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Rep. Hoyer Delivers Closing Remarks Before House Votes On Second Impeachment Of Trump | NBC News - YouTube
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this is a troubled time
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a sad time
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it is a time where all of us have stood
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almost to a person
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and lamented the violence and the
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assault on this capital
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and the assault on democracy itself
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it was right to do that
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but this impeachment ought to be put in
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the perspective
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of what the republican chair of the
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republican
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conference said it was
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she said the president of the united
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states
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summoned the mob
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assembled the mob
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and lit the flame of that attack
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there has never been she said
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a greater betrayal by a president of the
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united
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states of this office of his office
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and his oath to the constitution
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that is why we are here today
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that is why we are here today just
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a week before that president
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at the request of the american people
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will leave office
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and the issue is
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what do we do
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the 433 of us i believe who are here
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do on behalf of the american people to
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respond
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to what representative
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cheney described happen
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on the 6th of january
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a mob assembled by
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summoned by
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and then spoken to to light the flame
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of the attack
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to stop the steel
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as we sat here exercising our
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constitutional duty
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and to his great credit
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the vice president of the united states
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following the constitution
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of the united states of america
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notwithstanding the fact that he was
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opportuned by the president
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not to do so
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that mob sent by the president
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to stop the steal did so
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for a few hours not the steel
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but the constitutional duty that we had
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and so we ask ourselves what do we do
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what is our responsibility what should
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we say
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in light of only the civil war
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has an analogy that doesn't mean there
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haven't been demonstrations in
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washington before and demonstrations
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throughout this country before
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but it is the first and only
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physical presence other than the 911
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attack on this nation which came from
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abroad
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and had a plane aimed at our capitol
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dome this
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attack was not from abroad
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it was as liz cheney said
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summoned assembled
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and inflamed
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by the president of the united states
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of america who in liz
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cheney said words that there has never
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been
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a greater betrayal by a president of the
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united states of his office
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and his oath to the constitution
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i pride myself as a member of this
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congress who
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for 40 years has worked in a bipartisan
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fashion
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with many of your leaders and due
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to this day
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but are we to remain silent
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in the face of liz cheney's saying this
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was the greatest betrayal
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of the duty of the president united
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states in history
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are we just staying silent will we stand
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silent will we not stand up
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and say this
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is not acceptable madam speaker for four
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years donald trump has made no effort to
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hide his ambitions
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or his lacking of republican principles
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not our principles but the principles
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that abraham lincoln was just quoted as
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having said
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your president our president
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has never displayed those in the four
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years he's been president united states
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he's allowed little constraint on his
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worst inclinations
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his desire for autocracy and his
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glorification of violence
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have not been tempered but rationalized
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rationalized by those who sought to
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profit financially and politically
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from their proximity to power upon the
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foundations of virtue
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reason and patient wisdom laid down by
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george washington as our first president
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donald trump trump has constructed a
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glass palace
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of lies fear-mongering
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and sedition
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last wednesday on january 6 the nation
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in the world watched it shatter
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to pieces there can be no mistaking any
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longer
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the kind of man sitting in the oval
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office or his intentions
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and capabilities the curtain has been
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pulled back
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the office to which he was elected could
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not temper
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or reform him washington's legacy was
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passed down to us not
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as written decrees
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mr speaker the house is not in order
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the gentleman the gentleman's correct
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the house will be in order
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washington's legacy was passed down to
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us not as written decrees
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but understood norms
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how we ought to act how we ought to
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conduct ourselves
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term after term each occupant has
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observed those norms out of a
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recognition
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that our constitution's articles are not
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the only preservative
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of our democracy for more than two
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centuries
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madam speaker whenever those norms were
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tested and strained good and virtuous
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citizens
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on both sides of the aisle
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found common purpose in reaffirming
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those norms
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but memory fades and from time to time
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it must be refreshed
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madam speaker as the framers emerged
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from the constitution convention
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benjamin franklin was asked whether they
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had made america
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a monarchy or a republic probably all of
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us know this response
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a republic he answered
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if you can keep it
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that's the question today
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if we can keep it
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and the way we keep it is to say no
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to actions and words
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that do not promote the keeping
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of that republic
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for millennia people have understood
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that a republic is only as stable as
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and lasting as the citizens
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and leaders who commit themselves to its
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upkeep this president has shown us
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he's not committed to that project
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his tweets every day
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have shown he is not committed to that
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project indeed he openly disdains it
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and appears to prefer the alternative
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but what are the rest of us
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those of who have the honor and the
