Election Year uddrag

Election Year

© Forlaget Columbus og forfatterne 2024 1. udgave, 1. oplag

Forlagsredaktion: Katrine Cohen

Grafisk tilrettelæggelse og omslag: Bodil Mulla

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Printed in Denmark 2024

ISBN: 978-87-7970-827-3

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LOTTE GENEFKE

STINE NUE MIKKELSEN

LISE WICH

YEAR ELECTION

COLUMBUS

CONTENTS

FOREWORD 9

CHAPTER 1

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS 10

1.1. Political Institutions 10

1.2. The President 10

1.3. Congress 12

1.4. The Supreme Court 13

1.5. Checks and Balances 14

1.6. Elections in America 15

1.7. The Two-party System and Swing States 16

1.8. Gerrymandering 17

1.9. Parties and Voters 18

1.10. Voters of Each Party 19

1.11. Trust in Government 21

1.12. Does the System Work? 22

CHAPTER 2

DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE 23

2.1. The Attack on Congress and American Democracy 23

2.2. The Public’s Reaction to the 2020 Election and Attack on Congress 25

2.3. Proud Boys and Oath Keepers 26

2.4. Midterm Election 2022 and the Trust in Democracy 27

2.5. Election Officials and Poll-Workers 27

2.6. Voter Registration and Integrity Laws 28

2.7. Georgia Code Title 21 30

2.8. The Old and the New Ways of SB202 31

2.9. Statement by President Biden on the Attack on the Right to Vote in Georgia 34

2.10. The Impact of Trump Rhetorics 37

2.11. President Trump’s Speech at the January 6th Ellipse Rally 41

2.12. Remarks by President Biden on Standing up for Democracy 51

CHAPTER 3

SOME, MEDIA AND AI –

WHO CONTROLS THE PUBLIC DEBATE? 58

3.1. The Impact of Algorithms on Political Public Opinion 59

3.2. Polarization and Trust 61

3.3. AI and Deep Fakes 61

3.4. Traditional News Media 62

3.5. Memes 63

3.6. Tech and Public Debate 63

3.7. The Taylor Swift Effect 65

3.8. Taylor’s Version of the Midterm Election, Instagram October 8th, 2018 66

3.9. Taylor’s Version of Support for Biden-Harris, Instagram October 7th, 2020 69

3.10. Taylor’s Version of Voter Registration, Instagram September 19th, 2023 70

3.11. Truth Social Classics 72

3.12. A Truth Thread 73

3.13. What Is It about Memes? 76

3.14. The Power of TV Ads 78

3.15. The “Classified Documents Case” 80

CHAPTER 4

A COUNTRY DIVIDED 81

4.1. A Belief in Future Prospects 81

4.2. Blue-Collar Workers Losing their Jobs 82

4.3. Where Poverty Has Hit Hard 84

4.4. Political Views on the Minimum Wage 86

4.5. Cultural Divides 87

4.6. Remarks by President Biden at United Auto Workers Picket Line 89

4.7. Rich Men North of Richmond by Oliver Anthony 95

4.8. Long Violent History by Tyler Childers 97

4.9. A Message from Tyler 101

CHAPTER 5 ABORTION PUSHING VOTES? 105

5.1. The Abortion Issue in Elections 106

5.2. Roe v. Wade 106

5.3. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization 107

5.4. Abortion and the 2022 Midterm Election 108

5.5. Nikki Haley’s Policy Speech on Abortion Rights 110

5.6. Remarks by President Biden on Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services 117

5.7. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s Speech on Leading for Life in America 123

