mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
COUNTING ELECTORAL VOTES--JOINT SESSION OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE HELD PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1
Matt Cartwright (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2021-1-6

. Madam , I completely agree with my colleague Representative Dwight Evans, and I remind this Chamber that Pennsylvania is the cradle of American democracy. prgtoken We can't claim to be the birthplace of American democracy. That would be a disservice to James Otis, Jr who, in 1761, stood up in a Massachusetts courtroom and argued against the King's writs of assistance. prgtoken But Pennsylvania is the cradle of democracy. It is where we hosted the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution. prgtoken It was Pennsylvanians who immediately went to battle to defend this idea of democracy. They went right after Bunker Hill to the Siege of Boston. American riflemen were instrumental at the transformational Battles of Trenton and Saratoga in victory. And it is Independence Hall where these documents got signed, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. prgtoken You heard my colleagues. You heard Representative Houlahan talking about the privations at Valley Forge, all in support of creating democracy. prgtoken You heard Representative Brendan F. Boyle quoting John Adams, that democracy only dies by suicide. prgtoken You heard Representative Dean quoting John Lewis, our hero, who said: Democracy is not a state. It is an act. prgtoken You heard Representative Wild talking about this stunning assault on our democracy. prgtoken If it seems like we get a little prickly in Pennsylvania about assaulting democracy, you are right. We do. Pennsylvania is the cradle of democracy. prgtoken You heard how foolish and empty these challenges are. Representative Lamb said it: 31 cameras filming the place where the count was happening, resulting in thousands of hours of videotape--you can see it on YouTube--proving there was no fraud. prgtoken You heard Representatives Michael F. Doyle and Brendan F. Boyle talking about Act 77, how the s in Pennsylvania were falling all over themselves to pass this law for mail-in voting because they thought it would help them. prgtoken You heard Representative Scanlon explaining why there were no allegations of fraud made in court because a lawyer going into court and lying to the court gets his or her ticket to practice law punched. They can be disbarred. prgtoken Politicians can say anything on cable TV, but they have to be darn careful when they are in court. So all these big TV talkers never alleged fraud in court. prgtoken Let me tell you about one court case. It was a case where they brought on their best legal talent. It was a case where they drew as a judge a staunch, principled, conservative , Judge Matthew Brann. He called this case ``strained legal arguments without merit'' and ``speculative accusations.'' He called it ``like Frankenstein's monster,'' a ``haphazardly stitched together'' case. prgtoken Judge Brann said he ``has no authority to take away the right to vote of even a single person, let alone millions of citizens.'' prgtoken
OBJECTION TO COUNTING OF PENNSYLVANIA ELECTORAL VOTES
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2021-1-6

today was a stomach-turning, gut- wrenching moment in our history. Truly, it was an assault on the heart of our democracy. prgtoken I want to join in thanking the first responders and the police. prgtoken I also want to thank others who have been heroes of our democracy-- unsung in many instances. First, they are all of the election officials, all of the poll workers, all of the members of boards prgtoken of election who actually counted the votes--who went to the polls and made sure that votes could be cast--and who, ultimately, stood firm for the integrity of that voting system. prgtoken I want to thank the judges. There are now about 90 of them who, except for one or two who ruled the other way on a technicality, have stood firm for the integrity of that voting system. In those 60 to 70 cases, except for that one who ruled on a technicality, they went with the integrity of our voting system and the rule of law. prgtoken Today was, indeed, disgusting and sickening. It was shocking and despicable. It was heartbreaking, but it was not surprising. In fact, today's assault on our democracy--the mob violence, the riots, the thugs and goons who were inspired and incited by the President of the United States--all were of a piece, in these past 4 years, of a President who has no respect for the truth or the rule of law. prgtoken 's Presidency is coming to a close in the very same way it began--with an attack on our democracy. In 2016, the campaign welcomed hostile foreign interference with our election. The President refused to acknowledge that he would accept the results of the election if he lost. Then, again and again, he demonstrated his contempt for the rule of law and for laws themselves. He obstructed justice, and he would have been charged with it had he not been the President of the United States. He invited a foreign government to interfere in our elections and find dirt on his political opponent. prgtoken Most disturbingly, these actions by a President who demonstrated that contempt for the rule of law were met with silence from many political leaders, our colleagues here in the Senate among them--silence in the face of that contempt for the rule of law and disrespect for the law enforcers. prgtoken So we could have seen today coming. In fact, we did. I warned about it, and others did because the fantasies and falsehoods that drove those rioters--not protesters but the mob who assaulted the temple of democracy--were fueled by the President's misstatements and lies and contempt for the truth, and he was enabled. He had enablers. prgtoken Today, we are stopping, in one instance, that enabling, but we must also make sure to stop it going forward. The political stunt that brought us here today offers no great solace that it will. These stunts have consequences. We say words have consequences, and the actions today will have significant consequences. They are an attack on our democrac
OBJECTION TO COUNTING OF PENNSYLVANIA ELECTORAL VOTES
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2021-1-6

