“…once the nonviolent protests had achieved that 3.5% threshold of active engagement that success seemed to be guaranteed…”
“No King”
“…also, Fuck ICE”
“No Kings”
“No Kings”
Be there. 12:00 noon, at the Johnson County Courthouse, Warrensburg, Missouri, Saturday, October 18th.
“…when a mere 3.5 percent of a nation’s population mobilizes in peaceful protest at a key moment, it becomes nearly impossible for the government to ignore the people’s demands for transformative change. In the United States, that percentage equals approximately 12 million people…”
Jess Piper (D) spoke at an event in Marshall, Missouri this afternoon which was sponsored by the Saline County Democratic Committee. There were over 100 individuals in attendance.
Audio:
A partial transcript:
Jess Piper (D): ….It takes three point five percent of Americans to stand up, to get in the streets for our government to say this isn’t working, we’re going to have to do something different, the people are noticing.
We have to keep the faith. We see things bad happening all around us, but I can tell you this. The sent the National Guard and ICE into Portland. How’s that working out? They got dancing frogs standing in front of them, right? You know you can’t buy a frog costume if you wanted to right now, right? You know how many frogs are gonna be at No Kings protests on [October] the 18th? [laughter] Right?…
Jess Piper (D): …You know why this happens, right? It happens because there are people who hear three times a week that they can’t vote for Democrats because they are Christian. Because Republicans don’t have to get out in areas like mine because the churches are doing it for ’em. They’re doing the campaigning behind the pulpit. And that’s not Christianity. And that’s not what I grew up with. And I don’t even recognize some of the people I went to church with. That stuff is called Christian Nationalism and it is not representative of Christians, it is not representative of their Christ, it is everything he would have stood against. They claim to be pro-life. Really? Are you feeding kids? Are you making sure they’re housed? You make sure they can go to the doctor when they need to? Can they eat at school? Do they have a school that is open five days a week? Do their parents have affordable housing? Do they have a livable wage? Those thing are pro-life. Those people are not pro-life. And I tell them every time to their face. That is Christian Nationalism. [applause]…
Jess Piper (D): …There are teachers that were fired in this state for not grieving a podcaster well enough. The were fired. There are people who were disciplined for nor grieving a podcaster. We’re living in scary times. We know it, and you know it, too…
Jess Piper (D):…I know what I’m seeing, and so do you. They want you to be quiet because it’s scary. I want you to be louder. Louder [applause] ICE is detaining our friends and our neighbors and our families. And they are doing it masked. And they are doing it without badges and without warrants. And they are taking people on the street and they are spraying them in the face with mace and pepper spray. And they see men in collars who represent the church and they hit them and the head with rubber bullets because they don’t care. Because they think they will not face any consequences. I know enough to know they will face consequences. We know what happened in Germany to those people who did what they did to their friends and their neighbors. And the same thing will happen here, I have every hope in the world. They will be held accountable for what they’re doing [applause]…
Warrensburg, Missouri is hosting its annual downtown fall street festival – “BurgFest” – this weekend. Johnson County Democrats host and staff a street both during the daytime and nighttime hours of the event.
This morning:
At the Johnson County Democratic Central Committee booth.
Gathering initiative petition and referendum signatures.
Warrensburg, Missouri is hosting it’s annual downtown fall street festival – “BurgFest” – this weekend. Johnson County Democrats host and staff a street both during the daytime and nighttime hours of the event.
Posted on social media:
I “talked” to a woman yesterday at the Burgfest. She wanted to know why I supported Democrats.
I spoke of social security, Medicare and civil rights all of which she dismissed as ancient and irrelevant.
This woman was my age if not older. She is a recipient of those progressive/ Democratic Party issues.
Progressives/Democrats got this woman the right to vote, got her the ability to have her own bank account and credit in her name in the early 1970’s. Which was during her lifetime. She currently receives social security and Medicare.
But what have Democrats done lately?
I said they have stood up for minority rights. In Missouri the GOP keeps attacking the rights of minorities . She ask which ones? I say it really does not matter as any minority loosing rights as a Citizen negatively effects us all. I went on to talk about how the Missouri GOP has attacked the right of women to make their own medical decisions. They have put the Women’s Reproductive Health Care Iniative back on the ballot in 2026 and have tried to pass laws to deny marriage for all.
