Letter About Legislation for the Federal Takeover of Elections from my U.S. Senator and My Response to His Hypocrisy

The correspondence below is an example of how every citizen who loves freedom can respond to our elected officials when they stray from the truth. Those who oppose freedom and our founding principles are very bold to denounce those with whom they disagree and label them as “racists” or “fascists” or whatever label they want to use. But THEY are the ones who are undermining freedom.

It is time to publicly confront these folks for their twisted ideas and their hypocrisy.

The first item below is a response I received from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, followed by my response to his message. I contacted him regarding a bill that would allow the federal government to take over U.S. elections nationwide, S. 1 / HR 1, the so-called “For the People Act, known to many of us as “The Corrupt Politicians Act.” Sen. Warnock responded by including a link to the first speech he delivered in the Senate, which is also linked to below. Basically, he says those of us who want election reform are all racists. He is clearly wrong. That’s why I confronted his twisted view in my letter back to him.

We need to stand up to petty tyrants when they advance tyranny, such as this federal takeover of our elections. It’s time we call this what it is: tyranny.

Feel free to watch the video of his speech and make your own judgment–if you can handle it for 22 minutes. Actually, it’s not a bad speech, but it is laced with misrepresentations of the truth. I for one, won’t put up with garbage like this without speaking up.

I hope you will speak up, too, and help put people in office who love truth and freedom and hate hypocrisy.

Jim Jess
Chairman, Franklin Roundtable

 

LETTER FROM SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK

Dear Mr. Jess,

Thank you for sharing your views on legislation before Congress regarding the right to vote.

The right to vote is a foundational issue. On March 17, I gave my maiden speech on the Senate floor on this topic. Knowing of your interest in this issue, I would like to share the video with you so you can watch the speech if you so choose.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4952332/senator-raphael-warnock-maiden-floor-speech&fbclid=IwAR2a1YozoGPxRkyry1jcXJFWRKT7_Bpka3jjLkA7YQU_GqHkdrNgNqIgVfs

I am a cosponsor the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For The People Act, because I think more needs to be done to protect the right to vote; particularly in the face of efforts around the country, including in Georgia, to make it more difficult for people to exercise this fundamental right. The vote is sacred. Access to the ballot box should be a bipartisan issue and both parties should focus on the strength of their ideas rather than choosing their own electorate. Know that I will continue to do all that I can to make sure that our elections are free and fair.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please don’t hesitate to do so again in the future if I may be of assistance to you or your family.

Sincerely,

Reverend Raphael Warnock

United States Senator

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RESPONSE TO THE LETTER FROM SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK BY JIM JESS

March 24, 2021

Sen. Warnock,

I am in receipt of your response supporting the federal takeover of our elections, the so-called “For the People Act.” While I found certain aspects of your maiden speech on the Senate floor commendable and inspiring, I also noticed a healthy dose of hypocrisy. While you champion the right to vote, which I also support, at the same time you say you support “democracy,” but oppose the efforts of our democratically-elected state legislature to improve the security of elections in our state. It appears you like democracy when you are elected, but despise it when those who hold a different position than you are doing THEIR work. That is hypocritical.

I have been following the bills in the General Assembly, and I can assure you that the final bill that emerges will still have access for all voters and even Sunday voting for “Souls to the Polls.” It seems you are afraid of the outcomes if our elections are secure, honest and well-run.

But the greatest hypocrisy of your speech is your obvious willingness to violate your oath of office. You took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Yet, that Constitution clearly gives the power for governing elections to state legislatures. You want the federal government to take over elections nationwide. Is that “democratic”? I hardly think so.

I understand why you might want to support expanding what you call “voting rights” beyond what is actually needed for a fair vote, but HR 1 / S. 1 is a poor vehicle with which to do this. A federal takeover of our election system will be fraught with constitutional and democratic implications. By second-guessing states, you would be depriving our citizens at the state level to make decisions in a most democratic fashion. Centralization of authority in Washington, D.C., is a threat to liberty and an afront to every freedom-loving American. You say we love freedom, and you are right. Would you deprive us of our freedom to make decisions through the democratic process in our state legislature? This sounds very much like tyranny to me. You can call it whatever you like.

Sincerely,

Jim Jess

Marietta, Georgia