I invite all of my colleagues to cast your eyes upon these three boxes sitting on the table in front of the dais. These three boxes contain the certified results from every State in our Union regarding how that State voted, how their electors have voted for the President of the United States of America. prgtoken You cast your eyes on these three boxes, and you know that there is something special. You see that there are straps on them holding the top on and straps around the side and they are engraved--beautiful handle, beautiful leather work, crafted in the cabinet shop of our very Senate to say to the world that their cargo is precious. prgtoken There are three of these boxes. The third box is brand new. It was crafted prgtoken because so many States were celebrating this process that they started to use very large forms, very large envelopes, very large seals to put those ballots into and, thus, a third box was needed. These boxes contain the voice of the American people weighing in, as they have election after election after election. They have been used--these two smaller boxes--for the last 14 elections. They are transported through those doors to the House of Representatives, where the Senate and House gather to witness the opening of the envelopes to determine who will be the President of the United States. It is our constitutional responsibility to witness the counting. That is what the Constitution calls for. prgtoken Tonight, when this Senate Chamber was under attack by domestic terrorists, we were held here in this room, doors locked to protect us with the help of the Capitol Police. They did an excellent job. And then they escorted us to a safe room. That announcement came quickly. And when that announcement came, our senior assistant parliamentarian, Leigh Hildebrand, organized the team to rescue these boxes and keep them safe. prgtoken Thank you to her and the entire team that rescued the voice of the American people. Had they not done so, then the hooligans outside, disrespecting the Constitution, would have come in here and opened these boxes and burned the ballots, destroying the voice of the people symbolically. I know no one in this Chamber wanted something like that to happen because we are here to defend the Constitution, to defend the integrity of the election process, not to allow it to be destroyed. prgtoken But, colleagues, although we are 100 Senators--or 99, actually, now because there are only 99 of us who are duly elected at the moment. We are 99 Senators united across party, defending these ballots from the hooligans outside. prgtoken There is more than one way these ballots can be destroyed, and that is for this Chamber and the House Chamber to vote that one of those envelopes representing the State will be shredded, will be burned, that those votes will be discounted. prgtoken We just held a vote on whether or not the envelope containing the electoral votes from Ar
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-1-6

I think like most of us, I am still pretty reeling from what happened today. What I was going to talk about was the work I am most proud of since I have been here, with my good friend Richard Burr and all the members of the Intelligence Committee, about a multiyear report we did into foreign interference in our elections. Probably our top recommendation of that five-volume, bipartisan report was that any official or candidate should use restraint and caution when questioning results of our elections because when you do so, you often carry out the goals of our foreign adversaries. Use caution because, whether knowingly or unknowingly and whether that adversary is in Russia or China or Iran, their goals are pretty simple: They want to make it appear to Americans, to folks around the world, and to their own people that there is nothing special about American democracy. prgtoken I was going to try in a feeble way, maybe, to reach some of the rhetorical heights of Ben Sasse. I knew I couldn't do that, so instead--I know I am violating rules. Today is the day for violating rules. This is a photo that appears today in one of the most prominent German newspapers. You don't need to draw it up. You can draw up photos from any newspaper or any television feed anywhere across the world. prgtoken And what is this photo of? It is of thugs--thugs--in the Halls of this Capitol, diminishing everything we say we believe in, in this democracy. prgtoken When you look at those images, realize that those images are priceless for our adversaries. I am willing, tonight, in an overwhelming way, to take a small step, in a bipartisan way, to start restoring that trust of our people and, hopefully, the billions of people around the world who believe in that notion of American democracy. Remember, these images are still there. prgtoken .
COUNTING ELECTORAL VOTES--JOINT SESSION OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE HELD PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1
Conor Lamb (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2021-1-6

