State Rep. Steve Holt of Denison told Republicans gathered at a Crawford County GOP picnic this weekend pushed back on the idea America has been a racist country because it twice elected President Barack Obama.
“Republicans say we must combat racism together, but we refuse to villainize our brave men and women in law enforcement,” Holt told a crowd of more than 100. “We reject the notion that our nation that twice elected Barack Obama president is evil and racist. We know that our history and our leaders reflect our journey to a more perfect union, and so we honor our history and our founding fathers.”
Republicans gathered in Denison at 1 p.m. Saturday for a Trump tractor parade. The parade started at Western Iowa Technical Community College and ended at the picnic, which was held at Joel and Eileen Sailer’s farm near Denison.
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Holt spoke along with Sen. Joni Ernst and National GOP Committeewoman Tamara Scott.
He went all-in on President Donald Trump’s “law and order” message and painted a dark picture of Democrats to rally the GOP base, at one point saying, “The message of the Democrats in 2020 is a simple one: give us power or we will burn it down.”
Holt said in Democraticatic-controlled cities such as Portland, New York and Seattle, innocent people are being “victimized and murdered,” and businesses and livelihoods have been destroyed, although he placed no blame on the President of the United States.
“President Trump stands up for law and order for all our citizens,” Holt said.
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During his speech, Holt also spoke against the Green New Deal, complained twice that the Democrats didn’t say the word “God” during the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention (even though that’s not true) and praised Donald Trump’s handling of COVID-19, despite the fact that 190,000 Americans have died from the disease.
“Government overreach during the coronavirus has been excessive, particularly in Democrat-controlled states,” Holt said. “Why are we here today with tractors decorated for America and for Trump? Because Donald Trump took a strong stance to protect America from this virus and recognizes that we must have a balanced approach to combating the virus that does not destroy the economy, shred the Bill of Rights and ruin millions of lives.”
Holt represents Iowa House District 18, which includes parts of Crawford, Shelby and Carroll counties.
by Paige Godden
Posted 9/9/20
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