Our country has faced national crises before, but never with
such a dangerously unfit and polarizing leader -- someone who
hungers for the unchecked power of the autocrats he so admires.
And Trump is fully enabled by the cowering obedience and
complicity of Congressional Republicans who have made it crystal
clear that they will not stand between Trump and his assault on
our Constitution.

The murder of George Floyd prompted the moment we are in, but a
clear line runs from slavery to Jim Crow to segregation to
institutional racism and the absence of police accountability in
our society. While we have made progress on civil rights over the
years, anyone with ears to hear "I can't breathe" knows we have a
long journey still ahead. We must take urgent and deliberate
action to root out systemic racism in all its forms. But Trump
will never acknowledge that because, from the start, his
candidacy was based on sowing hate and division in America.

As people across the nation protest to express their pain and
demand change, Trump has threatened to unleash his "vicious dogs"
and called for police "domination." The use of tear gas and
rubber bullets against peaceful protesters outside the White
House this week to enable a Trump political stunt was a new low
for our country. Never in my worst nightmares did I ever imagine
a scene like that in the United States -- an American president
calling out the military, not to defend us from foreign enemies,
but to violate our citizens' First Amendment rights.

These are dark days. Yesterday, I spoke in the Senate Chamber
and called upon Senate Republicans to finally stand up against
this unstable and very dangerous president. But they remain
submissive in their silence. Their refusal to defend their oath
and the Constitution during this unprecedented time also
represents a threat to our democracy.

Our only recourse is at the BALLOT BOX this November. Trump
knows that and he is determined to try to suppress the vote. We
cannot let him succeed. Grassroots organizing under these
circumstances isn't easy, but we must stay focused on the task at
hand -- taking back the White House and the Senate to save our
democracy and build a more inclusive America that truly meets the
promise of liberty and justice for all.

We must work 24/7 to Ditch Mitch and Dump Trump.

Don't agonize, organize!

We are all in this together,

ChrisPaid for by Van Hollen for Senate
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