5.8. Valedictorian Paxton Smith Abortion Rights Speech 131

5.9. Remarks by Vice President Harris to Kick Off Nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” Rally 134

CHAPTER 6 THE WAR ON WOKE 140

6.1. Culture War 140

6.2. Gender and Sexuality 141

6.3. Critical Race Theory 142

6.4. Woke and the Elections 143

6.5. Governor Ron DeSantis Speaks at Iowa ‘Roast and Ride’ Event 145

6.6. Remarks by Vice President Harris on the Florida State Board of Education Curriculum Updates 149

6.7. Christopher Columbus: Explorer of the New World 156

6.8. Executive Order by Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders 157

6.9. Interview with a Texan High School Student on Wokeness 159

6.10. The Bud Light Controversy 164

CHAPTER 7 IMMIGRATION 165

7.1. American Views on Immigration 166

7.2. The Wall 168

7.3. Children in Cages 168

7.4. New York City Is Flooded with Immigrants 169

7.5. Remarks by President Biden on Border Security and Enforcement 173

7.6 Former President Donald Trump’s Speech on How to Secure American Borders 177

7.7. Senate Floor Speech by Senator Alex Padilla on Labor Protections and Immigration Reform for Farm Workers 180

7.8. Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Strongest Anti-Illegal Immigration Legislation in the Country to Combat Biden’s Border Crisis 185

7.9. Mayor Adams Declares Asylum Seeker State of Emergency 188

CHAPTER 8

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID 194

8.1. How the American People View the Economy 194

8.2. Inequality in the US 195

8.3. Minimum Wage 197

8.4. Taxes 198

8.5. Bidenomics 198

8.6. Social Media and the Economy 099

8.7. Food Insecurity 200

8.8. Inequality for All 207

8.9. Budgets 212

TOOLBOX 217

The Three Modes of Appeal 217

Rhetorical Tools 218

Toulmin’s Model of Argumentation 219

Cicero’s Pentagram 220

CHAPTER 1

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS

The first three words of the American Constitution are “We the People” and in those words lies both the notion of a “united” America and the idea that America should be governed by the people and for the people. The early settlers from Europe left countries governed by nobility and royalty to build a nation based on the will of the people.

The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence became the foundation of American politics, and the documents form a common framework for American culture and identity. The Declaration of Independence (1776) declared America an independent country, free of the British Crown. The Constitution (1789) laid down the rules for political institutions, the distribution of power, and elections.

1.1. Political Institutions

There are three political institutions in the US: the President, the Supreme Court, and Congress, and the latter consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. These three political institutions represent the separation of power. The President has the executive power, Congress has the legislative power, and the Supreme Court has the ultimate judicial power.

1.2. The President

The President of America has the executive power and is responsible for carrying out the laws passed in Congress.

To be elected President is an extensive process. The party chooses the candidates they think have the most voter potential, and they run against each other in the primary elections to become their party’s presidential candidate. The primaries and caucuses take place in the spring and summer before the presidential election. Ultimately, the presidential candidate is declared when one of the candidates has won sufficient primaries.

Washington D.C.

Tennessee 16 11

Georgia

Note: The figure shows the number of electors from respectively Tennesee and Georgia. The number of electors is based on the size of the population in the state.

The two parties’ candidates run against each other in the presidential election every fourth year on the first Tuesday in November. This is when the population votes for the candidate they want as the next President. On the ballot, voters mark the candidate of their choice, but in reality, they vote for a member of the Electoral College, who will give their mandate to the presidential candidate who won the popular vote of the state. A candidate wins all the electors from a given state if he/ she receives the majority of the votes in the state, a principle called “the winner takes it all”. Electors or the Electoral College are objective officials whose job is to deliver the votes cast in a given state. It keeps the numbers simpler once the popular votes are cast. When one of the candidates has 270 electors, the new president has been found.

There are a total of 538 electors which the 50 states and Washington D.C. share in a way that reflects how big the states are populationwise: A state has the same number of electors as members in its con-

1.2.

Note: In the 2020 election Biden got 63,5 % of the votes in California. Therefore he won all the 55 electoral votes from the state. Source: edition.cnn.com

Figure 1.1. Presidential Electors

Figure

Figure 1.3.

Note: In the presidential election 2020 Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes and Donald Trump won 232. In order to win the election the candidate must get 270 electoral votes. Source: edition.cnn.com

gressional delegation – one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two senators.

