[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 6, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E13]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             OPPOSITION TO THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE OBJECTION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 2021

  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, today is supposed to be a celebration of our 
democracy--the peaceful transfer of power in our Country. Instead we 
saw mob rule descend on our Nation's Capitol. That's why I rise today 
in defense of a pillar of our democracy--the right for a free and fair 
election decided by the will of the voters and, ultimately, respected 
and accepted by the losing candidate and their supporters.
  The other side can indulge in all the conspiracy theories they want, 
but when you involve the integrity of our elections in my home State of 
Wisconsin, well then I have a problem.
  In our federal system of government, the administration of elections 
are controlled by our States--not Congress.
  What happens in Wisconsin is up to Wisconsin--not Washington.
  Our job in Congress is to count the electoral college votes, not 
overturn them.
  Wisconsin has a long history of open, fair, and accurate elections 
because of the laws that our State has established and executed by 
2,000 state and local officials, and countless volunteers, all who take 
their responsibility seriously with the highest form of honesty, 
integrity, fairness, and accuracy.
  What is being attempted here tonight is an attempt to invalidate 3.3 
million valid Wisconsin votes merely because their preferred candidate 
didn't win.
  But if they succeed, democracy dies and dictatorship reigns.
  The Trump campaign has filed state and federal court cases 
challenging the outcome of the vote in Wisconsin--all of which have 
been dismissed due to lack of any evidence of fraud.
  Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn, who was former 
Republican Governor Scott Walker's chief legal counsel, wrote in 
dismissing one of these challenges:
  ``We are invited to invalidate the entire presidential election in 
Wisconsin by declaring it ``null''--yes, the whole thing . . . this is 
a dangerous path we are being asked to tread. The loss of public trust 
in our constitutional order resulting from the exercise of this kind of 
judicial power would be incalculable.''
  And he is not alone in that assessment.
  The former Republican Speaker of the House from Wisconsin, Paul Ryan, 
said in a statement:
  ``Efforts to reject the votes of the electoral college and sow doubt 
about Joe Biden's victory strike at the foundation of our republic.
  It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-
conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of 
state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans.
  The fact that this effort will fail does not mean it will not do 
significant damage to American democracy.''
  He concluded by stating:
  ``The Trump campaign had ample opportunity to challenge election 
results, and those efforts failed from lack of evidence . . . Joe 
Biden's victory is entirely legitimate.''
  Or consider the third ranking Republican leader in this House, Rep. 
Liz Cheney who described this attempt as ``deeply troubling''.
  She went on to state:
  ``This is directly at odds with the Constitution's clear text and our 
core beliefs as Republicans.''
  ``Doing so'' she said ``Would be establishing a tyranny of Congress 
and stealing power from the States and the people in those States.''
  Finally consider what my friend and Republican colleague from 
Wisconsin, Mike Gallagher, had to say about this:
  ``I just don't think we want to endorse the principle that January 6 
is a legitimate forum for Congress to overturn the will of the States 
and the people . . . if you've endorsed that principle, then you've 
already destroyed the idea of American government. At least you've 
destroyed the conservative idea of American government.''
  What these Republican leaders understand is this--
  If Congressional Members vote to reject valid Presidential electors 
for invalid reasons, There is nothing anyone can do about it.
  The ugly truth is that, despite a nationwide vote, fenced in with 
legal and technical safeguards, after 244 years of history, the U.S. 
President is elected on the honor system of 535 Members of Congress, 
each sworn to preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution and our 
representative democracy enshrined in it.
  It's not an oath to any individual or to any party.
  Now it's easy to play war when you think that you're firing blanks, 
but these are not blanks being fired at our Constitution.
  This is dangerous today because of the collateral damage that is 
being done to the sanctity of the ballot box.
  It is also dangerous because it now provides a blueprint for next 
time.
  President Trump will not be successful this time, but next time when 
some authoritarian wannabe takes a run at our Constitution, all bets 
are off.
  We have a tendency in this Country to kick our Democracy around like 
it's a football--it's more like an egg, very fragile. You break it, 
good luck putting it back together again.
  Please, do not put Donald Trump ahead of our Constitution, ahead of 
the rule of law, ahead of the sanctity of the ballot box.
  Vote no on this attempt to overturn a valid election.
  Vote no on this objection.

                          ____________________