She starts in on how gay marriage and abortion violate her religion.
I told her she should honor and follow her religion but she needs to understand separation of church and state. Also Freedom Of Religion allows her to follow her religion it does not allow her to impose her religion on others.
She argued that her religion demanded that no one should be able to have a gay marriage or an abortion because it was against her religion.
The idea that some religions welcome gays and accept abortion as needed medical care she just could not understand.
I tried to politely get her to understand she should have a religion and she should follow it. Not impose it on others.
Then I not so politely told her no one cares what religion she follows. F her and her religion. No one has to follow her religion or believe her way. She does not get to decide who is a “christian” or which religion is “right”.
The arguments in 1967 as to why blacks and whites could not marry was that it was against some people’s religion. They said it was in their Bible.
The Supreme Court tossed out that argument and struck down the state laws against marriage between the skin colors (races). The same legal arguments were made to strike laws against same sex marriage.
Someone else’s marriage has no effect on yours. Their religion has no effect on you following your religion. Their health care decisions has no effect on you.
You do you and allow your fellow citizen to live their life as they see fit.
Some of the responses:
I really appreciate this. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how although I do appreciate religious folks who use their religion to advocate for human rights, in the end religion just should not matter. Religion is so easy to weaponize. I wish we didn’t live in a society where it was constantly the center of politics.
———-
As a biracial person, I’ve been told I’m not “biblically correct” because I’m caucasian and African American. The racism that still exist in church/religion today is baffling yet not surprising.
I don’t understand it either, but most of those people would change their tune if their son or daughter gave them a biracial grandchild. They’re ridiculous, self-centered people. I’m just sorry that you have to be exposed to their bigotry and hatred!
[….] in Sunday school as a child I was “taught” that Ham accidentally saw his dad naked, god determined that was gay and so he made him black. And that’s why there are black people. When children are being indoctrinated into hate at a young age, it’s no wonder the church is in the shape it’s in.
[….] So, what – you shouldn’t have existed in the first place? Charming.
———-
Ask her which countries allow religion with her beliefs regarding abortion and gay marriage to rule. Then name them for her and suggest she might be more comfortable there. [….]
It is also important to point out that before Amendment 3 passed, Missouti’s anti-abortion law caused maternal mortality to spike to 3rd world levels because women who had miscarriages could not get a D & C which is technically an abortion. A pregnancy that ends in a miscarriage is always heart breaking. It should not also be a death sentence.
Also ask them why their ancestors came to this land. The greatest majority of our founding fathers came here to escape religious persecution. Who were they? Baptists, Quakers, Lutherans, Catholics. Unfortunately Christians can become very nasty when allowed unfettered control of government, even putting people to death because of their beliefs.
If they believe their religion prohibits abortion they they absolutely should not have one. If they believe their religion prohibits gay marriage then don’t have one.
God never told us to beat others about the head with our religion. In fact, Jesus told us in Matthew 22:21 to separate church and state.
Ask her if she knows she is not a Christian, but a Christian Nationalist.
Does she support allowing an Islamic country building it’s own military installation in the US with war planes stationed here?
———-
For the “Christians” out there who feel that their marriage is “tainted” by someone else practicing gay marriage, you should probably be working on your marriage first before involving yourself in anyone else’s.
if they read Jesus’ words, they will find zero advice specific to homosexuality. However there is much said about love and tolerance.
ask them which one of them in their marriage is gay, and which one will be rushing to get a divorce so they can marry someone of their own gender….because if the answer is neither, gay marriage does not effect them. That’s usually a conversation stopper.
———-
Freedom of religion includes the right to NO religion.
Your religion is only for governing yourself- not others.
NO RELIGION gives anyone the right to control others.
Americans all have the right to be free from government imposed religious practices.
Ask her if your or her granddaughter should die because of her abortion beliefs. Then invite her to pull out her cell phone and google maternal death rate in Texas following abortion ban.
unfortunately, she would probably say that it would be just fine & dandy. A lot of these type of “Christians” believe it’s a woman’s lot in life to martyr herself for her family. They believe women should suffer.
another fallacy brought to us by men controlling their version of Christianity.
exactly!
