NEWTON – In the aftermath of back to back town halls where he stood his ground in the face of partisan finger pointing and screaming, U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7) received accolades for his courage, while his fellow leafy district NJ congressman, U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghusen (R-11), feels the sting of public irritation over his decision to opt out of actual town hall events in favor of a tele-town hall.

Frelinghuysen today explained his decision to InsiderNJ.

At that ribbon cutting ceremony, Lance took pains to publicly praise Frelinghusyen for his courage in wartime, noting the congressman’s backstory in a room packed with affirming veterans. “Congressman Frelinghuysen is his usual modest self, but as is true of many in the room, Congressman Frelinghuysen served with distinction as a sergeant in Vietnam,” said Lance.

Claps showered a red-faced Rodney.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5) likewise saw fit to invoke classic martial imagery to buck up the veteran leader who last month ate a stream of negative headlines owing to his resistance to hosting a town hall event at a public venue.

The freshman congressman invoked a quote by General George S. Patton, pointing out that when it comes to working on behalf of veterans and veterans’ issues, Frelinghuysen embodies the never-say-die attitude of Patton.