Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal: What Democrats have been missing
Nov 9, 2018, 11:26 AM

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. (Jason Rantz, KTTH)
(Jason Rantz, KTTH)
When Pramila Jayapal was running to represent Washington鈥檚 7th Congressional District, she encountered a man who was not a likely voter. He didn鈥檛 like what the Progressive candidate had to say about guns.
鈥淲e had a great conversation on minimum wage, on all this stuff, he was a Republican,鈥 Jayapal told KTTH’s Jason Rantz. 鈥溾nd at the end he said, 鈥榊a know, I agree with everything except your position on guns.鈥 He said, 鈥業鈥檓 sorry, I鈥檓 not going to be able to vote for you.鈥”
The man’s wife was standing next to him, so Jayapal asked the man how long the two had been married 鈥 23 years.
鈥淪o I said, 鈥楧o you and your wife agree on 100 percent of issues?鈥欌 Jayapal continued. 鈥淗e starts laughing and I said, 鈥榃ell, you married her. I鈥檓 just asking for your vote.鈥欌
鈥淗e actually shook my hand and said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e authentic, you鈥檙e telling me the truth, I鈥檓 going to be on you if you try to take my guns away, but I鈥檓 voting for you,鈥欌 she said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 part of the spirit we need to get back.鈥
Jayapal’s spirit seems to be winning. The recent midterm election delivered her an聽impressive 83 percent of the vote. It’s a genuine nature that Democrats have been missing, she argues.
“I think we haven’t paid enough attention to that as Democrats; what does it mean to be authentic?” she said.
鈥淚 think the president did speak that way to a group of people who voted for him and believed he would shake up the establishment and he would 鈥榙rain the swamp,鈥欌 Jayapal said. 鈥淯nfortunately, I don鈥檛 think that is what he has done. He has not delivered on promises to working people.鈥
Jayapal, Trump and rhetoric
Among the list of failed Trump promises that Jayapal cites: passing a tax bill that does not benefit the majority of working Americans; stripping away health care, including attacks on protections for pre-existing conditions.
鈥淲orst of all, I鈥檓 watching TV this morning and he鈥檚 telling reporters that they’re stupid,鈥 Jayapal said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 literally saying to people 鈥榶ou鈥檙e stupid,鈥 you鈥檙e this or that. That鈥檚 is not what I do. It鈥檚 not what I think anybody should do, and certainly not the person in the highest office in the land.鈥
Proof of that attitude might be the fact Jayapal, a Progressive, said all this on the Jason Rantz Show 鈥 conservative territory 鈥 and not long after the two appeared on stage in Seattle to discuss Washington issues. Rantz pressed Jayapal on statements made by Maxine Waters, which some.
鈥淚 think it is deeply flawed to say that what Maxine Waters said is the same as what Trump has been saying,” Jayapal countered. “Trump has literally said in rallies that he encourages people to be violent, to punch people, and if they do, he will pay for their legal fees. He went to Montana and celebrated a member of Congress who body-slammed a reporter.”
“The president standing up and encouraging white supremacists, in my mind, is absolutely horrific,” she said. “I think it’s not enough to say it was wrong, you have to say ‘We cannot support somebody who does this kind of thing.’ And there are Republicans who are doing that, including Kellyanne Conway’s …”
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