1.3. Congress

Congress is comprised of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and together they create and pass laws, which means they hold the legislative power. The House of Representatives has 435 members, who are elected in their home states. A state’s number of representatives is allotted based on the size of the population of the state. This means that Florida has 30 representatives and Alaska

The Unites States Congress houses the federal government of the United States of America. It is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

CHAPTER 2 DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE

American democracy is under immense pressure these days, and some people even talk about their fear of a civil war in the US. The Americans have always prided themselves on their right to democracy, and many believe this to be the very foundation of American identity. American democracy has, however, also always been under development and, over time, various groups within American society have had to fight hard to obtain democratic rights.

The North and the South fought a bloody civil war from 1861 to 1865 which was primarily about slavery. The Civil War led to the freedom of Black enslaved Americans, and slavery was abolished with the 13th amendment to the Constitution in 1865. From the middle of the 19th century, the women’s suffrage movement fought for American women’s right to vote, and in 1920, the 19th amendment to the Constitution secured women the right to vote. In the 1950s-60s, Black Americans in the Civil Rights Movement fought for equal rights for all, regardless of race. The result was the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed to ensure that no one, regardless of race, was denied their right to vote. The fight for formal, equal, and democratic rights for all Americans has therefore been an ongoing struggle.

America has been and is in a continuous process of attaining the best possible form of democracy for all. Today, the country faces numerous new challenges which put democracy under pressure.

2.1. The Attack on Congress and American Democracy

The attack on Congress on Jan. 6th, 2021, shook the American population as well as the rest of the world. The attack is considered an assault on democracy in the US, and it was the culmination of a long process that started on election day, November 3rd, 2020, when Democrat Joe Biden was elected the 46th President. Joe Biden received 51.3 % of the votes and 306 electors, while Donald Trump received 46.9 % of

the votes and 232 electors. Trump would not admit defeat, but put forth accusations about fraud and faulty elections. In the weeks following the election, he tried hard to get a recount of the votes with the aim of changing the result. Trump exerted particularly great pressure on Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, whom he called on January 2nd, 2021, to convince him to find the votes that Trump needed to win the 16 electors of Georgia. Trump failed, and in 2024 he and 18 other people faced charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, witness tampering, conspiracy against the rights of citizens, and an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding. Trump would not abandon his self-proclaimed victory. A stop-the-steal demonstration against the final affirmation of Joe Biden as the winner of the election was arranged in Washington on January 6th, and in one of his tweets, Trump encouraged his supporters to join the protest. Then Trump delivered a speech to his supporters in which he said, “And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” Immediately after the speech, the protestors marched towards Congress and forced their way into the building using violence against guards and police. The dissidents were trying to stop or delay the final approval of Biden, and because they used force, these events are now seen as a violent attack on the core of American democracy. During the attack, five people died, 138 were injured, and more than 1000 people were charged with involvement in the events, among these Donald Trump. Seven hours after the attack on Congress began, the election of Joe Biden was finalized when Congress affirmed his victory.

Rally goer holds up a sign at a voting rally in Marietta, Georgia on April 25th, 2021.

2.9. Statement by President Biden on the Attack on the Right to Vote in Georgia

Pre-reading

In pairs, research the following and make sure you both have a grasp of the terms on the list below. You don’t need to know everything, but make sure you have a general idea.

1. What is a “runoff election”?

2. Who was John Lewis?

3. What are Jim Crow laws?

4. Where is Georgia placed geographically?

Statement by President Biden on the Attack on the Right to Vote in Georgia

March 26th, 2021

More Americans voted in the 2020 elections than any election in our nation’s history. In Georgia we saw this most historic demonstration of the power of the vote twice – in November and then again in the runoff election for the U.S. Senate seats in January. Recount after recount and court case after court case upheld the integrity and outcome of a clearly free, fair, and secure democratic process.