. Madam , I came here tonight prepared to talk about the place I represent and how well the ic and county officials ran our election. I wanted to point out that in my home county of Allegheny County, in the place they were counting the votes, there were 31 video cameras--31--in the same place, just showing people counting votes, every single one of them on paper, with representatives from both campaigns watching. prgtoken Madam , I wanted to point out to all these great lovers and supporters of the Pennsylvania legislature that it was the Pennsylvania legislature that passed a bill that they all voted for and supported that set up the system under which we just ran the election, and that the reason the President lost was because he was not as popular as other s in our State. He got fewer votes than all of them. prgtoken Madam , I wanted to lay out all this evidence because I thought it was a sign of respect for my colleagues and for all the Americans out there who don't know who to trust. I was raised on that. I was raised on that respect, which makes this a hard speech for me to give. Because to do this with any kind of honesty means admitting and declaring in this House that these objections don't deserve an ounce of respect--not an ounce. prgtoken A woman died out there tonight, and you are making these objections. prgtoken Let's be clear about what happened in this Chamber today. Invaders came in for the first time since the War of 1812. They desecrated these Halls and this Chamber and practically every inch of ground where we work. For the most part, they walked in here free. A lot of them walked out free. There wasn't a person watching at home who didn't know why that was--because of the way that they look. prgtoken My point, Madam , is this: Enough has been done here already to try to strip this Congress of its dignity, and these objectors don't need to do anymore. prgtoken We know that that attack today didn't materialize out of nowhere. It was inspired by lies, the same lies that you are hearing in this room tonight. And the Members who are repeating those lies should be ashamed of themselves. Their constituents should be ashamed of them. prgtoken We know what is going to happen as soon as I walk away, what has happened all night tonight, what will continue to happen. They will take these same symbols, these same concepts, smuggle them into their arguments, and make the same arguments. I want people at home, anyone who is still watching, to know that these arguments are not for them; they are for you. prgtoken None of the evidence we wanted to discuss here tonight will change their opinions or what they are about to say. But you need to know that is not the end. It is not as if there is nothing we can do because of that. And if there was, I don't think this Nation would have made it to almost 250 years. prgtoken The fact is, Madam , that at the end o
OBJECTION TO COUNTING OF PENNSYLVANIA ELECTORAL VOTES
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2021-1-6

``Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges on fairness are serious.'' I think we will all agree. ``But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then [they require] proof. We have neither here.'' prgtoken Those are not my words. Those are the words of a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejecting President 's legal challenges to the Pennsylvania election. I might add, a judge who was a longtime member of the conservative Federalist Society and was nominated to the bench by none other than . prgtoken The 2020 Presidential election was hard-fought--we will all agree. But the American people spoke clearly, and they spoke decisively: 81.2 million voters voted for --81.2; 74.2 million voted for ; 51.3 percent of the vote went for ; 46.8 percent of the vote was for ; 306 electoral college votes for ; 232 electoral college votes for . Four years earlier, referred to that kind of outcome as a ``landslide'' for him, and he lost the popular vote by 3 million votes. prgtoken But accepting the outcome of the election can be difficult when our political party doesn't win. We have all felt that before. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. More than 60 Federal and State courts involving more than 90 judges--many of whom were nominated by Presidents, including --are all in agreement. That is pretty amazing, isn't it? All in agreement. No evidence of widespread fraud, wrongdoing, or other irregularities have been uncovered during the 2020 election. That is a victory for democracy, for our democracy. prgtoken Unfortunately, some of our colleagues today ask us to do the same thing that asked of the secretary of state for the State of Georgia--to overturn the results of the 2020 election without specific allegations and, more importantly, without any proof. Our colleagues are asking us not to abide by the will of the people but to bend to the will of one man--one man--. prgtoken In 1787, delegates from the Thirteen Colonies convened in Philadelphia to debate the future of what would become the United States of America. Our Founders disagreed on a lot of things, but, you know, they all agreed on one thing for sure: They did not want a King; they did not want a Monarch. Many of them had been there, done that. They didn't want to see it and feel it again, and they set up this intricate system of checks and balances to ensure that we would never have that all-powerful King in this country. prgtoken That system of checks and balances is being pushed to a dangerous limit here today, but that system will prevail--along with it, our democracy. prgtoken Here are just some of the claims and his legal team have made and that our colleagues lend credence to here
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-1-6

. and my colleagues, I applaud the comments of my colleague from Georgia deeply. prgtoken My first job after school was in Macon, GA, working for a Federal judge, Lanier Anderson. I learned a lot about integrity and a lot about law from him. I also learned some sad lessons, that in the history of Georgia--and, indeed, Virginia and many States--so many people, especially people of color, had been disenfranchised over the course of our history. Our late friend, John Lewis, a Congressman from Georgia, was savagely beaten on Bloody Sunday just for marching for voting rights. That act of violence inspired this body, the U.S. Senate, to come together in March of 1965 and work to pass, in a bipartisan fashion, the Voting Rights Act. prgtoken We should be coming together today--after acts of violence--as a U.S. Senate, to affirm the votes of all who cast ballots in November. Instead, we are contemplating an unprecedented objection that would be a massive disenfranchisement of American voters. prgtoken The Georgia result was very clear: a 12,000-vote margin, 2 certifications by officials, 4 separate recounts and canvases, 7 lawsuits, as in the other States. If we object to results like this, the message is so clear. We are saying to States: No matter how secure and accurate your elections are, we will gladly overthrow them if we don't like who you voted for. But, more importantly, what we will be saying--really, what we will be doing--is as the body that acted together to guarantee Americans the right to vote, we will become the agent of one of the most massive disenfranchisements in the history of this country. prgtoken So I urge all of my colleagues: Please oppose these objections. prgtoken Thank you. prgtoken I yield to my colleague from New Jersey.
COUNTING ELECTORAL VOTES--JOINT SESSION OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE HELD PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1
Dwight Evans (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2021-1-6

