A group of Republican House members, led by Representative Louis Gohmert of Texas, introduced a resolution Thursday that would effectively ban the House Democratic Party or force a name change on the party over previous slavery ties, a response to recent efforts to remove tributes to former members of the Confederacy from the halls of Congress.
He specifically cites the support of the Democratic Party platform for slavery between 1840 and 1856, and other racist actions by party members from the early to mid-20th century, before calling on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat for California, to “remove any element that names, symbolizes, or mentions any political organization or party that has ever held a public position that supported slavery or the Confederacy” of the House and its property. The resolution also says that said party “must change its name or it will not be able to participate in the House of Representatives.”
Gohmert, in a statement accompanying the bill, told Democrats that they should change the brand to “avoid provoking” anyone.
VOTES OF THE HOUSE TO ELIMINATE STATUES OF THE CAPITOL THAT THEY HONORED TO CONFEDER LEADERS, RACIST
“As described in the resolution, much of the history of the Democratic Party is full of racism and hatred,” said Gohmert. “As people demand that we get rid of the entities, symbols, and reminders of the disgusting aspects of our past, the time has come for Democrats to recognize their party’s disgusting and intolerant past and consider changing the name of their party to something other than “So boldly and offensively tied to slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination and the Ku Klux Klan.”
He added: “To avoid provoking innocent bystanders by the Democratic Party’s racist past, I would suggest that they change their name. That is the rule they force everyone else to do, so the name change must occur.”
The co-sponsors of the resolution are representatives Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Jody Hice, R-Ga., Randy Weber, R-Texas and Andy Harris, R-Md. It is unlikely to pass, but it seems to be understood more as a criticism of the alleged “blatant hypocrisy” surrounding the House’s passage of a measure to remove Confederate busts on Capitol Hill this week. Weber, speaking on the floor of the House after Gohmert presented his resolution, criticized “canceling the culture.”
“The cultural cancellation train, HR 7573, which happened yesterday, was wrong on a deep level. I am not going to get on that cultural cancellation train that says we have to remove any mention or memory of all or everything we are not from. Okay, or that could have said something that we don’t like, that we didn’t like, or that could have represented something that we don’t represent, “Weber said.
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Because resolution is privileged, it takes precedence over other matters on the floor of the House. And assuming that voice voting is not waived, lawmakers are likely to be forced to record the resolution, even if it is through a motion to present it or refer it to a committee.
Legislation to remove Confederate statues was passed 301-113 earlier this week with 72 Republicans and Rep. Justin Amash, L-Mich., Voting in favor.
“Imagine what it feels like to be an African American knowing that my ancestors built the Capitol, but there are still monuments to the same people who enslaved my ancestors,” Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., Said Wednesday. “… These individuals do not deserve to be honored.”
Marisa Schultz and Chad Pergram of Fox News contributed to this report.
