emotional. i m emotional because my memories are very similar to many of yours. i was three days into my second term in congress, excited to participate in the certification of an election knowing it was ministerial, not to be terribly eventful, but surely i was excited to be there. i, too, was up in the gallery. i wanted to observe as i was preparing my own arguments for the pennsylvania challenge to come, i wanted to observe the arguments of the early states that were challenged. and so i stood there shoulder to shoulder with dean philips hearing those challenges, mouthing the words shame, shame for these arguments. and then i remember trying to go back to my office to finish my arguments, and a very large police officer stopped me and said there s a bomb threat in canon. please go back to wherever you were. so i went back to the gallery and stood there again and heard
emotional. i m emotional because my memories are very similar to many of yours. i was three days into my time in congress. i knew it was ministerial, not to be terribly eventful, but i was excited to be there. i was in the gallery. i want to observe, as i was preparing my own arguments for the pennsylvania challenge to come, i wanted to hear chose challenges. i was hearing those challenges mounting the word shame for these arguments. then i remember trying to go back to my office to finish my arguments, and a very large police officer stopped me and said, there is a bomb threat in canon, please go back to where
0 american. it s not just words like democracy and liberty. more than that is because an idea embedded in the constitution of the united states, the idea that everyone in america no matter how powerful is supposed to play by the same rules. and every american election is an opportunity to show that, to show what it means. unlike in many other countries our winners don t assume absolute power to do whatever they may want. our losers understand that their rights are preserved. they accept defeat. we ve all been there and lived to fight another day. so on january 6th, a year ago, i was desperate to be in the house gallery. i wanted to be there to see the ceremony that would mark the continuation of the sacred tradition. i was optimistic. at 11:21 i pulled out my little twitter machine and i wrote today is a celebration of democracy, the people have voted. the only power we have as representatives and senators under the constitution we swore to defend is to count the ballots, and we wi