Virginia Democrat Lashes Out at Party Over Rhetoric, Treatment of Republicans
Del. Sam Rasoul offers some hard truths for his party.
Del. Sam Rasoul, the only Muslim in Virginia’s General Assembly, has lashed out at his party over its treatment of Republicans and the tone of fear during the presidential election:
“I feel as though the [leadership] right now is not committed to the radical changes we need to connect with the values of working class America,” said Rasoul, 35, the lone Muslim in the General Assembly. “We were sent a mandate on Election Day that we have to completely rethink the way we do business.”
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“Sure, we need to be super-strong in condemning acts of real hatred and bigotry and racism, but when people believe that all of Trump voters are racist, they really are not empathizing with the wants and needs of a lot of folks, and we are missing out,” he said.
Rasoul made this post on Facebook:
Last week, he criticized the Democrats and Hillary Clinton for the rhetoric used in the election:
Democrats, like Republicans, used hate and fear to garner votes in the presidential race, he said. Rasoul cited Clinton’s use of the word “deplorables” to describe supporters of Donald Trump, the GOP nominee and president-elect.
“That word in and of itself showed me how disconnected we are sometimes,” Rasoul said Sunday during the event hosted by Our Revolution, a progressive group that spun out of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Democratic presidential campaign.
Rasoul proposed instead practicing radical empathy toward those with opposing political viewpoints.
Hillary won Virginia, but only at the last minute even though she chose Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate. Rasoul said his party needs to build a bridge “between the blue-leaning voters of urban and suburban areas and the red voters of more rural areas.”
Rasoul decided to step down from his leadership post at the Virginia House Democrat Caucus in order to concentrate on fixing his party:
“We have been discussing for years the need for change, and now the voters have clearly spoken,” said Rasoul, D-Roanoke. “While change takes time, it is critical that we begin a massive overhaul. The caucus seems to have little intention of entertaining that.”
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He said the move would allow him to focus on strengthening the relationship between the party and average Americans. It’s time for party officials to be sincere public servants, listen to their constituents and treat them with respect, he said.
Rasoul wants to announce a plan for his fellow Democrats to rebuild that trust and how to talk to everyone about the Democrat platform:
“I love our platform, but when we want to use the same negative campaign tactics, when we do not try to genuinely listen and build trust with people from all walks of life, we’re not really being sincere about the values we espouse,” he said. “I think that’s why trust has eroded with time, and I think people have lost trust with both parties.”
Republicans have shown support for Rasoul and his attitude towards an America under Donald Trump:
“I think it shows how oblivious they are to the message that was sent by the voters on Election Day,” state Republican Party chairman John Whitbeck said. “If they don’t listen to people like Sam they’re going to have a miserable few years under President Trump.”
[Featured image via Facebook]
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Comments
It took a little longer than I thought it would, for somebody to finally start the conversation. The Repubs should try to work with this guy.
Also, auditable elections, in every state.
Work with this guy?
Absolutely not.
He’s just started to realize that so far as American voters are concerned, the Party whose platform he loves is a Leper Party. It has nothing to offer anyone who isn’t a racist, sexist, deviant, crook, just plain stupid, or a control freak.
The job of the Republican party is to fight these monsters. Nothing else. That’s why it was founded, and that’s why it still gets votes today. The Republican party poobahs sometimes have trouble remembering that. It’s up to the voters to remind them from time to time. Last week was a good start.
Rule One of the Trump Era—STOP SURRENDERING! Beat them so thoroughly they stay beaten.
After that, worry about a second major party; nobody wants a one-party state, no matter what the party is.
If Mr Rasoul wants to become a good American and join a good American party, I think there will be no problem accommodating him. Unless he allows the stench of the Democrats to accompany him.
Leslie is a Deemocrat, tom.
This is the key: STOP SURRENDERING!
For a long time we have been trying to pacify the left and their accomplice the media.
No more! Take it to them each and every time. This is the new Trump rule! Stick it in their face and twist it a few times.
Tom Swift has 1000% correct.
Maybe not with this guy. But it wouldn’t hurt to work with some Muslim who is willing to admit the obvious. Islam does have a lot to do with AQ, Boko Haram, the Islamic State, the Islamic Republic, et al.
They’re actually not too hard to find. They came to this country to escape that crap. Although it needs to be said the majority of Arabs in this country are Christian, not Muslim.