———-
Your patience and level-headedness is evident (as always).
She didn’t realize you weren’t there for her, but you were there for all the folks that think they’re alone in their opposition to the Un-American crap she professes.
I don’t know what I would have done.
Maybe shouting out to the crowd, “Hey folks, there’s a right wingnut crazy right here trying to convince us we’re all going to her personal hell!”
Maybe asking her, “What gives you the mistaken impression that I give a @%$# what you think?”
Maybe laughing hysterically and between gasping breaths, “No, really, your impression of an idiot is spot on!”
Maybe just ignoring her, because sometimes insulting a fool in public can be cruel and it’s just wasted on them anyway.
———-
you are always the one who diplomatically tries to educate people who obviously don’t want to know the truth. Or even care that other people’s lives deserve the same rights in this country. Everything you mentioned is important to me but the one that really hits home is marriage equality. I wish I had hope that these religious zealots would change, but I don’t. Thank you for always being the voice of reason.
not yesterday. I most definitely was not diplomatic towards her or her husband after she talked about imposing her religion on others.
You tried in the beginning and you lasted longer then I would have.
———-
Thank you for trying [….]. Most people of her mindset just cannot have that conversation without getting angry and combative, in my experience. I just had an uninvited conversation (in a professional setting!) the other day with a man who told me healthcare is a “farce”, the government is trying to kill us all (started with covid), and that Obama was the anti-Christ. Then he invited me to his a revival at his church. 🙄 Seriously had just met this guy two minutes earlier. Lucky me.
I’ve been married for 38 years to a fantastic lady and we have done so much and been through much, and I think EVERYONE deserves to have a beautiful lifelong marriage with any consenting adult who would have them.
“Heterosexuality isn’t normal, it’s only common.”. – Dorothy Parker
You were more patient than I -they’re minds are closed because of something that does not AFFECT them but Pedophiles and Adulterers are acceptable and they’ll vote for them WHILE THEY accept THEIR WIC OR SNAP OR MEDICAID , Section 8 which THEIR guys don’t support or vote for -crickets then…
It’s a losing battle because she is listening to the man on the pulpit every Sunday and how can you compete with that ? Once republicans figured out they could have religious figures push their agenda working class people started voting against their own interests and it has hurt all of us.
Bless you [….] for your patience and tenacity!
Yes, we too have many un-educated folks in our county. It is our responsibility to try to educate them. Will they listen ?
No. This has been another edition of Short Answers to Simple Questions.
Amen.
We see what you did there.
———-
Thank you for trying to have a conversation with someone that can’t see past their Bible.
their Bible doesn’t say what they say. They need to read it with an open mind & soul.
———-
The older I get, the more I feel (personality….. before anyone thinks they need to defend their religion) that religion is a mental illness. We talk about what has divided us as a nation but religion gets left out a lot. The majority of children in our area are strictly indoctrinated into a belief system that challenges facts and calls for a form of cognitive inertia or what some would call “motivated reasoning. If you objectively look at the angry MAGA republican crowd its easy to label them a cult. I feel that some folks feel that it works for their religion it will work for their politics as well. Just a thought.
———-
Thank you so much for trying
Bless you for trying to set people straight!! Everyone has the right to their own lives without putting others down!
[left to right] Brandon Phelps (r), Rick Brattin (r), Bruce Uhler.
Rick Brattin (r – 31st Senate District), Brandon Phelps (r – 54th Legislative District), and Warrensburg Mayor Bruce Uhler attended and spoke at “Coffee & Concerns” – a community event hosted by the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce – on Wednesday morning. Around fifty individuals were in attendance.
Rick Brattin (r).
A moderator from the Chamber of Commerce started with questions for the panel, then opened up questions from those in attendance. The event lasted over an hour and a half.
The complete audio:
.
A question from the audience:
Question: …One of my children has a severe disability. So, my question is going to be asking about how will you, um, make sure and, and a specific plan to insure that we are fully funding our schools, especially in those areas of special education. Um, I fear, based on a previous answer you gave, even as the vice-chair of the Education Committee, that you think our schools have more money than we do. Um, and I can tell you that is not the case. Um, so I am curious how you will insure that we are fully finding our schools, not leaving local districts to cover the gap, and how will you make sure we are not diverting funding away from our public schools, uh, via vouchers?
