Texas State Rep. Martinez Fischer: 'Republicans Are Stealing Our Democracy Right Before Our Very Eyes'

Texas Democratic State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer speaks at a press briefing in Chicago, Illinois, to defend fleeing Texas to stop gerrymandering.

Transcript

00:01Thank you. Thank you, Chairman Wu. Thank you, Governor Pritzker. Thank you, Illinois.

00:04I think what my colleague is saying that this statement, this quorum break, is not about the Democratic Party.

00:13It is about the democratic process.

00:16We from Texas are so familiar with the phrase of our Apollo 13 mission, Houston, we have a problem.

00:23Well, I say America, we have a problem.

00:26The largest democracy in the world, and yet a Texas governor would bend a knee to Donald Trump

00:35because he's afraid to lose an election fair and square.

00:40He would rig these maps to have politicians pick voters so that he can not have to deal with a Congress

00:51that will provide oversight, accountability, and real checks and balances like our founders wanted us to.

00:58This is wrong.

01:00This is un-American.

01:02And this is undemocratic.

01:06In America, we need to wake up.

01:09Republicans are stealing our democracy right before our very eyes.

01:15But guess what?

01:19Texas Democrats are here, and we have a message for Donald Trump.

01:25Not on our watch.

01:28That's right.

01:29We will not have our democracy taken on our watch.

01:31Never, ever, ever underestimate the will of the American people when it comes to protecting

01:44and preserving our democracy and our voting rights.

01:48And that is why we are here, and that's what this is about.

01:51From California to New York, from Illinois, Governor, to Texas, we are all in this together.

02:00We should wake up and rise up and speak out against this injustice, and it's time to go to work.

02:05And as they say, back in Texas, I think it's time we need to cowboy up and get to work and push back.

02:12So we're pleased to be here.

02:13I had the good fortune of having Jean's job a few years ago where we had to make a quorum break.

02:23And my partner in crime who helped with that is our former Democratic Caucus chair, and that is Chairman Chris Turner.

02:30Chris.