Post by Ethan Hall (D-IA) on Jan 2, 2006 11:05:21 GMT -5
Hall Addresses People for the American Way Fundraiser
ST. LOUIS - Congressman Ethan Hall, an outspoken opponent of the coming war in Iran and many Congressional priorities, was invited to be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the PAC-arm of the People for the American Way. Some selected excerpts are as follows:
ST. LOUIS - Congressman Ethan Hall, an outspoken opponent of the coming war in Iran and many Congressional priorities, was invited to be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the PAC-arm of the People for the American Way. Some selected excerpts are as follows:
Lyndon Johnson, as the consummate Southerner, gave us a great many quotables that are better for a laugh, than anything else - one of the few things he shared with the former President Bush. But another one of Johnson's quotes actually stuck with me, "A man without a vote is a man without protection." Now, without question, this was directed towards the voting problems that Johnson and the Democratic Congress tried to remedy in the 1960s - but its still relevant today.
We have scarcely scratched the surface of making this nation the great, democratic republic that it was destined to become. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the voting irregularities that have begun to occur with alarming frequency in our urban areas, beginning with the disputed election of 2000. Now, I don't speak of any conspiratorial plan among Republican leaders and Diebold executives to rig our voting system - I speak of the very real problems associated with trying to cast a vote in our urban areas, Democratic areas.
First, all of us are politically active, right? If you're here, I'm guessing you are. Now, would any of us get off work at 5:00 and trot over to your local polling station and then wait eight hours in line, just to cast one vote? I can tell you that I wouldn't and I'm a Congressman!
*laughter*
Now, add on top of that that you're a machinist in St. Louis, bone tired and weary, with kids at home waiting for dinner. Guess you can't vote, huh, lady? We cry about voter apathy, but we don't examine why people are apathetic! It's time to stop making voting a chore and making it a responsibility that people can actually exercise! The Republicans have stonewalled us for nine years - nine long years on electoral reform. Now, with President Warder in office, it's time for us to strike while the iron is hot.
The first step is getting your Congressmen and women to sign off on the Election Tuesday Act of 2009. This will give every voting American the day off to celebrate election day as the real patriotic holiday of the year - the day we exercise our right to choose our leaders!
But, that's not it, oh no. We need real, effective campaign finance reform that takes money out of politics. Money should never buy the wealthy greater "freedom of speech" than the average American. We need to make sure that there is accountability in electronic voting, so that votes are not needlessly thrown away! We need to make sure that the lessons of the past are not forgotten and fully renew the Voting Rights Act!
*applause*
And to do that, we need one thing. A Democratic Congress. Help me bring more Democrats into the U.S. Congress and you'll see all of that and more. Thank you all!
We have scarcely scratched the surface of making this nation the great, democratic republic that it was destined to become. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the voting irregularities that have begun to occur with alarming frequency in our urban areas, beginning with the disputed election of 2000. Now, I don't speak of any conspiratorial plan among Republican leaders and Diebold executives to rig our voting system - I speak of the very real problems associated with trying to cast a vote in our urban areas, Democratic areas.
First, all of us are politically active, right? If you're here, I'm guessing you are. Now, would any of us get off work at 5:00 and trot over to your local polling station and then wait eight hours in line, just to cast one vote? I can tell you that I wouldn't and I'm a Congressman!
*laughter*
Now, add on top of that that you're a machinist in St. Louis, bone tired and weary, with kids at home waiting for dinner. Guess you can't vote, huh, lady? We cry about voter apathy, but we don't examine why people are apathetic! It's time to stop making voting a chore and making it a responsibility that people can actually exercise! The Republicans have stonewalled us for nine years - nine long years on electoral reform. Now, with President Warder in office, it's time for us to strike while the iron is hot.
The first step is getting your Congressmen and women to sign off on the Election Tuesday Act of 2009. This will give every voting American the day off to celebrate election day as the real patriotic holiday of the year - the day we exercise our right to choose our leaders!
But, that's not it, oh no. We need real, effective campaign finance reform that takes money out of politics. Money should never buy the wealthy greater "freedom of speech" than the average American. We need to make sure that there is accountability in electronic voting, so that votes are not needlessly thrown away! We need to make sure that the lessons of the past are not forgotten and fully renew the Voting Rights Act!
*applause*
And to do that, we need one thing. A Democratic Congress. Help me bring more Democrats into the U.S. Congress and you'll see all of that and more. Thank you all!