Ellison: Sen. Paul and Co. 'Out of Step with the Constitution'

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) claimed Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are “out of step with the constitution” for threatening to filibuster any gun control legislation in the upper chamber.

Advertisement

“The constitution does not prohibit reasonable gun safety. And it’s what most Americans want,” Ellison said on MSNBC.

“And they — you know, these folks in the NRA like Mr. LaPierre keep on telling folks things that are not true, such as we want to take their guns away,” the congressman continued. “Nobody is going to take your guns away unless you have some sort of weapon of war. If you have a regular gun and you’re, you know, don’t have a criminal background or are not mentally infirmed, you ought to be able to own one. Those guys, they’re the ones out of step, not the constitution. Not Harry Reid.”

Ellison said “the country really is progressive.”

“Americans are fair minded people who believe that people ought to live their lives as they choose to. As long as they don’t hurt anybody else,” he said. “…The fact is, you know, the American people are way ahead of Congress on a lot of things. I mean, there was a recent poll by Gallup which said that 72 percent of all Americans believe we should have public infrastructure spending. Meaning our roads and our bridges and our transit lines, even a majority of Republicans think so. And yet we’re in full-on austerity mode in Washington.”

Advertisement

“The public thinks we ought to raise the minimum wage. Well, you know, in Washington we’re arguing, you know, whether minimum wage actually causes unemployment. Which is ridiculous and untrue. But, I mean, the people are way ahead of Washington. And the people really do deserve to have their will be reflected in their government.”

Ellison said conservative “believe that the rich don’t have enough money and the poor have too much.”

“They believe that we’re not our brother’s keeper. They believe that the environment is a thing you can use and use and use and never have to worry about,” he said. “They think that, you know, not everybody’s equal and not everybody has a fair shake at American life. They just see it differently.”

Recommended

Trending on PJ Media Videos

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Advertisement
Advertisement