Congressman Crow Speaks on the Concerning State of US Politics & the Path Forward to Unite Our Country
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06) delivered a speech from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about the concerning state of American politics and the path forward to unite our country. The full speech is available here.
President Trump and his administration have increasingly acted in ways antithetical to American and democratic values, including deploying the U.S. military to cities, labeling the Democratic Party as domestic terrorists, targeting non-profit organizations and civil society organizations, and intimidating media companies, law firms and universities that don’t align with Trump’s policies.
Congressman Crow’s speech underlined the stakes of this moment, and builds on Crow’s longstanding work to condemn political violence and stand up for our democracy.
On Political Violence:
Watch: “Political violence in every form is abhorrent. I condemn every act of political violence regardless of the source or motivation. I went to war three times for this country to defend the Constitution and the rights of people to say things I may disagree with. The right of every American to speak freely, peacefully organize, and protest is fundamental to who we are. After all, what is more American than the ability to question authority? Questioning authority is, in fact, our foundation and how we came about as a nation.”
On the Concerning State of US Politics:
Watch: “An attack on one person’s freedom is an attack on all of us. And that is exactly what Donald Trump is doing – attacking all of our rights. Donald Trump and his cronies are now labeling those who disagree with them terrorists, scum, and enemies of the state. And only they will decide what is hateful, only they will decide what poses a threat, only they will decide who can speak and who will be silenced.”
On the Path Forward to Unite Our Country:
Watch: “There is courage everywhere we look. We have not yet lost our power. So many Americans have been sounding the alarm bell for a long time, and they have been right. We have now reached the inflection point. Now is the time for us to stand firm. For us to stand with them. And for us to stand with all those defending democracy. Defending free speech. Defending freedom of religion. Defending due process. Defending the rule of law. Defending the right of schoolchildren to learn without fear of being shot. Defending government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Watch: “I have taken many oaths to protect and defend our country and Constitution, first as a soldier and now as a member of Congress. I often think back to the start of my service to this nation. As a young paratrooper, leading an infantry platoon in the invasion of Iraq. I think about the faces of those young men I was responsible for. Black, White, Asian, Hispanic. From the North, South, East, and West. From farms and from cities. Rich and poor. When I think of America, I still think of those young paratroopers. How we came together, despite our differences, we served together, we fought together, we found great strength in one another. That is America. There’s a tradition in the paratroopers, that the leader of the unit jumps out of the plane first and then the others follow. I’m ready to jump.”
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