While many Americans celebrated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi believed legendary figures like MLK and President Abraham Lincoln have “tears in their eyes” thanks to the GOP and even some of their own members standing in the way of voter reform. 

Speaking at an event held at Washington’s Union Station, Pelosi declared, “Nothing less is at stake than our Democracy. This is about suppressing the vote, it’s about nullifying the election. It’s about just doing so many things that are obstacles to participation. That’s wrong. The truth is, that’s wrong.”

Appearing to take shots at both Senator Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, two Democrats who oppose eliminating the filibuster, Pelosi added, “If you really, truly want to honor Dr. King, don’t dishonor him by using a congressional custom as an excuse for protecting our democracy. We all want bipartisanship. We all strive for it [and] we have a responsibility to do so. But when we cannot have it, we cannot confine our democracy to what might be bipartisanly possible.”

After bashing her own Democrats, Pelosi also suggested any person standing in the way of voter reform was somehow making historic figures like Abraham Lincoln cry. “[Martin Luther King Jr.,]…Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson  — all of them with tears in their eyes for the departure from our democracy that is happening right now, unless the truth is acknowledged and this legislation is passed.”

Before Pelosi would make her statement, Senator Senima announced she was standing by her decision not to vote against the filibuster. This severely crippled bills like the Freedom to Vote Act and The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which are both being pushed by Democrats. 

This piece was written by Jeremy Porter on January 18, 2022. It originally appeared in DrewBerquist.com and is used by permission.

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