00:00Hello!
00:02Hello!
00:04Welcome to you!
00:06Hello, people!
00:08Chuva!
00:10I love you so much!
00:12Good evening!
00:14Good evening, good evening!
00:16Oh my God!
00:18It is so wonderful
00:20to be here with all of you
00:22and to see all of your beautiful
00:24faces and your
00:26smiles coming out in a great
00:28monsoon rainstorm.
00:30I love it!
00:32I want to thank each and every one of you
00:34for coming out and spending
00:36some time with us tonight
00:38in the middle of what is a
00:40whole lot of awful shit that's happening
00:42in the world. So thank you!
00:44Thank you for coming out!
00:46I want to thank
00:48Beto, our
00:50hometown hero!
00:58Bethel!
01:00Bethel!
01:02Bethel!
01:04Bethel!
01:06Bethel!
01:08Bethel!
01:10Bethel!
01:12Bethel!
01:14Bethel!
01:16We owe so much
01:18to our beloved Bethel
01:20and Cynthia, where's Cynthia?
01:22I want to thank her for
01:24bringing us together tonight!
01:26Cynthia, where are you?
01:30Cynthia, thank you for all your work!
01:32You know, Beto
01:34obviously, like this guy
01:36I don't know where he gets his energy
01:38sure racks up a lot of
01:40frequent flyer points
01:42which is awesome, but
01:44he has never stopped.
01:46He never stops.
01:48And he has been fighting
01:50not just for our community, for our democracy,
01:52for our country,
01:54and it is such a beautiful
02:00all of us so much pride
02:04that he's one of ours.
02:06So, things are bad.
02:12Things are bad.
02:14And, you know, I've been home
02:16all of August. Members of Congress
02:18get to go home in August
02:20and do work in our districts
02:22and everywhere
02:24I've gone, every engagement
02:26I've had, every conversation
02:28I've had,
02:30these are tough conversations.
02:32You know, a lot of people feel
02:34demoralized, feel
02:36hopeless, feel
02:38helpless, and
02:40it is hard
02:42sometimes to escape that
02:44feeling. But moments
02:46like this, which are moments
02:48moments that we need
02:50when you look around
02:52and see the number of people
02:54people you've never met before
02:56people maybe you've never seen before
02:58who come out
03:00because we've got shared values
03:02and we've got shared morals
03:04and ideals.
03:06I hope moments like this
03:08give you the kind of hope
03:10that we really need in a dark period.
03:12And so I'm grateful to all of you
03:14for coming out
03:16and for participating
03:18in this fellowship
03:20in a very dark time.
03:22And we know that
03:24the big issue right now
03:26is redistricting.
03:28And we know why it's happening, right?
03:30We know why it's happening.
03:32Donald Trump knows
03:34that his big ugly bill
03:36is hated by American voters.
03:40He knows that the more
03:42that Americans learn about
03:44how he and Republicans
03:46have cut your health care,
03:48have cut nutrition programs,
03:50are targeting hardworking Americans.
03:52They know we don't like that.
03:54They know we hate it.
03:56And because he knows
03:58that Republicans can't compete fairly
04:02after what they've done to us
04:04that they've got to rig the next election
04:08in order to prevent
04:10what we want to do
04:12which is kick them all out of office.
04:22And let me tell you,
04:24it is crystal clear
04:28that he does not have faith
04:30in the big ugly bill.
04:34But it's not just about the midterms.
04:36It's about 2028 as well.
04:40That's what's on the line.
04:42And it's not just about 2028
04:44and Donald Trump trying
04:46to keep himself in power.
04:48It's about undoing the Voting Rights Act.
04:52This is a sinister evil plan
04:54to disenfranchise all of us.
04:58And I am so proud of Texas Democrats
05:02who are fighting in the House
05:04putting everything on the line
05:08to raise awareness
05:10to make sure
05:12that they are fighting for all of us.
05:16And I know that Joaquin
05:18and Jasmine and Beth are going to talk more
05:20about redistricting.
05:22I want to tell you about one other thing
05:24that is happening right here
05:26in our community
05:28that should infuriate all of us.
05:31And I know it does.
05:32On Monday,
05:34I toured
05:36the mega immigration detention facility
05:40that was constructed on Park Place.
05:42And let me tell you the way that
05:46how immoral the mass deportation of our workforce.
06:02But what is also immoral is the amount of money
06:07that is being poured into this immoral system.
06:11That facility that I toured on Monday
06:15is 1.24 billion dollars.
06:20Just that one facility.
06:22All together,
06:24the mass deportation,
06:27the immigration detention system
06:29funded in the Big Ugly Bill,
06:3145 billion dollars.
06:35You know what we could do
06:38with 45 billion dollars?
06:41We could house
06:43every homeless individual
06:46in America
06:47for half of that.
06:49We could house every homeless individual
06:51for half of that.
06:53We could feed
06:55We could feed
06:57every child in America
06:59for a quality.
07:01We thought, mommy.
07:03We could house
07:07every unhoused veteran
07:09five times over
07:11with a crime.
07:13This is their priority.
07:18Deporting
07:19deporting immigrants,
07:21separating families,
07:23and taking your benefits
07:25and programs
07:27that help our families away
07:29in order to fund
07:31their evil, immoral plan.
07:34And I want you all
07:36to help us spread the message.
