Where was Ben?

Last year the Republican-friendly Roanoke Star reported:

On Saturday, March 16, Representative Ben Cline (R-6th Dist), participated in Freedom First St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Downtown Roanoke. The mix of the Parade’s beauty and the warm weather created a joyful environment for people. As he does every year, Rep.Cline returned to Downtown Roanoke to engage and celebrate with the public and become a part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Not every year, it seems. Cline was notably absent from this year’s parade. The Roanoke Times reported:

Not everyone was there to celebrate. Around 30 protestors stood across the Roanoke main library during the parade, holding signs and waiting to see if Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt, would be there. Cline did not participate in the parade.

Protesters have been gathering outside of Cline’s office in Roanoke each Monday since Feb. 24 to request a town hall and to express their opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies. The group Roanoke Indivisible has been leading many of the protests.

Kristi and Michael Strange with Roanoke Action Collective were among Saturday’s demonstrators. The pair has never protested until recently, Michael Strange said.

“I am very frustrated that our United States representative refuses to meet with the people — with anyone, really,” Kristi Strange said. “We have questions. We would like answers.”

Though Cline was not in the parade, state Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, was. The protesters chanted at him as he passed by.

“The scuttlebutt was that (Cline) had planned to be here, and then when he heard that people were going to be here in opposition, he backed out,” Kristi Strange said.

No one was available Saturday from Cline’s staff or Downtown Roanoke Inc. to give details on whether or not Cline ever intended to participate in the parade.

Perhaps Cline had a perfectly good reason for skipping the parade. But maybe– just maybe– it was another instance of Cline trying to dodge public exposure as he continues to stand up for an increasingly unpopular Musk-Trump administration.