Rick Brattin (r): Why…I’m just like you, I mean, my, I have a daughter that’s a severe dyslexic. I’ve had to privately pay for years and years of tutoring [….] out of my pocket. Uh, and it has been, you know, transformative to be able, but it’s, it’s a life long deal, but I have to, to continually invest in my, my daughter’s capability to be able to flourish. Uh, and I think every student should have that capability. And that’s why I, I’m perplexed at the, the, the opposition to vouchers. You know, why, why I’m paying out of pocket for something that, that yes, if we’re sending taxpayer dollars, why shouldn’t I be able to have that allotment to be able to go to pay for the education that I know my kid is going to be able to flourish in? Uh, instead of walking into a, a type of school system that, uh, is, is a one size fits all approach?
Question: And our taxes pay for public schools. [crosstalk] That cover all students.
Rick Brattin (r): Well, your taxes, our taxes pay for the education of our students. Uh, it doesn’t state that it’s required that it’s public schools. Now we’ve set up that frame work but that doesn’t mean that the legislature and the people don’t want, uh, the capability to go elsewhere if they’re not receiving a good quality education. I mean, look at Kansas City, St. louis, even Lee’s Summit area that I represent a, a portion of. Where they’re at, at twenty, thirty percent, uh, proficiency rates in their readings and math. What are we supposed to do there? Continue to spend money and send our kids there to, to abysmally fail? I, I think it’s a detriment to our students. And especially those that are dyslexic, uh, or have other, uh, disabilities that are totally going under the radar because the school district just, uh, honestly has policies in place that, uh, allow them to be able to, to not be caught.
Well, Congressman Eric Burlison [r – MO 7] is a perfect example. He’s a great friend of mine. His daughters actually through a school district in, in Springfield were, both of them were diagnosed through the school district with dyslexia. The school district opted not to tell the parents. And not to even do anything to, uh, to remedy, trying to help fix their, the, the dyslexia. Until they took them out, got their private, uh, testing done and then the school district after they, actually, caught that they did the testing and refused to, to give that data to the parents, uh, the school district just basically said that they just, you know, uh, didn’t have to. [laugh] And so, I mean, not all school districts are acting in, in good faith and that’s where I think giving the individual parent that capability to take their money, uh, and, and educate their kids where they see fit. Like I had to pull my kids out of, of, Pleasant Hill. Uh, Uh, the public school district and now they’re going to Summit Christian Academy, it’s a private school, and, and they’re, they’re learning well beyond, uh, the, their years of what they would have received, uh, when, when they were at, it’s a, a public school. [….]
Question: Senator, this is not answering my question.
Rick Brattin (r): But, I, I’m just explaining that, that I saw that the school was failing my student and my kids and I had to pull out [crosstalk]…
Question: So you come from a place of privilege where you’re able to pull your children out [crosstalk]…
Rick Brattin (r): I, I make thirty-five thousand dollars a year [crosstalk] as a state senator. I’m not a [crosstalk]…
Question: In, a community like this doesn’t have the access to other schooling systems or, or abilities to send children [crosstalk] to those other places…
Rick Brattin (r): But that’s what it, that’s what [crosstalk] I, if, if we have the systems and processes in place to where we allow the student, uh, the money to follow the student I guarantee you that that will rise up. But when we have a, a monopoly system in education that doesn’t allow for it, of course you’re not gonna have [crosstalk]…
Question: It’s not a monopoly, it’s public education, thank you, senator.
Rick Brattin (r): well it is a monopoly because your taxpayer dollars are forced to go there and regardless if your student is actually even going to that school district. I’m still sending my money to Pleasant Hill School District and I’m paying for my kid’s education as well, on top of the tutoring for my daughter. So yes, I’m paying twice and it’s wrong and people that can’t afford it, they’re trapped. So, I, I’m the chair of Education [Missouri Senate Committee] and this is one of those things that I am emphatically for, is making sure these, these funds follow the student so they can get out of these trapped areas.
Voice: That’s bullshit.
Voices: All right, all right.
Rick Brattin (r): Hey, if you have a great school district then, then you have nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry [crosstalk]…
Question: If you fully fund it.
