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Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) speaking in support of DACA at Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis. (Photo: Lorie Shaull/flickr/cc)
Ellison's Advice to Confront Racist Trump Agenda in 2018: 'Organize, Organize, Organize'
Question shouldn't be whether president said "shithole" or "shithouse," argues top Democrat. It should be: "What are we going to do about it?"
Jan 17, 2018
As fallout continues over the president's offensive language during a closed-door meeting in the Oval Office, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) argued that Donald Trump's specific word choice is irrelevant--"he has a long history of racism"--and that in the year ahead the public must "organize, organize, organize" to defeat his agenda.
Speaking to MSNBC's "All In" on Monday, Ellison, who also serves as co-chair of the DNC, said that "whether [Trump] said 'shithole' or 'shithouse,' he has deprecated people and people of color, people who are Muslim, people who are Mexican. He has done it for literally years."
The task at hand should be to decide "what are we going to do about it," he said.
Given that "this guy is a commander-in-chief...[and] controls the largest military economy and surveillance in the world," Ellison said Trump's "racism is dangerous to people. And we've all got to step up and deal with that."
"All we see out of this president is that he's doing mean, hateful things to people, or he's demanding his vanity be assuaged. We are in a constitutional crisis right now," Ellison warned, and said, "2018 is a year where if you love this country and the people in, it everybody has got to organize, organize, organize and get very busy. Figure out how you can be involved to restore the proper balance in our country."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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As fallout continues over the president's offensive language during a closed-door meeting in the Oval Office, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) argued that Donald Trump's specific word choice is irrelevant--"he has a long history of racism"--and that in the year ahead the public must "organize, organize, organize" to defeat his agenda.
Speaking to MSNBC's "All In" on Monday, Ellison, who also serves as co-chair of the DNC, said that "whether [Trump] said 'shithole' or 'shithouse,' he has deprecated people and people of color, people who are Muslim, people who are Mexican. He has done it for literally years."
The task at hand should be to decide "what are we going to do about it," he said.
Given that "this guy is a commander-in-chief...[and] controls the largest military economy and surveillance in the world," Ellison said Trump's "racism is dangerous to people. And we've all got to step up and deal with that."
"All we see out of this president is that he's doing mean, hateful things to people, or he's demanding his vanity be assuaged. We are in a constitutional crisis right now," Ellison warned, and said, "2018 is a year where if you love this country and the people in, it everybody has got to organize, organize, organize and get very busy. Figure out how you can be involved to restore the proper balance in our country."
As fallout continues over the president's offensive language during a closed-door meeting in the Oval Office, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) argued that Donald Trump's specific word choice is irrelevant--"he has a long history of racism"--and that in the year ahead the public must "organize, organize, organize" to defeat his agenda.
Speaking to MSNBC's "All In" on Monday, Ellison, who also serves as co-chair of the DNC, said that "whether [Trump] said 'shithole' or 'shithouse,' he has deprecated people and people of color, people who are Muslim, people who are Mexican. He has done it for literally years."
The task at hand should be to decide "what are we going to do about it," he said.
Given that "this guy is a commander-in-chief...[and] controls the largest military economy and surveillance in the world," Ellison said Trump's "racism is dangerous to people. And we've all got to step up and deal with that."
"All we see out of this president is that he's doing mean, hateful things to people, or he's demanding his vanity be assuaged. We are in a constitutional crisis right now," Ellison warned, and said, "2018 is a year where if you love this country and the people in, it everybody has got to organize, organize, organize and get very busy. Figure out how you can be involved to restore the proper balance in our country."
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