Ilhan Omar Profile picture
14 Jan, 8 tweets, 1 min read
Our republic did not arrive overnight. It was cultivated over centuries.


It took dedicated organizers and movements to help craft the multiracial democracy we have today.
It took a women’s movement, a labor movement, a Civil Rights movement, and a literal civil war to quash a violent white supremacist insurrection and extend basic rights to the vast majority of the population. That work is far from over!
Our republic is like a living, breathing organism. It requires attention and growth to meet the needs of its population. 

And just as it can be strengthened, it can be corrupted, weakened and destroyed.
Inequality, endless wars, a corrupt unaccountable elite can all lead to both violent overthrows or unprecedented democracy expansion.

The question now is: which path will we take? Democracy breakdown—represented by Donald Trump and his minions—or democracy reform?
Reform begins with full accountability and justice for everyone who led a violent insurrection against our democracy, however powerful they may be.
But we can’t stop there. We are doomed to repeat this cycle of instability and backsliding if we do not undertake a bold agenda to reimagine our democracy— from our elections on down.
We cannot fall into the trap of making policies guided by terror, treating the symptoms of the illness without addressing the root causes. If we do not abide by our principles now, then we cannot really say that we ever did.
The next Trump will be more competent, and more clever. The work to prevent the catastrophes we should all be able to see coming starts now.

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More from @IlhanMN

17 Dec 20
Wal Mart's Walton Family have pocketed $48 billion since March.
They recently stopped paying hazard pay.

Jeff Bezos has made $90 billion.
2,000 of his workers have been infected with COVID.

Meanwhile, millions of out of work Americans have not gotten any support since March.
For almost a year now, people have watched as their families members die, jobs are lost, rent is missed, food is scarce.

And they continue to get negotiated out of relief packages.

This is a systematic failure.
The best we can come up with is an additional $600?

Our constituents aren’t sitting at home thinking, “Well this the best they could have done with the GOP Senate.”

No, they’re IN FOOD LINES STARVING and wondering when their government will look out for them.
Read 4 tweets
20 Nov 20
This administration has cozied up to the most brutal dictators in the world—damaging our alliances and image in the world.

Here are my thoughts on how deep the damage is and how Biden can repair it. (Thread) thenation.com/article/world/…
Trump began his presidency by backing out of the Iran nuclear deal, imposing crippling sanctions on the people of Iran, and further empowering the brutal regime there, and risking a nuclear conflict.
Iran now has 12 times more enriched uranium than would have been permitted under the agreement.
Read 12 tweets
20 Nov 20
There seems to be a continued effort to malign Black activists and the people who represent them, so here is a brief thread on what I saw happen this election.
First, polls consistently show that Black Lives Matter is more popular than ever. A majority of Americans support the movement by *28 points*, a stark increase from just earlier this year. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Despite this, Trump explicitly used racism in an effort to win white suburban voters, repeatedly invoking loaded language like “thugs” and “riots.” cnn.com/2020/06/20/us/…
Read 10 tweets
20 Nov 20
A thread of gratitude for those doing the heavy lifting in my district:
Starting with @navigatemn. Led by immigrants, they’re building power for gender, racial and economic justice. givemn.org/organization/N…
The work @JCA_MN is doing around antisemitism and housing justice is so critical. Especially moved by their deep canvass work - work that our party should emulate. givemn.org/organization/J…
Read 12 tweets
4 Nov 20
Yes, we are a cold state but we have the warmest of hearts.

Servicing MN-05 has been the honor of my life.

Thank you raising me and trusting me to be your champion in Congress.

It’s been a privilege to fight alongside you these past two years.
All this is just the beginning, we will continue fighting for unity and justice—every day.

To build a more connected society, we must use our resources to uplift one another so we collectively benefit.

That’s the type of leadership I will continue to bring to the Capitol.
But no one can do it alone, and so I call you to action: build community.
Read 7 tweets
30 Oct 20
We are live with the Squad along with @EWarren, @BernieSanders, @YaraShahidi, @Common and more!

Tune in below or watch on my Twitch. And don’t forget to vote: iwillvote.com
“We’re turning out this vote to get to the starting line of the real work that is to come…That’s when the real work begins.” - @aoc
“I want you to think about your community, the person that you might’ve lost during this pandemic, the person that lost a job, the person that is waiting for us to pass a COVID relief package and so much more.” - @RashidaTlaib
Read 17 tweets

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