Senator Rebekah Sharansky
Newton, Iowa
March 13th, 2019
Tim Westra 2020
"NEWTON, hello! Thank you for having us! Hi!"
Another day, another rally. Rebekah was fresh following a short break to return to DC, where she spoke with some think tanks and did regular Washington business. Now she was back on the trail, this time stumping with Tim in Iowa.
"You know, being in Iowa has been so, so great. I mean, we just arrived here, but I've discovered how welcoming, how hospitable Iowans are. Really, it's incredible. You guys are incredible."
The crowd cheered loudly. Rebekah didn't think the crowd was as large as some of Tim's other rallies, but it was certainly energetic.
"Iowa's culture already emphasizes the message that Tim is trying to spread. The culture of brotherly and sisterly love, the culture of solidarity, the culture of empathy. Really, it's touching. Every little act, every person you talk to while door knocking...it's such a great experience, especially here in Iowa. And it's all because of you guys."
"It has been particularly touching meeting with people with whom I identify, in so many ways. Meeting with fellow Americans with big aspirations, people who put their country first...meeting with parents! With fellow mothers and hearing of their concerns was so, so enlightening, but also very relatable."
"I am a mother of seven kids. My youngest daughter is merely ten years old. Like any good parent, I worry about her future. But the times are certainly different. The stakes are indisputably higher. The urgency of the moment is unprecedented."
"As I fight for my own kids, I see an administration that has completely trampled on children's rights, separating mother from baby and interning immigrant children in inhumane conditions at the border, resulting in deaths and irreparable trauma."
"I see an administration that not only doesn't care about the planet we're leaving for our kids, but a plan to actively destroy it. The big crisis that faces our offspring is not a 'hoax.' Yet the occupant of the White House spreads falsehoods about wildfires that are ravaging California, he spreads lies about alternative energy that can solve the problem, and he spreads untruths about the cause of the problem itself."
"I see a president who refuses to recognize that our children will be the first to inherit an economy where they earn less than their parents. Instead of securing the economic future of our kids, this president has provided trillions in tax cuts to the highest earners in America, while allowing our veterans to sleep out on the streets."
"Yes, I worry for my children. I worry for Jonah, for Rachel, for Naomi, for Gabriel, for Zahava, for Anne, for Golda. I worry for the 800,000 DREAMers who are at the mercy of this president and his Republican enablers. And I worry for the 75 million children in the United States who are at heavy risk of seeing their future being torn apart, piece by piece, due to the actions of a political party with outdated ideals, outdated proposals, and an outdated worldview of what America should be!"
That prompted enthusiastic cheers.
"There's another thing. We have seen this president, with his reactionary agenda, give legitimacy to the doctrine of white nationalists and all of their vicious, dangerous prejudices. We have seen cases of antisemitism rise by 40% in our country. As a daughter of Israeli immigrants, I am concerned by antisemitic remarks from politicians on both ends of the spectrum. Our race has seen the story of fascism play out before. We won't let it play out again."
"I am also an Israeli woman of color. My mother was an Israel Arab Jew who was born to Muslims and converted to our great religion. I am concerned by this president and his party's rhetoric towards Muslims in America around the world, Muslims who I see my grandparents in. I know millions of Americans feel the same way."
"I am here today because I am a product of the American Immigrant legacy. A legacy of achievement, of hard work, and hard times. Of belittlement, persecution, and marginalization. But here I am. I'm the antithesis to the vitriol of the far-right and their enablers in Washington."
"But it is not just the right wing. We would be deluding ourselves to claim that anti-semitism only comes from the right. We should boldly speak out against any presidential candidate, Republican or Democrat, that decides to harp on anti-semitic tropes and should condemn any candidate who reserves their sharpest criticism exclusively for the world's only Jewish nation. I know that Christians in Iowa believe in Israel's importance, I know that Jews all over the country believe in supporting Israel. Progressives should stand up for progressive ideals. Ideals like democracy, equality, and humanitarianism."
"Tim Westra has been standing up for progressive ideals his ENTIRE LIFE!"
"No, he didn't just stand for them when it was convenient. No, he didn't poll test his ideas when he had to stick to his morals. No, he didn't refrain from making the right vote when the times were tough."
"He's done the right thing when it was hard to do. He stood up for compassion and ethics when that was costly. And let me just give a few examples. In 1996, while some of our other competitors were too afraid to stand up for the gay community, and when others completely succumbed to the homophobic status quo, Tim Westra stood on the floor of the House to advocate for protecting the human rights of gay and lesbian couples by voting against the Defense of Marriage Act!"
"It was an act of political courage, an act of solitary righteousness. The law passed with a majority and was signed into law by a Democrat, President Clifford."
"This pretty much goes without saying, but Tim has had the backs of America's workers for his entire political career. He cast his ballot against trade deals that he saw as a slap in the face for workers."
"He's a lifelong consumer protection advocate, and voted against the Glass Steagall repeal orchestrated by conservative Democrats and reactionary Republicans!"
"He's stood up for investing in our communities instead of engaging in endless wars, even when that resulted in accusations of un-Americanism from the political establishment. He was one of the few that voted against the Iraq War and even against the reauthorization of force in Iraq."
"And when he is elected and sent to the White House, he won't forget us. Tim is setting himself up to be a president for all Americans. He knows the concerns of Iowans and he has plans to deal with those concerns. He doesn't say one thing here and another thing nationally. In fact, he's the only candidate with a plan for agriculture! This president has waged war on American farmers with his lack of strategy in his foolish trade war! Tim wants to raise farmer salaries, and he'll do it with responsible government policy that gives farmers a price guarantee on their produce! No farmer in America's heartland should be too poor to afford food themselves!"
"I was drawn into Tim's movement when he said this one line: that we are all children of god. That even the poor, the hungry, and the wretched deserve a minimum standard of dignity. That, yes, we all might look different, talk different, think different, feel different, love different. But we all stand behind one flag. Behind the same ideals. Behind the same Constitution. And Tim Westra wants us all to stand behind the same rules."
"No longer can one class infinitely prosper while the other languishes. No longer can one class get away from the clutches of justice while the other cannot even afford cash bail."
"My career has been about holding the wealthy and powerful to account through the justice system. Tim Westra's career has been about holding them accountable by rewriting the rules of the economy."
"As president, he will reform the tax code to make sure that the burden is lifted off of the shoulders of the working class and placed on the backs of the tax-dodging billionaires!"
"As president, he will create a public option so that the private health insurance industry cannot continue to rip off millions of people and so that no one can be denied healthcare because they are too poor!"
"As president, he will take on the fossil fuel industry and initiate a green revolution to rescue our children from a scorching future!"
"As president, he will pursue a new era of diplomacy over endless military engagement! He'll spend our money on our kids, not on war!"
"There is no doubt in my mind that, if he is our president, Tim Westra will fight like hell for America's 99 percent. Because he just doesn't back down. He is physically incapable of doing it. That persistence, that fighting spirit is what we need to retake our country in 2020."
"For his whole career, Tim Westra has lifted us up. It's time we lift him back. Thank you."
She waved to the cheering crowd, who was chanting her name and waving Westra banners.
"And now, Newton, let's welcome...Tim Westra!"
