Foreign policy in spotlight at Cicilline forum

In wealthy suburban Barrington where the biggest local issue this year has been the price tag for a proposed new middle school, talk turned this week to the national

GOP’s declared war on Obamacare, the prospects for a federal government shutdown and President Donald Trump’s “scary” game of chicken with North Korea.

With Trump “tweeting to North Korea, threatening them. It’s just really disturbing,’’ Carol Furlich told U.S. Rep. David Cicilline at the latest of the 1st District Rhode Island congressman’s community town meetings.

“I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist,’’ said Furlich, “but I just fear that the president is going to take us somewhere that we just can’t go, and that this is going to take away from any attention about his ‘crimes and misdemeanors.’”

“I think it’s really complicated,’’ said Cicilline of the political dynamic among North Korea, South Korea and China to an audience worried about the potentials dangers from far away to their Rhode Island life.

“But I think, your question really is: ‘In light of what we’ve seen, should we be fearful that the president may not think this through carefully, or may engage in a military strike preemptively without full understanding of the consequences?’

“I think the one thing that gives me some comfort — although I worry that the president doesn’t always appear to understand all of the implications of what [he’s] proposing to do — [is] he is surrounded by some very good people in the defense department,’’ Cicilline said.

“To the extent that those folks are listened to, it is less likely that something will happen there that shouldn’t.”

Asked afterwards if she was satisfied with Cicilline’s answer, Furlich said yes, “I am satisfied with his answer but it still doesn’t alleviate my concerns. I mean he is only speaking for himself. He isn’t in the mind of the president. ... This whole thing is just so disturbing.’’

Keith Daniel, of the East Bay Citizens for Peace, asked a different foreign policy question in light of Trump’s military strikes on Syria: what are the members of Congress “doing to retake their responsibility for declaring war?”

Cicilline agreed this is Congress’ role. “But it is the responsibility of the president of the United States to make the case to Congress and the American people if he believes that the use of military force is necessary in the national security interest. ... None of that has happened yet.”

And so it went for more 90 minutes before more than 110 people in this one-time solidly Republican town that Democrat Hillary Clinton carried with 63 percent of the town’s 2016 election day vote. Barrington is now 40.39 percent Democrat, 12.1 percent Republican, and 47.18 percent unaffiliated, with a handful of voters still aligned with the dormant Moderate Party.

There was some pushback to the notion that the Kremlin meddled in the election. A woman only willing to identify herself as “Linda from Providence’’ asserted that, by clicking open a phishing email, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta was responsible for the hack of his emails.

Describing herself as an independent who distrusts the media, she suggested voter anger should be aimed at the national Democratic Party for trying, behind the scenes, to undermine Clinton competitor Bernie Sanders.

But of those who spoke, she was in a minority as others nodded, and at times, applauded Cicilline’s rundown of the alleged Trump conflicts of interest that led to a federal lawsuit seeking to establish that Trump is violating the Constitution by allowing his hotels and other business operations to accept payments from foreign governments.

Two of Cicilline’s examples: “The fact that the president was trying for a very long time to get trademarks in China, then ... gets the Chinese all worked up, then announces back to the one-China rule, then, lo and behold, gets trademarks.”

“To me, the fundamental question is: is this president on our side fighting for the American people or is he making decisions that are in the best interest of himself, his family, his business interests and it’s hard to know that. ... That’s why I think we have to keep pressing for the tax returns.”

“What is it going to take for Congress on a bipartisan basis to take up impeachment proceedings?’’ asked Sharad Bhatia. (Applause!)

Cicilline’s answer: “I think people recognize that we, the Democrats, don’t control either chamber so it will require, before any action like impeachment could actually happen ... some number of Republicans to believe the president has committed some high crime, misdemeanor or other violation worthy of impeachment.

“We are clearly not there yet,’’ Cicilline said.

—Cicilline’s next “Community Conversation’’ is Saturday, at 3:30 p.m. at the Portsmouth Middle School.