ICYMI: Congressman Crow on Fighting Trump and Standing up for Colorado

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow was profiled by The Washington Post’s David Ignatius in his latest piece, “This Rising House Democrat is a Voice for the Angry Middle.” The article highlights how Congressman Crow is going where the fight is to stand up against Trump on behalf of Coloradans & ensure Congress is speaking for working families everywhere.

Ignatius wrote: “For a Democratic Party at a crossroads, Crow offers an unusual mix: He’s a former Catholic who supports abortion rights; he has been a hunter since he was 12 but advocates gun-safety legislation. He’s a decorated warrior who’s wary of war; and perhaps most important, he sympathizes with some of Trump’s supporters but thinks the president threatens American democracy. Those might seem like contradictions, but they can be bridges, too.”

Congressman Crow told Ignatius about the Democratic Party: “There is a perception that Democrats talk down to certain folks in this country. There is a perception that Democrats are weak and scared of their own shadow, and you see that playing out in elections. We have lost vast swaths of rural America and working-class America, largely because of the way we’ve communicated with folks.” Crow continued, “Folks in those districts are not going to go to the ballot box and say: ‘Wow, the Democrats are just totally crushing it right now.’ You win by having great candidates with local messages.”

Ignatius also spoke with other leading Democrats about Congressman Crow’s mission.

Former Senior Advisor to President Obama David Axelrod argued that leaders like Congressman Crow who have working-class, military backgrounds can help the party rebuild its base. “As Democrats became more urban and college-educated, they approached working people as missionaries and anthropologists,” said Axelrod. “They need to connect with these folks, genuinely and respectfully, and challenge a system they feel is tilted against them.”

Other highlights from the piece include:

“In our conversations, he seemed like someone who might bridge the huge gap between the party’s centrist and progressive factions,” said Ignatius.

Ignatius also wrote: “Crow seems eager to play a larger role now in opposing Trump. In a House speech in September, he painted a dark picture: ‘The walls of our democracy are being disassembled, brick by brick. Federal troops are patrolling our streets to intimidate and instill fear. … They’re firing our most experienced generals and admirals who may disagree with the president.’”

“He closed his speech this way: ‘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.’”

Read the full profile here.

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