Hakim Jeffries's "A to Z" speech on the House floor is a good representation of who he is as a politician and Democratic leader. Passing the Speaker's gavel to Kevin McCarthy, Jeffries
reminded Americans that Democrats possess "unanimity of purpose for the American people" and will seek partners in governance. However, he made clear that Democrats will not compromise their principles and will always put:
American values over autocracy;
Benevolence over bigotry;
The Constitution over the cult;
Democracy over demagogues;
Economic opportunity over extremism;
Freedom over fascism;
Governing over gaslighting;
Hopefulness over hatred;
Inclusion over isolation;
Justice over judicial overreach;
Knowledge over kangaroo courts;
Liberty over limitation;
Maturity over Mar-a-Lago;
Normalcy over negativity;
Opportunity over obstruction;
People over politics;
Quality of life issues over QAnon;
Reason over racism;
Substance over slander;
Triumph over tyranny;
Understanding over ugliness;
Voting rights over voter suppression;
Working families over the well connected;
Xenial* over xenophobia;
"Yes, we can" over "You can’t do it"; and
Zealous representation over zero sum confrontation.
We should all have such unanimity of purpose in all of the work we do for our communities.
*Xenial is probably a word most of us are unfamiliar with. It comes from ancient Greek, meaning "hospitable, especially toward visiting strangers or foreigners."
It's worth a listen to check out Jeffries's full speech. You are certain to hear the voice and cadence, the passion and integrity of our national Democratic leadership. If you just want to hear the "A to Z" portion of Jeffries's speech, you will find it beginning at minute marker 11:45.
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