OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed on Monday that the nation’s first president would have tears in his eyes because of the “departure from our democracy” that she said will continue unless Congress passes voting rights legislation.
During an event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pelosi wagged her finger and declared that Congress “must-pass” the Democrats two radical voting bills — the Freedom To Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
“So I asked our colleagues in the Senate, respectfully, for what they think the filibuster means, to compare that, to weigh the equities against our democracy. Because nothing less is at stake than our democracy. This is about suppressing the vote,” Pelosi said.
“It’s about nullifying the election, which Dr. King talked about that day. Nullifying the election. It is about just doing so many things to be obstacles to participation. That’s wrong. The truth is, that’s wrong. And this family and John Lewis, and so beautifully that this bill is named for him, but the first bill, he wrote the first 300 pages of what is now called Freedom to Vote,” she added.
“And as has been indicated by the king family, this bill is supported by all of the Democrats, House, and Senate. It’s just the filibuster in the way. So, in a way, if you really, truly want to honor Dr. King, don‘t dishonor him by using a congressional custom as an excuse for protecting our democracy. We have no right to honor this family, to visit the monument,” she continued.
“Imagine, 36 years old, someone left this earth in such a way that he has a monument on the mall along with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson — all of them with tears in their eyes for the departure from our democracy that is happening right now, unless the truth is acknowledged and this legislation is passed. And with that, I want to yield to our distingui — am I introducing?” she asked.
“Our distinguished chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Working with her has been a joy because she has been so persistent. She brings her own record of civil rights experience to the Congress and to the subject, as does our distinguished whip, Mr. Clyburn,” Pelosi said.
WATCH:
During a speech in Georgia last week, Biden compared siding against this voting legislation with being on the side of some of the most anti-Civil Rights people in the history of the nation, which drew criticism even from Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin.
“Do you want to be … on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?” the president said in the speech.
Joe Biden said during this speech that people who disagree with his bill to federalize elections are "domestic enemies" and are on the side of George Wallace, Bull Connor, and Jefferson Davis.
What you see here is truly the soul of nation being restored. pic.twitter.com/P2gZi5K0nS
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 11, 2022
“It is stark, and I will concede that point,” the senator said when he was interviewed by CNN anchor Jake Tapper.
“Perhaps the president went a little too far in his rhetoric. Some of us do, but the fundamental principles and values at stake are very, very similar,” he said.
