Gary Chambers, a U.S. Senate candidate in Louisiana who went viral last month for smoking a blunt in a campaign ad, burned a Confederate flag while decrying restrictive voting laws in his latest video released on Wednesday.
In a one-minute video titled “Scars and Bars,” Chambers is seen wearing a camo jacket as he pins a Confederate flag on a clothesline and ignites it with a lighter — right after he cites the famous Declaration of Independence line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
As the flag burns, the Louisiana Democrat argues that inequality lingers and “remnants of the Confederacy remain” in the South. The candidate mentions gerrymandered districts and restrictive voting laws as “byproducts” of the Confederacy.
“The attacks against Black people, our right to vote and participate in this democracy, are methodical,” he said. “Our system isn’t broken. It’s designed to do exactly what it’s doing, which is producing measurable inequity.”
According to the Brennan Center, 19 states passed 34 restrictive voting laws in response to a conservative push to tighten up elections following former President TrumpDonald TrumpMcConnell laughs off Trump’s ‘Old Crow’ nickname: ‘It’s my favorite bourbon’ North Carolina elections board says it has power to bar Cawthorn from running over Jan. 6 Trump endorses Noem’s reelection bid in South Dakota MORE‘s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Earlier this year, Congressional Democrats attempted to push through a voting rights package to address the restrictive voting laws but failed to secure enough votes in the Senate.
Chambers is running to unseat Sen. John KennedyJohn Neely KennedyLouisiana Democrat running for US Senate smokes marijuana in campaign ad MORE (R-La.) in the upcoming midterm election. He gained national attention last month with the release of a campaign ad in which he puffs on a blunt while arguing for the legalization of cannabis, the criminalization of which disproportionately affects Black people.
The candidate is a co-founder of a media outlet called The Rouge Collection and ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. House seat last year in Louisiana.
In Wednesday’s video, Chambers mentioned other issues that affect Black Americans, including access to health care, which has been highlighted during the pandemic, as minorities have had higher rates of severe illness and death from COVID-19.
Chambers said 1 in 9 Black Americans do not have health insurance and 1 in 3 Black children live in poverty.
“It’s time to burn what remains of the Confederacy down,” he said in the video. “I do believe the South will rise again, but this time it will be on our terms.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGOP political operatives indicted over illegal campaign contribution from Russian national in 2016 McConnell privately urged GOP senators to oppose debt ceiling hike On The Money — Dems dare GOP to vote for shutdown, default MORE (R-Ky.) and Sen. Richard ShelbyRichard Craig ShelbyMcConnell privately urged GOP senators to oppose debt ceiling hike Crypto debate set to return in force Press: Why is Mo Brooks still in the House? MORE (R-Ala.) on Tuesday night offered a competing short-term government funding bill, just as House Democrats passed a stopgap measure that suspends the country’s borrowing limit.
The bill from McConnell and Shelby, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, does not include a debt ceiling suspension, reflecting the GOP push to divorce government funding from the looming brawl over the nation’s borrowing limit. The House-passed bill would suspend the debt ceiling, which kicked back in on Aug. 1, through 2022.
The Senate GOP bill also includes funding for supporting the Iron Dome, Israel’s air defense system. House Democrats stripped out a provision on Tuesday from their bill that would have provided $1 billion for the Iron Dome. House Majority Leader Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerThis week: Democrats face mounting headaches Budget chairman: Debt ceiling fight ‘a ridiculous position to be in’ Five questions and answers about the debt ceiling fight MORE (D-Md.) is planning to hold a stand-alone vote on the funding this week.
“I am pleased to introduce a package with Leader McConnell that would extend government funding, provide much-needed disaster relief, and deliver targeted Afghan assistance. Republicans and Democrats have undergone bipartisan, bicameral negotiations for weeks to keep the government open and provide emergency aid. This bill reflects those urgent priorities,” Shelby said in a statement.
“Importantly, our legislation includes funding for the Iron Dome, making good on our commitment to a historic and significant ally, and removes the Democrats’ ill-conceived language on the debt limit. Members on both sides of the aisle can support this measure, and I urge them to do so with haste,” he added.
The GOP proposal comes as Democrats are moving forward with their plan to try to suspend the country’s borrowing limit as part of the short-term government funding bill, known as a continuing resolution.
Congress has until the end of the month to pass a government funding measure and avoid a shutdown. Both Democrats and the GOP proposal would keep the government funded through Dec. 3.
When the country will face a debt default is less certain. Congress previously voted in 2019, under then-President TrumpDonald TrumpTrump takes shot at new GOP candidate in Ohio over Cleveland nickname GOP political operatives indicted over illegal campaign contribution from Russian national in 2016 On The Money — Dems dare GOP to vote for shutdown, default MORE, to suspend the debt ceiling until Aug. 1. Since then, the Treasury Department has been using so-called extraordinary measures to keep the government solvent.
Treasury Secretary Janet YellenJanet Louise YellenOvernight Energy & Environment — Presented by the League of Conservation Voters — White House plans extreme heat workplace standard McConnell signals Senate GOP will oppose combined debt ceiling-funding bill Democrats aim to suspend debt limit with bill to avoid government shutdown MORE warned congressional leaders that the debt ceiling will need to be raised in October.
Senate Republicans are expected to block the House bill, which also includes disaster assistance and Afghan refugee resettlement funds, when it comes to the Senate floor next week.
Democrats will need 10 GOP votes to pass the bill. No GOP senator has committed to voting yes. Sen. John KennedyJohn Neely KennedyMORE (R-La.), whose home state has been devastated by recent hurricanes, has come the closest, telling reporters that he’ll “probably” vote yes.
The country has never defaulted on its debt, but what comes after that failed vote is in limbo.
Senate Republicans are trying to get Democrats to raise the debt ceiling on their own as part of the $3.5 trillion spending package they are trying to pass under budget reconciliation, which allows them to bypass the filibuster in the Senate.
Democrats, so far, are refusing to do that and saying the vote should be bipartisan, pointing back to their support for debt ceiling suspensions under Trump.
But McConnell, speaking to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, reiterated that Republicans were willing to support a short-term government funding bill only if it had the Iron Dome funding and didn’t address the debt ceiling.
“We’re prepared to support a continuing resolution with assistance for Louisiana, with additional funds to replenish Iron Dome,” McConnell said.
“What we’re not prepared to do is to relieve the Democratic president, Democratic House, Democratic Senate from their governing obligation to address the debt ceiling,” he added.
