SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
u s capitol
'The Alternative to Democracy Is Dictatorship,' Warns Biden
"The guy who claims law and order stands for lawlessness and disorder," said the Democratic president in speech ahead of third anniversary of January 6 insurrection. "Trump's not concerned about your future, I promise you."
Jan 05, 2024
Noting that the violent insurrection that engulfed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 was "not the beginning of a fight and neither was it the end of a fight" for U.S. democracy, civil society leaders and progressive lawmakers on Friday marked the third anniversary of the attack Friday by outlining the threat posed by right-wing extremists and why former President Donald Trump must once again be defeated.
The event was held shortly before President Joe Biden gave his first major national address of 2024 near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, asking American voters whether democracy is still "America's sacred cause."
Three years after the insurrection, said Biden, that question "is what the 2024 election is all about.”
On Capitol Hill, joined by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), advocates applauded the extent to which participants in the insurrection have been held to account, with more than 700 people convicted or pleading guilty to crimes ranging from misdemeanors such as trespassing and illegal picketing, to seditious conspiracy—a felony.
For his part, Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges related to his alleged criminal efforts to stop the peaceful transfer of power leading up to the attack, in which his supporters—some of them armed—marched to the Capitol and breached the building, sending U.S. House members into hiding when they had been assembled to certify Biden's election victory.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments soon regarding Trump's potential removal from 2024 election ballots, while a federal appeals court is scheduled next week to take up Trump's attempt to have his charged dismissed, based on his claim of presidential immunity.
"The good news is that our system of justice is working," said Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. "Donald Trump is in the midst of being held accountable for his crimes in the courts. The more stressful news is that it is 2024, so we are now less than a year out from the next presidential election. And reasonable people are justifiably worried about whether the will of the American people will actually prevail."
While the courts are gradually holding some people responsible for January 6 to account, those at the Capitol Hill press event pointed out how Republican lawmakers across the country followed the insurrection with efforts to make voting less accessible and spreading false conspiracy theories about nonexistent levels of election fraud.
Meanwhile, Biden emphasized in his speech, Trump has made clear in his campaign, which the former president opened with a video of the insurrection, that his "assault on democracy isn't just part of his past—it's what he’s promising for the future. He's been straightforward. He's not hiding the ball."
"The guy who claims law and order stands for lawlessness and disorder," he added. "Trump's not concerned about your future, I promise you. Trump is now promising a full scale campaign of revenge and retribution, his words, for some years to come."
The U.S. Justice Department said in August that more than a dozen people have been charged so far with sending death threats to election workers since the Biden administration opened a task force to confront such threats. In 2021, a Reuters analysis found that Trump supporters, inspired by the former president's "Big Lie" that the 2020 election was stolen, had sent threats to more than 100 poll workers.
"The Big Lie continues to this day," said Dustin Czarny, elections commissioner of the Onondaga County Board of Elections in New York, on Capitol Hill on Friday. "It resulted in decreased resources for Boards of Elections to do their job. I'm hopeful that we could see legislation in this next year in the states and in the federal government and resources directed, so that those boards of elections can do their job in a safe and accurate manner and deliver the voice of the American people to the ballot box and give them their choice in this election.”
Svante Myrick, president of People for the American Way, noted that advocates have "turned back hundreds of state [voter suppression] bills, but 56 of them have gotten through—12 in the last year alone have gotten through, pushed by far-right extremists to restrict people's right to vote."
"On January 6, I watched and it occurred to me that there are forces in this country that, left unchecked, could unravel everything that we've built," said Myrick at the press conference. "If we fight through this year, in 2024 we can keep safe everything we hold dear, because our democracy is not an abstract thing. Our democracy is the key to keeping us all safe."
Christina Harvey, executive director of Stand Up America, warned in a statement that a mass mobilization is needed to ensure Trump does not win a second term in 2024, which he is "desperately seeking... in the hopes of avoiding accountability for his crimes."
"If Trump is reelected, he and other MAGA Republicans are already plotting schemes to pardon themselves, exact revenge on their enemies, and further undermine our democracy, rather than focusing on the needs of everyday Americans," said Harvey. "The presidency isn't a 'get out of jail free' card, and over the next year, the Stand Up America community will be mobilizing to ensure that Trump is held accountable in the court of law and at the ballot box."
