[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 188 (Thursday, November 29, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H9694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ELIMINATE BIGOTRY AND HATE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, once again, I rise, proud to be 
an American, proud to have the opportunity to speak for people who 
cannot speak for themselves in this place.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mention the midterm elections of 2018, 
said by many who count and who are supposed to know to be one of the 
highest turnouts ever, exceeding 100 million voters, said to be 
approximately 48 to 50 percent of those who are eligible to vote, 
depending on how you count and who is counting.
  In Texas, it is said that, on November 1, the number of Texans voting 
early exceeded the entire turnout for 2014. The numbers indicate that 
3.3 million or more 18-to-29-year-olds voted early, a 188 percent 
increase over 2014. It was a record turnout.
  Why was there a record turnout? is the question that we have to 
grapple with. Yes, people turned out because they wanted better 
healthcare. They turned out because they want better jobs. They turned 
out because they want better schools, better education. They want 
better housing.
  But they also turned out because they were opposed to bigotry and 
hate. Nobody can give you the empirical evidence to support entirely 
the number that turned out because they were antithetical to bigotry 
and hate. But we know by anecdotal evidence that many people turned 
out, in addition to the other things, because they want to see bigotry 
and hate not managed, but they want to see it eliminated in the 
greatest and richest country in the world.
  Many people turned out with the expectation that we would do 
something about all of the things that I have named, including bigotry 
and hate. Many people turned out because they want bigotry and hate to 
become more than talking points. They want bigotry and hate in this 
country to become action items.
  They want to see us visibly do something about the bigotry and hate 
that has found a means by which it can multiply, it can grow, in this 
country.
  We have seen evidence of it in elections, a Senator who says: I'd go 
to a public hanging.
  We have seen evidence of it in our places of worship, people killed 
in a synagogue.
  We have seen evidence of it in the streets with words and behavior 
that are unacceptable. ``Jews will not replace us,'' they said in 
Charlottesville.
  We have to do something about bigotry and hate, and it has to be more 
than simply talk. Talking points are good; action items are better. It 
is time for the Congress of the United States of America to stand up 
for the many people who suffer from bigotry and hate in this country.

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