Public Wise Responds to President Biden’s State of the Union Address

MEDIA CONTACT: Addie Bullock, abullock@bluestate.co

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Public Wise, an organization committed to fighting for a multiracial democracy that reflects the will and protects the rights of the people, released the following statement in response to President Biden’s second State of the Union address: 

“From passing sweeping gun control reform to the Electoral Count Reform Act, President Biden’s address exhibited the progress we’ve made in the past two years while calling for a government that works for all of us. We applaud the historic achievements of the Biden administration but we cannot allow our recent victories to distract from the battles ahead. 

“Democracy won in 2022. Through the tireless work of community leaders, organizers, and activists, Black, brown, AAPI,  and young voters made it clear that we don’t want insurrectionists serving in the very building they tried to destroy. But make no mistake; the fight is far from over. 64% of insurrectionist candidates won their races in 2022. Now, in addition to a former President and his continued lies about the 2020 election, we have MAGA extremists like Ron DeSantis supporting severe voting restrictions, nurturing far-right conspiracy theories and an unconstitutional voter fraud task force.

Democracy is not guaranteed. It must be preserved and expanded with careful diligence and a belief that all Americans deserve equitable access to our electoral system. We all deserve the right to have our voices heard at the ballot box. We deserve a government free of the people who planned, promoted and proudly attended a violent insurrection. 

We protect our democratic values by keeping our children safe in schools and ending the state sanctioned violence that torments communities of color. We expand our democracy with comprehensive voting rights legislation, policies that allow our immigrant brothers and sisters to become civically engaged, the guarantee of reproductive freedom in every single state, and by electing champions of democracy at every level of our government that represent the real diversity of this country. We have brought our democracy back from the brink before, and we, The People, will restore our democracy and build a government that represents all of us,” said Christina Baal-Owens, Executive Director of Public Wise.

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