Democrat Introduces Amendment Banning Anyone Who Supported Insurrection From Leading House Pledge of Allegiance

There was a waste of time with a stupid throwdown in the House after Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FLA) introduced an amendment in the House Judiciary Committee to recite the Pledge of Allegiance prior to each meeting.

Sure, on the surface this seems harmless enough. But coming from Gaetz, it borders on obscene. The Republican Accountability Project reminds everyone of Gaetz history against democracy:

Signed Texas amicus brief
Objected to certification of electoral college votes in one or more states
Made false and/or irresponsible public statements against democratic system
Voted against impeachment or conviction of Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection
Voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack
Voted against holding Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress.

So Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) offered an amendment restricting “anyone who supported Insurrection†from leading the pledge lest they make a mockery of it.

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“This pledge is an affirmation of your defense of democracy and the Constitution,” Cicilline said. “It’s hard to take that claim seriously if in fact, an individual in any way supported an insurrection against the government.”

Gee. That seems like a given. Or rather, it should be a given. What a sad state of affairs.

The current Pledge reads: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

‘I pledge allegiance to the United States of America… except when Republicans don’t win elections’ doesn’t have the same ring.

This led to an hour-long debate over saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Yes, this is your Congress on Republicanism.

House Republicans ran to Twitter full of their favorite distraction technique of inciting perma outrage in their base, claiming that Democrats are supposedly against saying the Pledge of Allegiance before meetings:

But ranking member Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) pointed out that House members already recite the pledge on the floor every day, saying, “I don’t know why we should pledge allegiance twice in the same day to show how patriotic we are.”

Rep. Nadler might not feel the need to wrap himself in the flag twice a day, but those who have taken direct actions to undermine what that flag represents obviously feel differently.

It’s all about how things look, you see. Republicans are waving that flag after trying to steal millions of Americans’ most fundamental right and justifying a domestic terrorist attack by their party’s leader in an attempt to maintain power not freely given to him.

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Republicans are trying to make the Pledge of Allegiance a thing because it’s a cheap, easy way to cover themselves in faux patriotism for the heavily funded by billionaires faux populism movement, the approval of which they constantly seek in increasingly desperate measures.

It is also a free diversion from doing their jobs and petty way to score political hits, knowing their base won’t ever hear that this is redundant and a waste of time.

With Republican control of the House, we are back to promises to read the Constitution and other bargain-basement pretenses of patriotism that cost nothing and only fritter away time that is supposed to be spent actually serving the American people.



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