Part of the necessary work ahead of the 2024 election, said Gilbert, will be focused on pushing for the passage of far-reaching federal voting rights legislation.
"The truth of the matter is that in the three years since the insurrection, we actually have not done enough to protect our democracy," said Gilbert. "We need real concrete action to fix that. We need to adequately fund our elections, we need to protect our poll workers and election workers on the ground. We need to fight against mis- and disinformation, including the new threat of artificial intelligence generated as misinformation. We need to continue to hold accountable the perpetrators of the big lie... And of course we need to pass all of this as legislation."
"That comes in the form of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act," she said. "Together we can all make sure that we don't repeat these mistakes, and that we have a robust democracy that is blacked up by the confidence of the American people."
In his speech, Biden warned that Trump has again refused to commit to respecting the results of the 2024 election.
"America, as we began this election year, we must be clear: Democracy is on the ballot," said the president. "Your freedom is on the ballot. Yes, we’ll be voting on many issues and the freedom to vote and have your vote counted. The freedom of choice. Freedom to have a fair shot. A freedom from fear. We will debate, disagree. Without democracy, no progress is possible."
"Think about it," he added. "The alternative to democracy is dictatorship."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Tlaib Denounces MTG Resolution Against Her as 'Deeply Islamophobic'
"I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced."
Oct 26, 2023
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib hit back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday after the Georgia Republican introduced an "unhinged" resolution to censure the Michigan Democrat—and only Palestinian American in Congress—for participating in a recent peaceful Capitol sit-in supporting a Gaza cease-fire.
Greene's
privileged resolution—which requires House consideration within two legislative days—seeks to censure Tlaib "for antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations, and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol" on October 18.
That day, thousands of Jewish protesters and allies rallied in and outside the Capitol to demand members of Congress push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed nearly 7,000 Palestinians, wounded over 17,000 more, destroyed or damaged nearly half of all homes, and displaced more than 1.4 million people.
"This type of Israel-hating, America-hating behavior from a sitting member of Congress is unacceptable and she does not represent anything America stands for," Greene said on Tuesday while introducing a separate motion to censure Tlaib. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.)—whose third-biggest campaign contributor during the 2022 election cycle was the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)—introduced his own censure motion against Tlaib earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Rep. Rebecca Balint (D-Vt.) moved Thursday to force a vote on her July motion to censure Greene "for her racist, homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic remarks, and unhinged conspiracy theories."
Since Tlaib chairs no committees, there would be consequences should Greene's resolution pass.
Earlier this week, Greene accused Tlaib and "the communist left" of seeking to "bring Jihad to America."
Tlaib, who was one of the speakers at the rally outside the Capitol, said in a statement that Greene's "unhinged resolution is deeply Islamophobic and attacks peaceful Jewish anti-war advocates."
"I am proud to stand in solidarity with Jewish peace advocates calling for a cease-fire and an end to the violence. I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced," she continued. "I will continue to call for cease-fire, for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, for the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and for every American to be brought home."
"I will continue to work for a just and lasting peace that upholds the human rights and dignity of all people, and ensures that no person, no child has to suffer or live in fear of violence," Tlaib added.
On Thursday, Tlaib, seven progressive Democratic colleagues—Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), André Carson (Ind.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), and Al Green (D-Texas)—and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) voted against a bipartisan House resolution expressing unconditional support for the Israeli government.
The measure does not mention Israel's mass slaughter, displacement, deprivation, and terrorizing of Gazans.
Greene's resolution also baselessly claims that Tlaib "celebrated the Holocaust," a charge also leveled in a video shared by the far-right congresswoman. The short clip takes a quote by Tlaib—that she gets a "calming feeling" when she thinks of the Holocaust—wildly out of context. What Tlaib actually said was:
There's kind of a calming feeling I always tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out... in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time, and I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways.
The video also notes that Tlaib calls Israel an "apartheid" state—as do many Israelis and diaspora Jews, as well as human rights groups, experts, and world leaders.
