At his event Tuesday at the Old Whaling Church, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of the Jan. 6 committee, covered a wide array of topics about the current political climate. He was introduced by businessman and part-time Island resident Ron Gault. Kate Taylor also made an appearance at the event and sang an acapella version of the song “Harriet Tubman.”
Here are some of his comments:
Voter suppression: “Massive voter suppression all across the country. More than 450 bills across the country for voter suppression, 30 of them already enacted in 18 different states, including in Georgia, where now it is a crime of up to 12 months in jail to hand somebody a bottle of water or a chocolate chip cookie while they’re in line waiting to go vote. This is what the Republican Party has got planned for us: repealing early voting, repealing weekend voting, repeal vote by mail or absentee ballot. They want you to go out and get a notary public to sign your application to do it. All of this is completely unnecessary, gratuitous, invidious. Meant just to destroy the voting power of the African American community, the Hispanic community, older people, younger people.”
D.C. statehood: “I wanted to start by thanking the 716,000 taxpaying, draftable, American citizens who live in the capital city … they have a legitimate voting rights grievance and a legitimate democracy grievance, and they did not smash our windows and storm the Capitol.”
Trump’s impeachment and legacy: “I believe we convicted him in the court of public opinion, and I believe we convicted him in the eyes of history. I don’t think he can ever escape that. I believe he’s been made a pariah in mainstream American politics, but here’s our dilemma … Donald Trump has only consolidated and tightened his stranglehold over the Republican Party.”
State of the Republican Party: “They’re looking for every opportunity to censure Mitt Romney, John Katko, and Liz Cheney, and the Republicans who stood strong against [Trump]. In the meantime they’re purging any election official or elected official who refused to go along with the ‘big lie.’
State of the Democratic Party: “We are by far the sweeping popular majority throughout the United States of America. It’s not even close. Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by more than 7 million votes … All over the world, people are counting on us to be a party of democracy and voting rights. Not corruption, and kleptocracy, and monarchy, and all of the enemies of democracy.”
The 2022 and 2024 elections: “2022 is [the Republicans’] opportunity to put a majority in the House of Representatives, a majority in the Senate, who will follow the dictates of Donald Trump like a messisaic cult leader … In 2024, we could expect something like an instant replay that took place in 2020. Like I said at the impeachment trial, ‘If you guys let him get away with it, he will do it again, and we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.’”
Gerrymandering and the filibuster: “We’ve taken on gerrymandering in the For the People Act and H.R.1, which we’ve passed in the House, but we can’t get it through the Senate because of another antidemocratic device they’re wielding, the filibuster. So we’ve got to get rid of the filibuster to get rid of the gerrymandering.”
Did he mention the Biden debacle in Afghanistan? Did he mention how women will be treated under Taliban leadership? Oh, did he mention how many gay and lesbians will now face death under this regime that Biden let take power? No, I didn’t think so.
You mean the withdrawal that Trump orchestrated?
“Biden debacle”? This was Trump’s negotiated withdrawal plan. He and Pompeo allowed the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners. Oh and Your sudden concern for women, “gays and lesbians” is hilarious.
I wanted to go to this but it was a fundraiser for him or his party and not that I have anything against that but why can we not hear from elected officials for free? the headline should be Raskin Fundraiser Event
In November, 2022, Raskin and a few dozen of his comrades will be swept out of office in the House and the Senate. The Republicans will regain control of the Congress, and in 2024, the bungling and inept Biden gang will be soundly defeated and replaced by a new Republican administration. Raskin has a sympathetic audience in MV, that’s why he’s here. Across the rest of the country, his “message” will be rejected, as will he.
LMAO!! Have you seen his district? So you disagree with Constitutional democracy? Good to know.
I guess you’re ok with all of the GOP members of congress who supported, and even participated in, the insurrection.
Do you support The GOP members of Congress who supported, or participated in, the insurrection?
I am appalled at the comments here.
Why?
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