The problem is CAIR is a Hamas-linked Muslim Brotherhood front group. The Institute for Muslim Minority Affairs, and Huma Abedin edited their English language journal, is in reality the foriegn policy wing of the wahabbist Saudi government’s Ministry of Religious affairs.
We are listening to all the wrong people. This needs to stop.
I’m not a theologian. I was an intelligence professional. My job included understanding the motivating ideology of my country’s enemies. Along the way I learned that while the jihadis are not outside of the mainstream, their interpretation isn’t the only one.
We could use that, if we unf*** ourselves.
“Leper party”? “monsters?” You sound just like the worst of them.
If you want a recipe for failure, read your own post.
Yes, there are horrible people in the Democratic Party, and yes, the party richly deserves the results it got during this election, which in my view was repudiation, from top to bottom. The DNC and the Clinton Campaign broke the social compact, by choosing to fomment violence against American voters for political gain. They deserved to lose also for their soviet-style propaganda network and campaign, not to mention the abuse of the State Department and a “charitable” organization for skimming bribes.
If there are ten salvageable Democrats left in the Party, we should welcome their input.
Failing to recognize reasonableness or co-operation where offered is the same ugly choice made by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
Do you really want that kind of company?
I don’t want their company, because they’re as evil as anything the history of American politics has ever spawned. And I don’t want your company, because you think like a loser.
“Failing to recognize reasonableness or co-operation where offered is – ”
It’s a trap.
I know, because 20 years ago I was YOU. Reach out to them, I said. Recognize the reasonable ones, co-operate, work together. I still have the scar from the shiv they stuck me with as I was helping them get up.
STOP SURRENDERING. Stop trying to earn Virtue Points by by throwing away a victory that wasn’t even yours to begin with. We’ll make nice with them after we have won and Liberty is secure again.
“Sure, we need to be super-strong in condemning acts of real hatred and bigotry and racism, but when people believe that all of Trump voters are racist, they really are not empathizing with the wants and needs of a lot of folks, and we are missing out,” he said.”
These people and their ‘boogeymen’ – their party contains the biggest haters, the bigot and racists going. And gee, thanks for saying ‘not ALL Trump voters are racist…”
You know what? We need to work with this guy like boehner needed to work with Obama.
Let him learn from us so he gets his head out of his a-hole, and realizes what a great gift his living in this nation is, instead of being part of a cult trying to destroy it from within.
Really. If the guy is an actual muslim, his koran tells him to kill jews, treat women like dirt, et cetera. So when enough muslims are in any jurisdiction, everything changes to garbage. Ask Europe. Ask Malmo, Sweden. Ask Germany.
He shouldn’t be given a foot in any door. Can’t believe he got elected. Obama and his compatriots.
You would be amazed to know how little Muslims know what is in the Quran. Or maybe not. Barrakah! Barrakah! Blessings. The Quran exists to be memorized, not thought about. An angel sits on one shoulder recording your good deeds, another angel on the other shoulder recording your bad deeds.
When you die and meet allah he’ll weigh your deeds and if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds you’ll go to paradise.
How any of this is supposed to work is anyone’s guess as no one can say what a good or bad deed weighs. This is also compounded by the fact that Allah, according to Islamic theology, is the greatest of deceivers. If you’re not familiar with Christianity, as too few secularists are, Satan is the greatest of deceivers. When he lies he speaks his own language.
Makr. The Arabic word for deceit. Sort of like al Azl. The Arabic term for coitus interruptus, a method of raping your war captives that really isn’t necessary given that allah is all knowing, all wise. So rape those Yazidi girls like there’s no tomorrow, Muslims, so sez your prophet.
It’s very educational, reading thee Islamic holy texts. I recommend it to anyone.
Except Muslims. Shirq is the unforgivable sin. That consists of assigning partners to allah. It’s what Islam accuses us Christians of doing when allah and his prophet completely screw up the concept of the Trinity. But just under that is the sin of “innovation.” Basically, that means thinking for yourself. Muslims are commanded not to do that.
Surah 5:7 Ali ‘Imran (Family of Imran)
“It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise – they are the foundation of the Book – and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah . But those firm in knowledge say, “We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord.” And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.”