07:38In a moment
07:39when Americans
07:40are struggling
07:41to make ends meet,
07:42after they promised
07:44they would fix the economy
07:46on day one,
07:47they are spending our money
07:50on this immoral plan.
07:52And as I mentioned
07:54at the top of this,
07:55you all,
07:56it is beautiful
07:58that we are all here
08:00together in fellowship.
08:02I am going to ask you
08:04to do more.
08:05Right outside these doors
08:08are some incredible organizations
08:11that I have the privilege
08:13of working with.
08:15the local El Paso Democratic Party
08:18every single week
08:20calls Democrats
08:22to talk to them.
08:23Every week.
08:24Including new Democrats
08:26to try to ensure
08:28that they understand
08:29what's on the line.
08:30and they call
08:32long-standing Democrats
08:33to ask them
08:34to help volunteer.
08:36So we've got
08:37a sign-up table
08:38right outside
08:39the local El Paso Democratic Party.
08:42We've all
08:43led by Mike Apobaca.
08:44We've also got
08:46for all of you young people
08:49we've got
08:50the Young Dem
08:51led by Angie
08:52who's outside
08:53and we've got
08:54the University Dem
08:55oh, sorry
08:56University Dem
08:57led by Angie
08:59and Young Dem
09:01by Jackie.
09:02They need you.
09:04They need you.
09:05If you're a college student
09:07if you're a young student
09:09they need you.
09:10I want you to know
09:11what else we're doing
09:12and we've got Josie right here.
09:13We are spending the weekend
09:15in people's homes
09:17in their backyards
09:18in their living rooms
09:20taught and as our hosts
09:22invite their neighbors
09:24some who maybe haven't
09:26ever voted
09:27some who have voted
09:29in Republican primaries
09:31some who are
09:33infrequent voters
09:34and we're having
09:35conversations
09:36in their homes
09:38with their neighbors
09:39and building bridges
09:42and growing our base.
09:44so we need you.
09:46Josie hosted Sunday
09:50and we had a beautiful event
09:52on Saturday
09:53in the lower valley
09:54we've got another one
09:55coming up this Saturday.
09:56If you want us
09:57to be in your home
09:59if you want to help
10:00build these bridges
10:01if you want to help
10:02build out our base
10:03we need you.
10:04Please sign up.
10:05We also have Ben Robates
10:09with Blue Action out there.
10:11Another great organization
10:13that we are working with.
10:15So Blue Action believes
10:18in the power of influence
10:21among your friend group
10:24and among your loved ones.
10:26Y'all, people aren't reading newspapers anymore.
10:29People aren't watching the news anymore.
10:32People are not going to trusted sources anymore.
10:36People are getting their information
10:38from TikTok, from YouTube, from Instagram
10:42and from friends and family.
10:44So let's be that influencer
10:48sign up with Ben
10:50and Ben will put you to work
10:52and you be in charge
10:54of five people in your life.
10:56And you will make sure
10:58they have the information they need
11:00and you will make sure
11:02you get them to the polls
11:03in the primary,
11:04in the general,
11:06for school board,
11:07for city council,
11:08for commissioners court.
11:10So I love this crowd.
11:13I need to put you to work.
11:16So we need your sweat equity.
11:20And I have to say,
11:22speaking of sweat equity,
11:23Deanna was up here.
11:25I see Commissioner Stout.
11:26I know County Judge Ricardo Samaniego
11:29will be here shortly
11:31if he's not here already.
11:32Members of city council
11:34who fought these masks.
11:37Let's give them a round of applause.
11:47Commissioner Jackie Butler
11:52had a resolution
11:53to fight this attention facility.
11:56So people,
11:57local government matters.
11:58Local government matters.
12:00Jeff Samaniego flew all the way to Austin
12:03to fight the mask.
12:05So we need you.
12:08We are a great community.
12:10But last election,
12:13we swung 20 points to the right.
12:17So, yeah, 20 points to the right.
12:21So when we, when we feel the anxiety
12:26of what's happening across the country,
12:29we've got work to do in our backyard.
12:32And that's why I wanted to introduce you to these great groups
12:37and organizations.
12:38And it's fun.
12:39It is fun.
12:40You get to work alongside people who love to fight for their democracy
12:45and work hard every day to make sure we preserve our right to vote
12:50and that we can pass along to the next generation what we have been lucky to inherit.
12:56And if I see Paul Thompson,
12:58if you don't belong to a union,
13:00join a damn union today.
13:02Okay?
13:03Thank you, thank you.
13:04Join a damn union today.
13:07Join a union today.
13:09Join a union today.
13:11So, again, thank you all for coming out.
13:15We need to put you to work.
13:17Sign up.
13:18Join a union.
13:19Invite us to your house.
13:20We want to be there to help grow democracy in El Paso.
13:25We will lead by example
13:28because this community has always led with love.
13:32Thank you all so much.
13:34I appreciate it.
13:40I love you too.
13:44I now have the incredible privilege
13:47of introducing
13:50probably the one person
13:52who lives most rent-free in Donald Trump's hair.
14:05The person who has, honestly,
14:08I don't know where all the clap-packs come from.
14:12I need to take notes and learn how to do the clap-back.
14:16But someone who has burst onto the national stage
14:21after serving her district in the state legislature,
14:25after fighting for people as a lawyer,
14:28and she, my friends, is a star.
14:32Tell me!
14:33Tell you!
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