>>> THE FIRST TIME WE SAW ANYTHING ON THIS SCALE WAS THE
SUMMER OF 2009.
ALL OVER THE COUNTRIES VOTERS
DESENDED ON TOWN HALL MEETINGS
HOSTED BY THEIR MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WAS ON
THE CUSP OF PASSING HEALTH CARE
REFORM.
REFORM. IT WAS SPURRED ON BY GROUPS
FUNDED BY SOME OF THE RICHEST
PEOPLE IN AMERICA ORGANIZING
UNDER THE TEA PARTY BANNER.
ESSENTIALLY ORGANIZING MASSIVE
RESISTANCE AGAINST EXPANDING
HELGTS CARE.
HELGTS CARE. BUT TEA PARTIERS FLOODED TOWN
HALLS IN HUGE NUMBERS DEMANDING
THEY SAY NO TO THE HEALTH CARE
REFORM WHICH THEY DUBBED AS
OBAMACARE.
OBAMACARE. WE SAW THE INVERSE IN THE SUMMER
OF 2017 WHEN REPUBLICANS TRIED
TAKING THAT VERY SAME HEALTH
CARE, OBAMACARE, AWAY.
DEMOCRATIC ACTIVISTS MADE
SCHEDULES TO SHOW UP AT TOWN
HALLS ORGANIZING THROUGH THE
GROUP INDID I HAVEF VISVISIBLEIN
THEY WANTED THEM TO SAVE
OBAMACARE WHICH HAD BECOME
REALLY POPULAR AS MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE GOT ACCESS TO HEALTH
COVERAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
YEARS.
YEARS. THIS KIND OF GROUND LEVEL
ACTION, THIS LEVEL OF
ORGANIZATION AS A WAY TO TALK TO
LAWMAKERS HAS BECOME KIND OF A
THING THAT HAPPENS IN THE MONTH
OF AUGUST.
OF AUGUST. IT’S BECOME PART OF THE
ATMOSPHERE OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES AUGUST RECESS.
LAWMAKERS GO HOME TO THEIR
DISTRICT.
DISTRICT. THEIR MONTH LONG BREAK IS NOT
STRICTLY VACATION.
STRICTLY VACATION. THEY USE THEIR TIME TO CHECK IN
FOR CONSTITUENTS.
FOR CONSTITUENTS. AUGUST RECESS FOR THE FULL HOUSE
OFFICIALLY STARTED LAST WEEK.
THEY’VE SCHEDULED DOZENS OF TOWN
HALL MEETINGS.
HALL MEETINGS. ALREADY THERE’S A CRYSTAL CLEAR
MESSAGE BREAKING THROUGH FROM
THE VOTERS WHO PLAN TO SHOW UP.
A COALITION OF FOUR DIFFERENT
PROGRESSIVE GRASSROOTS
PROGRESSIVE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS ARE TEAMING UP TO
PRESSURE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
DURING THE AUGUST RECESS TO
START IMPEACHMENT INQUIRIES
AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.
THEY’RE CALLING IT IMPEACHMENT
AUGUST.
AUGUST. IN THE TRADITION OF INDIVISIBLE
IT COMES WITH AN INSTRUCTION
METHOD.
METHOD. QUOTE, FIND A TOWN HALL OR PLAN
YOUR OWN DISTRICT OFFICE VISIT
AND ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
THIS.
THIS. WILL YOU SUPPORT YOUR OATH TO
SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE COOPS
CITY
CITY CONSTITUTION.
CONSTITUTION. SO KEEP AN EYE ON THESE TOWN
HALLS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
I EXPECT SOME INTERESTING
ANSWERS TO THAT QUESTION.
MEANWHILE, THE NUMBER OF
LAWMAKERS GETTING ON THE
IMPEACHMENT TRAIN CONTINUES TO
TICK UP.
TICK UP. JUST IN THE LAST FEW DAYS THEY
SAY THEY NOW SUPPORT
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. THAT BRINGS OUR ACCOUNT TO 118.
THEY SUPPORT IT.
ONE OF THOSE NEW CALLINGS FOR
IMPEACHMENT COMES FROM COLORADO
CONGRESSMAN CONGRESS CROW.
HE’S A FRESHMAN MEMBER OF
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. HE FLIPPED IT BLUE IN 2018 WHICH
MEANS COMING OUT FOR AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY IS KIND OF
GAMBLE FOR A DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN RUNNING FOR
RE-ELECTION IN A RECENTLY RED
DISTRICT.
