c5-8477-3eca37281555.html

OCHEYEDAN, Iowa (AP) — If Sen. Chuck Grassley thought he could escape the pressure over President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination by traveling to friendly conservative territory, the trip offered little relief.

The powerful Iowa Republican, who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, arrived Monday at a town hall meeting in a Republican-dominated county, only to find that the debate had followed him. The discussion at a senior center was dominated by his refusal to hold confirmation hearings.

Grassley’s position has drawn blistering criticism from Democrats in Washington and from chanting activists at rallies in Iowa. He probably sought a more welcome reception when he scheduled three town hall meetings for this week in areas that have strongly supported him in the past.

Among the roughly 35 people gathered Monday in Ocheyedan, a town of 470, was Nancy Cook, a retired teacher from Spirit Lake, who pointed out that Obama will be president for the rest of the year and should be allowed to get a hearing for his nominee.

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