. Madam , I represent the Third District of Pennsylvania, which includes part of Philadelphia, the birthplace of America. It was in Philadelphia that the Constitution of the United States was written and signed, the very Constitution that we are all sworn to uphold as Members of the House of Representatives. prgtoken We are elected to serve our constituents, and it is our job to represent them and their interests in Congress. prgtoken Yesterday, I spoke to the son of the late Dick Thornburgh, who is a two-time Governor of Pennsylvania and was Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan and President . His son stressed to me that his father would have wanted the rule of law to prevail regardless of the political outcome, because he cared more about the safeguarding of democracy than partisanship. prgtoken In addition, Al Schmidt, who was a commissioner of elections, said, when Philadelphia certified its results on November 23: ``I'm proud that the birthplace of our Republic held the most transparent and secure election in the history of Philadelphia.'' prgtoken Instead of using this time to dispute the results of our fair and lawful election, we should be spending this time making sure vaccines are quickly given to essential workers and our most vulnerable communities, that people are getting housing. prgtoken We should look at rental assistance. We should ensure that that is available. prgtoken Small businesses, the engines of our economy, should be getting needed grants and loans. prgtoken That should be our focus. prgtoken Hospitals desperately need support and help. We should be paying attention to the needs of hospitals. prgtoken We are in the middle of a pandemic where hundreds of thousands of people are dying, and we are in a recession that is putting millions of Americans at risk of hunger, homelessness, or both. It is time we start legislating for the people. prgtoken One last person I want to mention is our junior Senator, Senator Toomey. There are very few things that he and I agree on, but he has stated very clearly that has won this election. He has stood up on the Senate floor and he has stated that. prgtoken So it needs to be very clear that the late Governor Thornburgh; Albert Schmidt, the commissioner; and our current junior Senator all have one thing in common: democracy first, partisanship second. Let's keep that in mind.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2021-1-6

not liking whom the voters choose to vote for in an election does not mean it is a fraudulent election. Enabling such talk and actively working to disseminate false information that cripples our government is in itself a fraud committed against the American people and our Constitution. prgtoken This past November, the American people voted in the highest numbers we have seen in our Nation's history. More than 155 million Americans cast a ballot in what was a free and fair election. prgtoken A clear majority voted for former Vice President over President . This was not the closest election in our Nation's history by a long shot. President-Elect won by more than 7 million votes. He and Vice President-Elect won 306 electoral votes. and received 232 electoral votes. prgtoken Given the tremendous impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our country, everyone should be overwhelmed that Americans turned out in such strong numbers for this election. People should not have to choose between casting their ballot and protecting their own health and their family's health. The pandemic wreaked havoc in so many of our lives for much of last year, which is why our election officials in most States responded by taking special measures and precautions to protect the right to vote while safeguarding the health and well-being of voters and election judges alike. prgtoken Election security officials, Federal and those in all 50 States and the District of Columbia--, s, and Independents-- have all certified that we held a free and fair election despite these extraordinary circumstances. The Department of Homeland Security, DHS, stated that the November 3 election was ``the most secure in American history'' and that ``there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.'' prgtoken President responded how we would expect a would-be autocrat to respond, by firing the head of the DHS agency overseeing election security, pursuing baseless and groundless lawsuits, and promoting wild conspiracy theories about a rigged election. These lawsuits repeatedly have been dismissed as frivolous by both State and Federal judges appointed by both and ic Chief Executives. prgtoken There is simply no evidence of widespread voter fraud claims in this election that can credibly affect the outcome of the election, which even former U.S. Attorney General William Barr--speaking on behalf of the Department of Justice--acknowledged. In December, the electoral college met to certify the results, and all of the States and the District of Columbia have now regularly reported their results to Congress, pursuant to the 12th Amendment to the Constitution. prgtoken In Pennsylvania, a panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected President 's lawsuit making cl