“Violence begets violence. Hate begets hate. When brutality is campaign currency, it is legitimized. When Republicans spread lies about our democracy, they undermine the voices of voters and the very foundation of our government,” wrote Clark.

MALDEN, M.A. - In case you missed it, Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Katherine Clark (MA-5) shared an op-ed today about what the attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband says about the current Republican Party and the future of our democracy.

“Violence begets violence. Hate begets hate. When brutality is campaign currency, it is legitimized. When Republicans spread lies about our democracy, they undermine the voices of voters and the very foundation of our government,” wrote Assistant Speaker Clark.

“The tolerance of violence and bigotry in our political discourse must end. We are one nation and one community. America has big challenges ahead of us and big ideological differences about how to solve them, but we are well beyond sharp-elbowed policy debates. Robert F. Kennedy warned us that if we teach people to hate and fear their neighbors because of their race, their beliefs, or the policies they pursue, we are teaching people “to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies.”

“We must stand together to put an end to extremism. We must call it out. The midterms are days away, and we must cast our ballots not as partisans but as patriots who understand no one has ever won freedom through the oppression of others. Our only path forward is together. We must reject any candidate seeking power by turning us against each other. Lives are at stake, and so too, is our democracy,” she concluded.

You can read the entire op–ed HERE or below:

Voters must reject any candidate seeking power by turning us against each other

By Katherine Clark, Assistant Speaker for the U.S. House of Representatives

The violent attack last week on Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, should have been a moment of collective alarm, an opportunity for members of Congress to recommit to ending political violence and strengthening our democratic institutions. Instead, Republican officials are doubling down on their campaign of fear and misinformation. They have spent years normalizing violence as a form of popular dissent. Conspiracy theories have been used to fuel anger and create doubt in our institutions. Community is being destroyed in favor of division and chaos. The results are horrifying.

According to US Capitol Police, threats to members of Congress have more than doubled since 2017. The threats target Republican and Democratic members, including a recent attempted stabbing of Republican Lee Zeldin in his campaign for New York governor.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before Congress that the greatest domestic threat facing the United States comes from racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists. Heavily promoted by the GOP, one third of adult Americans who responded to an AP/NORC poll now believe in some form of the racist Great Replacement Theory, an idea that nonwhite individuals are being brought to the United States to “replace” white voters.

We cannot pretend that these are one-off events. There is a connection between the rise of hate and violence and the actions of the Republican establishment.

GOP leaders have endorsed the Big Lie, the baseless claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and made it a centerpiece of their midterm campaigns. They speak in racist dog whistles and a member  created a video depicting himself killing his colleague. The GOP has come to the defense of the Jan. 6 mob over our country and the rule of law. They defend the insurrectionists who brutalized our police officers, preached white supremacy and antisemitism, and erected gallows at the Capitol to hang their political adversaries. They stood by silently when Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia recently said at a a rally, “Democrats want Republicans dead, and they have already started the killings.” There are Republican candidates for secretary of state who are declaring that the only valid elections are those that result in a Republican win.

Violence begets violence. Hate begets hate. When brutality is campaign currency, it is legitimized. When Republicans spread lies about our democracy, they undermine the voices of voters and the very foundation of our government.

The tolerance of violence and bigotry in our political discourse must end. We are one nation and one community. America has big challenges ahead of us and big ideological differences about how to solve them, but we are well beyond sharp-elbowed policy debates. Robert F. Kennedy warned us that if we teach people to hate and fear their neighbors because of their race, their beliefs, or the policies they pursue, we are teaching people “to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies.”

My heart aches for the Speaker and the entire Pelosi family who must live through this horrific event and the recovery of a loved one. I worry for my colleagues and their families who face daily threats at home, in Washington, and online.

But my deepest fear is for the future of our country.

We must stand together to put an end to extremism. We must call it out. The midterms are days away, and we must cast our ballots not as partisans but as patriots who understand no one has ever won freedom through the oppression of others. Our only path forward is together. We must reject any candidate seeking power by turning us against each other. Lives are at stake, and so too, is our democracy.

Katherine Clark is the Assistant Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

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