Rick Brattin (r): It, it is fully funded. At fourteen thousand dollars per pupil, it is funded….
Rick Brattin (r): …Now, as for the separation of church and state, that is nowhere in the Constitution. In fact the, the right to, to freedom of religion is in the Constitution. Uh, the first public education book in the United States is the New England Primer. I highly advise you to go to, to Amazon or Google or, or Ebay, whatever, and purchase a copy and see if separation of church and state of the first ordained public education book was was not religious. I assure you it wasn’t. That, that was not the case. Uh, so this, we, we’ve gotten to this place in America where all the sudden if, if money is utilized to educate students can’t in [inaudible] of faith. I, I think is absolutely the antithesis of America. Uh, we look at things like evolution being forced upon in all public education. Well, that’s, that’s a religion of science that, that’s been adopted and is forced upon the kids. Uh, and, and we’re funding that. I mean, so, to, to say that there’s not that, that aspect of it, it’s already occurring in public education. It’s just the, the secular, uh, world view which the Supreme Court ruled is a religion is, is what the dominant, uh, religion is of, of the school districts. But again, I am not and I do not want to attack the schools. I just want to make sure that, that parents have that capability, ’cause they know what’s best for their kids. Now, do all parents know, there is some crummy parents, there’s some parents that don’t care about their kids, I mean it, and that, that is terrible but, but, we try to do everything we can do with, and, and to make sure that they, they know that. And that’s, that’s my part in it is making sure that they have that capability, uh, to have access to all, uh, educational opportunity as possible. Now, again, we may differ in how and what that looks like, but I assure you I’m not an enemy trying to dismantle everything. I just, I just want there to be a level of competition that makes us all better. I mean, we, we educate and bring up our children to be competitors in every aspect and every realm of life. And then when we talk about vouchers all the sudden it’s, oh we can’t have any level of competition and so on and so forth. I just think that’s, uh, that’s a huge disservice….
[Note: The New England Primer was first published in Boston between 1687 and 1691. Extant copies date from 1727. All well before there was a United States of America.]
[Note: Amendment I – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” – U.S. Constitution
I Section 6. “….That no person can be compelled to erect, support or attend any place or system of worship, or to maintain or support any priest, minister, preacher or teacher of any sect, church, creed or denomination of religion…” – Missouri Constitution
I Section 7. “That no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect or denomination of religion, or in aid of any priest, preacher, minister or teacher thereof, as such; and that no preference shall be given to nor any discrimination made against any church, sect or creed of religion, or any form of religious faith or worship….” – Missouri Constitution]
Warrensburg Mayor Bruce Uhler.
Brandon Phelps (r).
Brandon Phelps (r): …Just on a, just on a side note, just something, uh, that was mentioned, and actually, I’ve said this before, maybe it gets mentioned quite often. Um, and, and I can’t speak for the senator, but I imagine that I am. We as legislators listen to you significantly more than you can possibly imagine. The problem is, and I told this to a group a while back, that just because maybe we have voted in a manner that you don’t agree with doesn’t mean that we didn’t understand the legislation. It doesn’t mean that we didn’t listen to constituents. It doesn’t mean that, uh, perhaps, if we haven’t met with you, it doesn’t mean that we’ve met with nobody. Um, and, uh, I discussed this with a group a while back that they just, I think they loved probably ninety-five percent of the things that I voted on and the way that I voted, but there were a few things they just simply didn’t like. And they asked me on those things they didn’t like, they said, well, why didn’t you listen to the people? Why didn’t you read the legislation? How come you didn’t, how come you didn’t understand and educate yourself on the legislation? And I said, so, wait a minute, let me get this clear. So on all the things that I voted in the manner that you like, you assumed I did educate myself. You assumed I did speak to the people. You assumed I did listen to the constituency. But on the three that you didn’t like, you assumed I didn’t read those bills. You assumed that I didn’t listen to constituency, and so I want you all to understand that believe it or not, while we are together right here, and for many of you this is the first opportunity, but for many of you it is not. These events, for me at least, I don’t know about for the senator, um, and so everybody knows, and I, I’m a first year legislator. I will tell you that I was actually just stunned that when session ended how many of these events started getting put on my calendar. I will tell you