Jewish Voice for Peace Action, the sister organization of Jewish Voice for Peace—which has led numerous protests across the U.S. during the war, including on October 18—weighed in against Greene's resolution Thursday.
"Believe it or not, a self-described 'Christian nationalist' who believes in 'Jewish space lasers' doesn't have the best interests of Jewish people at heart," JVP Action political director Beth Miller said in a statement.
"On October 18, over 500 Jews and allies sat on the floor of a congressional... office building in prayer and song to demand an immediate cease-fire to save Palestinian and Israeli lives, and to prevent an imminent genocide of Palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli government," she continued. "Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is one of the leading anti-war voices in Congress right now, and has the support of progressive Jews across the country."
"Clearly," added Miller, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is politically threatened by Palestinians and Jews coming together to work for peace and justice."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Not In Our Name!' Hundreds Arrested at US Capitol as Jewish-Led Protest Demands Gaza Cease-Fire
"Cease-fire is the first step to stop the ongoing genocide by the Israeli military of the over 2 million Palestinians in besieged Gaza," asserted Jewish Voice for Peace.
Oct 18, 2023
Hundreds of Jewish Americans and allies were arrested at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday during a protest demanding members of Congress push Israel for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where nearly 3,500 Palestinians have been killed over 12 days of relentless Israeli bombardment.
Thousands of protesters led by members of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), IfNotNow, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), and other groups rallied on the Capitol grounds and inside the building, where hundreds of people took part in a sit-in.
Their chanted slogans—including "not in our name" and "cease-fire now"—resounded thunderously under the Capitol Rotunda, while at other times they clapped their hands and sang with solemn determination in Hebrew.
"We're here to say: not in our names, and never again," JVP declared. "And we'll continue our civil disobedience until Congress calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, or until they force us to leave."
"Cease-fire is the first step to stop the ongoing genocide by the Israeli military of the over 2 million Palestinians in besieged Gaza, unable to leave," the group continued. "In the past week, over 3,000 Palestinians, including 1,000 children, were murdered by Israeli and U.S. bombs. Over 1 million people are displaced. We have the power to stop this violence."
"What we know from past Israeli state atrocities against Palestinians is that the bombs only stop once there is a sufficient mass outcry from the international community," JVP added. "It's on us to build that outcry—as fast as we possibly can."
Speaking outside the Capitol, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)—the only Palestinian American in Congress—said that "the majority of Americans are literally against oppression."
"They are," she insisted. "They are against occupation. They are against human rights violations. If you just tell them the truth, they will be on our side. So we have to speak the truth."
Tlaib had a message for President Joe Biden, who has declared his "rock-solid and unwavering support" for Israel, which he visited Wednesday and receives nearly $4 billion in annual U.S. military aid.
"I want him to know, as a Palestinian American and also as someone of the Muslim faith: I'm not gonna forget this," she vowed. "And I think a lot of people are not gonna forget this."
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who led a resolution with Tlaib and 14 progressive co-sponsors calling on Biden to push for a cease-fire, also spoke at the rally.
"We thank our Jewish community for being out here saying 'Never Again'," she said.
Author and activist Naomi Klein told the demonstrators that "it's crucial that we become huge, become unignorable, and throw all our support behind this brave legislation."
JVP, IfNotNow, and peace activist Ariel Gold—who was at the event—said hundreds of protesters were arrested.
Wednesday's protest and arrests followed a string of Jewish-led peace demonstrations across the nation, including two major rallies in Washington, D.C. IfNotNow's website lists many events planned in cities around the country in the coming days.
"The Israeli military is preparing for a massive ground invasion of Gaza. Israeli and American leaders are dehumanizing Palestinians with vitriolic rhetoric that calls to mind the most hysterical days of... [the] War on Terror," JVP said Wednesday. "We know where this will lead: genocide."
"Many of us are mourning our Israeli and Palestinian friends and loved ones," the group continued. "We are in pain and grief, trying to process a week of horrific violence that has left so many that we know injured, traumatized, kidnapped, or killed."
"But we refuse to let our grief be weaponized to justify the murder of more Palestinians," JVP added. "As American Jews, we demand a cease-fire now. No genocide in our name."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular