John,
Last week, I was physically dragged out of a town hall hosted by New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler:
What was my offense?
Asking my own member of Congress what red line Donald Trump would need to cross for him to finally stand up to Trump’s attacks on our Constitution.
If Mr. Lawler and other Republicans in Congress have a red line — a point where they are willing to publicly oppose Mr. Trump — I believe they should say so. And when they don’t respond to us, I believe we should stand our ground and keep demanding answers.
That’s why I stood up and asked my question last weekend. And that’s why regular people across the country are showing up in growing numbers at town halls and Congressional offices and demanding to be heard.
If you agree, please add your name now to demand Republican members of Congress answer to their constituents, not their billionaire donors. The more people who stand up in this moment, the more pressure we will be able to put on Republicans in Congress at this critical moment.
Sign the petition
My name is Emily Feiner. I’m a retired social worker and a peace activist living in New York’s 17th Congressional District.
I didn’t attend the town hall meeting expecting to be forcibly removed. I didn’t expect to have my image plastered all over the internet.
But right now, Rep. Lawler and his Republican colleagues are trying to claim ignorance in the face of a barrage of attacks on the Constitution from Donald Trump.
Republican politicians like Mike Lawler like to describe themselves as “moderate.”
They like to tell us they’re standing up to Trump behind closed doors.
But all we’ve seen from Republicans in Congress is fear and complicity, even as Trump engages in brazen corruption and tries to destroy the country for his own benefit.
If my own Congressman can’t tell me where his red line is, at what point he’s willing to say enough, then I can only conclude that he has no red line, and that he will let democracy crumble before he so much as says one cross word about Trump.
In 1949, my own father was arrested for making a speech on a street corner in opposition to racial segregation.
The police ordered my father to stop speaking, claiming that he was trying to incite a riot. When he refused, they arrested him.
His free speech case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where the justices voted 6-3 to uphold his conviction. Though he suffered personal and professional consequences for his convictions, ultimately, he was vindicated by history.
My parents taught me to stand up for what’s fair and just, even if what’s fair and just is unpopular, and to use my voice to speak up for those who are unable to speak for themselves. If that somehow makes me a “radical” activist — in Rep. Lawler’s words — so be it. I would choose my father’s legacy of moral courage over the GOP’s cowardice every day.
If you believe that our elected officials should show even a tiny amount of the same moral courage by answering their constituents’ questions, then sign the petition now. Demand that Republican members of Congress answer to their constituents, not billionaire donors.
Sign the petition
In solidarity,
Emily Feiner
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