it’s almost daily. Uh, and when the superintendent told you that we spoke, um, a week and a half ago, we did, for two hours. We, we’ve had an opportunity to speak multiple times. During session he came to my office and we had a long conversations. But, that is that way with everybody. I just would ask people, number one, I want you to understand me. I’m gonna listen to you. I’m gonna hear you. I am going to research. But I would also ask that you don’t make the assumption that if I have not agreed with you on a hundred percent of the issues a hundred percent of the time that I just don’t listen. Because that’s not fair. Because we have thousands, tens of thousands of phone calls and emails. And I actually would tell people that’s one of the things I actually, I, I, I think, I think I told the mayor this, um, I know I told [….] this. That’s one of the things I love most about the job. I’m getting a free education when people come in and share their thoughts and concerns with me. They don’t always agree with me and I don’t always agree with them. But I do listen, I do research, and I do understand that we will not agree one hundred percent of the time on one hundred percent of the issues. It’s not possible. Uh, many of these events I go to, the people in the room, some of them in the room contacted my office or contacted me personally with one opinion, while other people in the room contacted me with another. I actually think that’s what makes us great. I actually believe that you are not supposed to agree with me on everything. And I am not supposed to agree with you on everything. I actually believe that that is what we want to see. Because your competing ideas with my competing ideas make us all better people. I can learn from you. And you can learn from me. But I would only say that that is possible when we have enough open mind to assume that the legislator making the vote didn’t just do it willy-nilly. Perhaps the legislator was listening and did have the info. And at the end of the day we’ve got to vote yes or we’ve got to vote no or we could take the coward’s way out and we could just go for a walk down the Capitol and not be there. I’m always there, I’ve always voted. My door in my office, uh, there are some that are open all day, there are some that are closed during the day. Mine’s never been closed. Uh, and I will tell you, these events, like I say, I, I bet I’ve been to a hundred now since the session ended in May. So we’re listening and I want you to know we’re listening and if you call me I will listen. And if you want to meet, I will meet and we will talk. Because I value it, I really do. I, I just really think that we need to share ideas and I am willing to accept the fact that you’re idea may be better than mine. My idea may be better than yours. But when I vote please don’t make the assumption that I only voted based on my ideas and I did it without any other input….
“…But I do listen, I do research, and I do understand that we will not agree one hundred percent of the time on one hundred percent of the issues. It’s not possible…”
Democrats shut down the government to please the far-left.
They want more spending, more woke programs, and fewer paychecks for our troops.
This isn’t leadership. It’s political hostage-taking.
Some of the responses:
We just want healthcare so we don’t die! Yours is safe, try living without it!!
The right refuses to negotiate so billionaires can become trillionaires.
Literally objectively false
Yet the Republican Party holds majority in all 3 branches. Stop the left vs. right rhetoric and do your freaking job. It’s ALL of you.
yes! All of them. Show up to work and do their fricking job. How many days of paid vacation have they had this year?
So why the 6 week CR extension?
And did he actually say this? “Dec. 31 is when that expires,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Friday in the Capitol. “So Congress has three months to negotiate that.”
ACA open enrollment starts November 1st and 25m+ people will be making critical healthcare decisions based on the figures they find there!
Give it a rest. Nobody is buying what you’re peddling.
You’re lying again. Resign.
Such a liar
Lies, lies, and then some more lies.
And, YOU ARE LYING.
Eric shouldn’t be in congress as he clearly does not wish to represent all of his constituents
Eric cares more about flying saucers and guns than his constituents.
Purposeful ignorance
Stop lying.
Gaslighting us again? We won’t fall for it. Y’all, vote this clown out!
I wonder how many of your constituents are on Obamacare? I wonder how many of them will have no health insurance at all if the Democrats don’t fight for it, because the Republicans want to destroy it.
A “clean funding extension” is what Democrats used to demand.
Now they reject it because their activist base told them to.
This is politics at its worst, and Americans are paying the price.
It takes two to compromise, broseph
This is a conversation that you won’t talk about at your townhall that you won’t show up to in Springfield tomorrow
Heh.
Dude……….don’t even. You’re such a liar.
Why would ANYONE trust MAGA’s to negotiate healthcare after the fact? Besides, trump wouldn’t allow negotiations to go anywhere.
