Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a pillar of my district's activist community, Gary Karnes. Throughout his extraordinary life, Gary was the conscience of the local Democratic Party and a cornerstone for promoting, protecting, and perpetuating the values of our country. Gary was born to be an activist. He walked with JFK in the 1950s; he protested the Vietnam war in the 1960s; he stood with farmworkers in the 1970s; and throughout his life, he always fought for peace, human rights, and dignity. The thing about Gary, though, is he knew that American activism is not just about yelling and screaming or just being outraged. Gary understood that it is about doing the hard work, of walking precincts, banging on doors, and bringing out the votes. This included his work of supporting over 70 election campaigns throughout his life. Mr. Speaker, it was not just his advocacy and principles that shaped our local Democratic Party, but Gary Karnes' work and personality added to the collective story of what we stand for as a community, and that is why Gary Karnes helped strengthen our democracy. ____________________”