This is an especially amusing verse because it was “sent down” by allah after a deputation of Christians from what is now Yemen shut Muhammad the hell up. The Quran, like the Bible, says Jesus is the word of God. Since the Quran says repeatedly that it, the word of allah, is the uncreated eternal word that has existed alongside allah since before the World, doesn’t that mean Jesus is also uncreated and eternal.
That shut Muhammad up. That led to the above. I can cite at least six passages where the Quran declares itself perfectly clear and that it explains itself in detail. Yet one visit from the Christians of Najran and he reverses course.
Muslims really are caught between a rock and a hard place.
Surah 33:36 Al-Ahzab (The Combined Forces)
“It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.”
Islam does not mean peace, it means submission. And a Muslim is not simply one who submits to allah but to Muhammad. Who like allah I am convinced is a work of pure fiction created by a committee.
And the deal is, most westernized Muslims don’t even know what their own canonical sources, fictional though they are, even say. They believe in an even higher grade of fiction.
They need our help, but the one way not to get to them is to tell them they’re stupid or evil and insult their idea of Muhammad. You’ll get a response, probably a life-long response, and it may just be the most idiotic thing they ever said but they’ll stick to it.
Telling the truth about Democrat failures? This guy won’t last.
Democrats did not learn anything, and neither did their allies in MSM. They’re still insisting in the lies and the hate-fear mongering, but in the end, because they’ve learned nothing, Donald Trump will win again in 2020.
This Virginia guy will be better off if he jumps to the other side.
The media has gone into overdrive. Any article claiming racism or hate + “Trump” is liberal click bait.
“Democrats did not learn anything…”
I’m a #NeverTrumpkin. Which isn’t a the same thing as #NeverTrump. I’ll work with the guy, but he does not have my blind loyalty.
But here we are. Another wing of the GOP I have issue with is the libertarian wing. On cue, Rand Paul is declaring that John Bolton won’t get his vote as Bolton is an unrepentant advocate of the Iraq war.
So am I. And unlike Bolton, who like so many evaded military service, I freakin’ volunteered to wear the uniform and go to the far ends of hell’s creation, if that’s what is was going it take.
So as someone who was willing to take on the risk, I am forced to say it’s Sen. Paul who didn’t learn the lesson. Unless you’re willing to go all the way to Baghdad let Saddam Hussein take Kuwait. If you’re not willing to let Saddam Hussein take Kuwait go all the way to Baghdad. All at once. Don’t play with yourself in the desert for twelve years thinking about it.
Simple, no?
Look at all the racist hatred in these comments here against the Liberal Muslim! Oh, wait. There isn’t any. Huh. That’s another truth for Liberals to accept.
Wait… What race is that Muslim?
“… but when people believe that all of Trump voters are racist, they really are not empathizing with the wants and needs of a lot of folks, and we are missing out …”
The other message, that the message “all of Trump voters are racist,” sends is that narrow minded stereotyping of people is still fair game. The Democrats jawbone about it but they do the same thing.
Well, the word “radical” has officially been overused. What is the definition of “radical empathy”?
It is empathy that runs against the grain of their narrative and agenda. It’s caring about people who may not share that agenda. It reveals that this guy doesn’t really get it. To him, such empathy remains radical. He’s a young turk looking to move up in a shattered party. Happy talk, to be dropped the instant his party regains a foothold.
To Henry Hawkins:
Bingo.
Even if—arguendo—his talk is serious and sincere, he’s still an enemy.
Perhaps an enemy who’s finally facing in the right direction … but still an enemy.
Shame on you.
Nice, tightly-reasoned argument there. Uh-huh.
Amateur.
“Shame on you.”
No, shame on you for trying to use Leftist shaming tactics.
We are nicely telling you “this is a trap, don’t fall for it”. We are speaking from experience, and worry you are being naive. Or worse, simply trying to score Virtue Points for being “civil and respectable” to the people that want to put us in Indoc Centers.
So why are you running interference for the Left?
“Happy talk, to be dropped the instant his party regains a foothold.”
Yup. In my 30 years of experience, the only time the Left calls for civility is when they are on their heels. Soon as they catch their breath they start spitting in your face all over again.
Wasn’t Hillary’s margin of victory in Virginia less than the number of newly voting felons? Not so much “last minute” as “stacked in her favor”.
No, it was not.
http://www.elections.virginia.gov/resultsreports/election-results/2016-election-results/index.html
The reconstitution of institutional and personal racism, sexism, etc. under [class] diversity is a real and progressive problem.