Is that why all the Republicans left DC? We’re not stupid.
There’s nothing clean about the BBB. And you are a serial liar.
Emanuel Cleaver II
[October 6, 2025]
It says everything that, in the middle of a government shut down, House Republicans decided to take another week off.
Working families are paying for their dysfunction and inability to compromise.
Democrats will keep showing up to work, fighting to lower costs, and protecting the health care of American families – because someone has to do the people’s work.
[….]
[Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D):] ‘Hello. I’m Emanuel Cleaver and I’m irritated. I’m irritated because I was in Washington all last week – We have a problem. We needed to figure out how to get a continuing resolution to pay the bills of the United States, but there were people who did not show up, who were not concerned, as am I, about you.
The only thing I’m supposed to do in Washington is think about and serve you.
There are people who don’t understand or don’t care that if we don’t do something right now, quickly, many of you in the State of Missouri, the Fifth Congressional District, will lose your insurance or you won’t be able to afford it.
Now this is not some talking point. This is a straight out truth, and I’m willing to stand face to face with anybody on planet Earth and say what I just said and dare them to question the authenticity of what I said.
I’ve lost my temper. I’m cooling down now, but understand there are people who don’t care about you or me.’
Will Westmoreland (D): ‘….We’ve lost thirty-seven percent of our agricultural markets around the world because of these tariff wars. Thirty-seven percent. China wasn’t prepared the first time around. All their hogs were sick, they didn’t have any supplies of row crops. Well, one thing you can’t say about the Chinese is they just sit around and wait for another disaster. They don’t do that.
They went down to Brazil. They helped cut down about six percent more of the rainforest. The put in railroad tracks and better rail to the coasts and then they built better harbors for those big grain [inaudible] ships that come through there. And they went from buying thirteen percent of their row crops for Brazil to now buying forty-three percent of their row crops from Brazil.
Oh, and by the way, because he’s a Trump mini me we gave Argentina a twenty-billion dollar bailout, which they use to abolish the tax on soybean sales so that China could come in and but billions of dollars of soybeans from them subsidized by the American government.
You can’t make this stuff up….’
Will Westmoreland (D): ‘…When I talk about meeting people halfway, I’ve got a good friend in St. Louis that told me, Will, you need to add something to your speech, we don’t meet Nazis and we don’t meet racists halfway.
It’s not who I’m talking about, okay? I’m talking about like people like that row crop farmer in St. Clair County who got smacked over the head with an anvil three times and finally decided, you know what, maybe it’s not in my best interest to vote for this guy.
Those are the people we can meet halfway…’
Will Westmoreland (D): ‘…I think of three and a half more years with this guy and it just makes me break out in a sweat and I want to sit down in my recliner and just not get up again…’
‘…We’ve got Democrats running in places around this country where Trump won by twenty-five percent and we’ve got Democrats knocking off those candidates because people are so upset. He’s not above water in any single category that we measure a president under. In every single category that we measure presidential approval he’s below fifty percent. And in almost every category he’s almost down to thirty-nine percent. People do not like what’s happening.
Just because the media loves to put the little Joseph Goebbels on the TV from the Whitehouse and all the other people that you see and they give them air time and they yap, and yap, and yap….Those are not the voices of America. Thank God. Those are not the voices of America.
Those are voices that we heard a long time ago when we sent the greatest generation from this country over to Europe to fight against it and over to the Pacific to fight against it…’
‘…I hear a lot of similarities between their rhetoric and the rhetoric of Fascists that we heard back in the day.
So we’ve got to keep fighting. It feels different now, doesn’t it? For those of you who are a little gray around the ears like I am, it feels different this time. I mean, yeah, we were fighting for important causes in the eighties and the nineties, etcetera. But this time it feels different. It feels like it’s not just a policy that’s at stake. It feels like it’s our country that’s at stake. [voices] The soul of our country…’
‘…They can have our Democracy when they pry it from our cold, dead hands. And I hate to be melodramatic about it, but that’s how I feel about it. I’m gonna fight to the very end to defend this Democracy and I know you will, too.
The good news is this. The majority of people in this country are on your side…’
Around 100 individuals from counties across the district attended.
The issue before is now is very simple and clear. There is a large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country. It is well organized and funded. And it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general. The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks.