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great privilege
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and the weighty responsibility
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to represent the views of 750 000 of our
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fellow citizens
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we in this congress have an opportunity
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no a duty to demonstrate our commitment
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both as leaders and as citizens
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to keeping america a republic
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a republic that resolves its differences
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not through being ordered to come to the
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capitol to prevent them from
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stealing the election which was an
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absurd assertion
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from the very first day it was made
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we cannot erase the last four years
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madam speaker we cannot turn back the
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clock
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but we can look to the ideals and
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principles inherited
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from great presidents like washington
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like jefferson and yes certainly
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like abraham lincoln and franklin
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roosevelt
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and from outstanding americans like
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frederick douglass
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harriet tubman susan anthony cesar
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chavez
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martin luther king thurgood marshall
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our beloved john lewis
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and yes rbg ruth bader ginsburg
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who taught us a lot about equality and
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inclusion
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it's up to us to restore the vibrancy
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madam speaker of our democracy by
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reaffirming
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our commitment to the norms they passed
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on to us
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and entrusted to our care
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but to make that possible madam speaker
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we must rise to this moment
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and not only affirm the virtues we
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cherish
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but reject the
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vices we abhor
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that's what i'm asking my fellow
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representatives on both sides of the
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aisle to do today
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we all stood and we abhorred the
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violence
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that occurred and the threat to the very
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democracy that we hold so dear and swore
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an oath
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to protect and uphold
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reject deceit
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reject fear-mongering reject sedition
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tyranny and insurrection
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reject the demand for fealty to one man
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over fidelity
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to one's country when i addressed the
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house during the debate over the
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articles of impeachment in december 2019
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i said the following
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we need not ask who will be the first to
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show our courage
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by standing up to president trump the
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question we must ask
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who will be the last to find it
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senator mcconnell representative chaney
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a number of other representatives who
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have spoken on this floor with great
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courage
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madam speaker
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because there is much fear of donald
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trump
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there's much fear of donald trump's
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tweets there's much fear of donald
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trump's
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retribution for opposition
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in my view donald trump demands absolute
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loyalty
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and gives none in return
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i hope others will join liz cheney
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i hope others will be honest with
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themselves and with their constituents
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as liz cheney was saying there has never
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been a greater portrayal by a president
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united states of his office
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and his oath to the constitution don't
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dismiss that
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she's the daughter of a vice president
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united states
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who was the whip when i came to congress
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as she has taken a stand i hope others
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will as well
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madam speaker soon
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the clerk will call the roll
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and ask for our votes make no mistake
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this will be no ordinary roll call
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this is about our country our
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constitution
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and our democracy these votes will be
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inscribed on the role of history
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a record of courage and of our
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commitment to country and constitution
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of our commitment to the rule of law and
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renewal of that which we inherited
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and hope to pass on unbroken
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unshattered with just seven days left in
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the president's term
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this vote is not about timing
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it is about principle
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and fidelity to our constitution
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it concerns the clear and present danger
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facing our country
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not only in these final days of the
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trump administration
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but in the weeks months and years that
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will follow
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it is about the necessity to demonstrate
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to this generation
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and to future generations the duty we
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share to protect our democracy
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every single day
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do not pretend my friends that it was
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simply those
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who came into the capital
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encouraged by our president to stop the
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steal
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at any cost and by the way
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if the vice president doesn't do my
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bidding
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and follows the constitution sweep him
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away
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we know that this president would never
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emulate george washington
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and give up his power for the good of
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our republic even after losing
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an election somebody talked about a
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peaceful trans
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transition there has not been a peaceful
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transition
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i don't know what you're talking about
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you're not living in the same country i
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am
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it was just days ago that the president
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after committing this terrible act
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thought he had to admit that joe biden
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might yes be president of the united
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states
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we know that this president neither
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recognizes norms nor reflects the rule
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of law we know that this president
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is not a patriot so i asked this house
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who among us madam speaker will be
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recorded on the role of history for
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their courage
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their commitment the constitution
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and their country we do this today not
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for politics
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we don't need this for politics
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georgia showed that there was no mistake
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in this election
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we do this today to preserve and protect
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this great democracy we do it for the
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america we love
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our america the beautiful whose founders
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sacrifices
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we praise in song oh beautiful for
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heroes proved
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in liberating strife who more than self
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their country loved and mercy more than
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life
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sadly madame pres
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speaker as our current president the
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appropriate words would be
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who less than self
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his country loved and victory
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more than truth vote for this
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for america for our constitution
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for democracy hey nbc news viewers
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