DISTRICT. HE SAID I DIDN’T RUN FOR OFFICE
BECAUSE I WANTED TO GET IT DONE.
IT’S THE RESPECT FOR OUR
CONSTITUTION THAT FUELS MY
SUPPORT FOR IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
JOINING US IS CONGRESSMAN CROW.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
HERE. >> HI, JOY.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> I KNOW THERE’S A SLIGHT DELAY
FOR THE AUDIENCE TO KNOW.
THERE WAS SOME SURPRISE AMONG
THOSE IN THE MEDIA WHEN JUSTIN
AMOSH COMES FROM A REPUBLICAN
DISTRICT WENT TO A TOWN HALL AND
HEARD AN UPRISING FROM PEOPLE IN
THAT HALL AND DONALD TRUMP AND
WHAT HE’S CONFUSEACCUSED OF DOIN
HAVE YOU BEEN HEARING FROM YOUR
CONSTITUENTS THUS FAR?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I’VE HEARD FROM MY CONSTITUENTS
ON BOTH SIDES.
IT’S A DEEPLY ROOTED ISSUE.
PEOPLE HAVE STRONG FEELINGS ON
BOTH SIDES.
BOTH SIDES. IN A DISTRICT LIKE MINE WHERE WE
HAVE A LOT OF UNAFFILIATED
VOTERS, YOU HAVE PEOPLE FROM
DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS. I’VE HAD TO TAKE THAT INTO
ACCOUNT SO I KNOW THAT COLORADO
CAN BE AN INTERESTING STATE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LEAN
REPUBLICAN BUT THEY ARE
ENVIRONMENTALIST.
ENVIRONMENTALIST. YOU HAVE SOME HARD RIGHTS, YOU
HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE
MIDDLE.
MIDDLE. WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT
IMPEACHMENT ARE YOU THINKING OF
THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE
ELECTORAL ASPECT.
ELECTORAL ASPECT. DO YOU THINK YOU’LL BE ABLE TO
PULL OVER SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE
KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE
COLORADOANS.
COLORADOANS. >> MY LIFE HAS BEEN DEFINED BY
THE OATH THAT I WAS TAKING.
I TOOK ANOTHER OATH WHEN I
BECAME AN ARMY OFFICER AND THEN
ANOTHER ONE WHEN I RAISED MY
RIGHT HAND TO JOIN THE 116th
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. THEY ALL HAD THE SAME PHRASE
THAT I SWORE TO DEFEND THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. I’VE SEEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE
GREAT AK SI GUYS IN DOING THAT.
BEING WHERE WE ARE AND THE STONE
CALLING OF THIS AND IT’S TO GIVE
CONGRESS ALL OF THE TOOLS THAT
IT NEEDS TO CONDUCT THE
OVERSIGHT AND HOLD THIS
ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE.
ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE. >> IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT
DONALD TRUMP IS ALLEGED TO HAVE
DONE THAT REALLY PUSHED YOU OVER
THE LINE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN A
NUMBER OF THINGS, RIGHT?
YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THE
OBSTRUCTION ELEMENTS THAT HAVE
BEEN OUTLINED IN THE MULLER
REPORT WHICH HE AGAIN
UNDERSCORED LAST WEEK.
YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT HE’S
CONTINUOUSLY STONEWALLING
CONTINUOUSLY STONEWALLING CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. WHEN I WAS IN IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN I SAW IN THE EYES OF
THE PEOPLE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO
LIVE IN A SOCIETY WHERE THERE’S
NO RULE OF LAW AND THEY CAN’T
HAVE JUSTICE.
HAVE JUSTICE. I FAST FORWARDED FROM MY TIME IN
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, VERY EARLY
ON AND MY TIME AT THE CAMPAIGN
SCALE.
SCALE. THEY JUST WERE SO DISENCHANTED
WITH -- AND I THOUGHT BACK TO
THAT TIME IN IRAQ.
SO FOR ME RULE OF LAW AND
UPHOLDING OUR CHECKS AND
BALANCES IS SO IMPORTANT.
IF THIS CONGRESS CAN’T DO THAT,
IF WE CAN’T UPHOLD OUR
OBLIGATION IN RULE OF LAW IN OUR
SYSTEM, THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK
WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM.
THAT’S WHAT I KNOW WE HAVE TO
DO.
DO. >> THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
>>> A MINUTE AGO I SAID
CONGRESSMAN JUSTIN AMASH IS A
NEWLY MINTED DEMOCRAT.
HE’S A NEWLY MINTED INDEPENDENT.
THE NEWS VERSION OF THE CALL IS