‘Get Out Of The Way Of Rep Al Green’: Facing Censure, Congressman Defines Energy Needed At This Moment
Texas lawmaker could be fourth Democrat to be censured in recent years on Thursday
Rep Al Green may well find himself censured by the House of Representatives Thursday, there are throngs of Democratic voters, progressive activists and others online who want more Washington Democrats to follow suit.
Republicans are looking to officially rebuke Green, who stood up in protest against Donald Trump Tuesday evening during Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress.
But for the millions watching at home, the choice by the 78-year-old Green to stand up, shout at Trump and shake his cane electrified those Americans who have quickly become disappointed by the lackluster opposition most Democratic lawmakers have managed in the weeks since Trump returned to office.
The censure resolution introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash) will come up for a final vote Thursday.
Just three other Democrats have been censured in recent years: Reps Adam Schiff, of California, Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan and Jamaal Bowman, of New York. Bowman subsequently lost his seat and is no longer in Congress.
But, from the outpouring of support for him across social media, Green is seen as one of the very few Democrats whose energy matches the peril of the moment, in which Trump is quickly working to establish an authoritarian regime and — with the help of his billionaire advisor Elon Musk — quickly dismantle and destabilize wide swaths of the federal government.
“All the Dems should have stood up for Al Green, walked out en masse & with live cameras held their own address explaining how they’re going to fight Trump,” a pro-democracy activist and influencer named Cindy Cardno posted Wednesday. “Instead they sat quietly behaving for the Putin, Sadaam, Kim Jong Un Fascist Dictator himself …”
Writer, educator and activist Nick Engelfried was one who voiced the same sentiment: “I wish every Democrat in Congress was as willing to stand up to authoritarianism as Al Green.”
Particular ire was saved for those establishment Democrats who are criticizing Green for his public dissent, such as David Axelrod, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama who called it “despicable.”
“Axelrod can shut the fuck up and get out of the way of Rep Al Green and everyone else actually trying to save democracy,” posted Anna Law, Kurz Chair in Constitutional Rights at CUNY Brooklyn College.
Democrats should live up to their rhetoric ahead of the November elections in which they said, repeatedly, that American democracy is at stake, according to Nina Turner, a former Democratic state senator from Ohio and a prominent progressive activist.
“Congressman Al Green showed Democrats exactly how President Trump should be addressed last night,” she posted. “Democrats ran a campaign saying ‘democracy is on the line’ and now some Democrats are clutching their pearls because Rep. Green didn’t bow to Trump?”
And Democrats are being warned on social media not to even think about voting with Republicans Thursday to censure Green.
“Democrats even *thinking* about joining Republicans to censure Al Green for having the courage to stand up while they sat down do not deserve to be able to generate a single fundraising dollar from a person of moral character ever again,” Elie Mystal, attorney and justice correspondent for The Nation magazine, posted on his BlueSky account.
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