Yet instead of celebrating the rights of all Georgians to vote or winning campaigns on the merits of their ideas, Republicans in the state instead rushed through an un-American law to deny people the right to vote. This law, like so many others being pursued by Republicans in statehouses across the country, is a blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience. Among the outrageous parts of this new state law, it ends voting hours early so working people can’t cast their vote after their shift is over. It adds rigid restrictions on casting absentee ballots that will effectively deny the right to vote to countless voters. And it makes it a crime to provide water to voters while they wait in line – lines Republican officials themselves have created by reducing the number of polling sites across the state, disproportionately in Black neighborhoods.

This is Jim Crow in the 21st century. It must end. We have a moral and constitutional obligation to act. I once again urge Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to make it easier for all eligible Americans to access the ballot box and prevent attacks on the sacred right to vote.

And I will take my case to the American people – including Republicans who joined the broadest coalition of voters ever in this past election to put country before party.

If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.

integrity retskaffenhed, hæderlighed outcome resultat merit værdi pursued føre, følge blatant oplagt, tydelig shift vagt rigid restriction stiv regel absentee ballot brevstemme

provide give polling site valgsted disproportionately uforholdsmæssigt, ude af proportioner med Jim Crow raceadskillelsespolitik og -love i USA (1876-1968)

obligation pligt urge opfordre til eligible kvalificeret ballot box stemmeboks sacred hellig broadest coalition bredt forlig over den politiske midte

Analysis

1. Why were the elections in Georgia so significant for the outcome of the 2020 elections? And why does Biden characterize them as having shown “historic demonstration of the power of the vote twice”?

2. In the light of American national identity, why does Biden use the term “un-American law to deny people the right to vote”? Consider what is meant by “un-American”?

3. Biden puts forth the claim that the new rules will “... effectively deny the right to vote to countless voters”. What are his grounds for this claim?

4. What is the reason for Biden mentioning that the changes in voting laws will hit the predominantly Black neighborhoods the hardest? What accusation is he making against the Republicans?

5. Why does President Biden claim that “This is Jim Crow in the 21st century.” Recall the initial research you did on Georgia and Jim Crow. How are those two linked, and why does the history of this region play into the understanding of new rules for voting?

6. What mode of appeal does Biden use to round off his remarks? What is his aim with the last sentence?

Discussion

1. Discuss why President Biden gets involved in state legislation such as this. Draw upon section 1.8. “Gerrymandering” for broader perspectives.

2.10. The Impact of Trump Rhetorics

In order to understand the effect that Trump has on American democracy, one must look at the way he addresses the nation and his rhetorical style. Trump is, in many ways, different from most other politicians, among other things because of his abilities as a public speaker. Trump applies a set of rhetorical tools that are not typically used in presidential speeches. He succeeds in exciting his followers, as well as alienating and ridiculing his opponents with a handful of effective rhetorical tools which you will find in the list below.

Uniting and exciting supporters

Using ad populum is to conclude or argue one’s case based on the opinion of a majority, meaning that the speaker argues that because a certain opinion or attitude is held by a majority, it must be right. No matter how impossible or illogical the claim might be, Trump taps into the many concerns of his supporters and presents them as valid truths. Trump often combines this strategy with praise of his supporters as the smartest, best, most loyal, hardest working, most Republican people, and so he underscores the fact that the opinion of the great Republican voters must be correct.

Paralipsis is a rhetorical tool that involves a speaker saying “not to mention …” as a means of drawing attention to how they will not talk about a certain point. In a way, the speaker is allowed to direct criticism, but at the same time not obligated to explain further. When using paralipsis, one implies that this is important, but that everyone knows this, so the speaker does not have to go into it. An example could be if Trump were to say “I’m not saying Biden is a criminal. I’m not saying that” where you get the sense that this is exactly what he is saying. It is a way to steer clear of being held accountable for slandering the opposition or saying something that could be misunderstood.

American exceptionalism is an age-old idea that America is somehow more special and amazing than any other country, and that America has succeeded in becoming the best place in the world. This is the belief of many Americans, not just Trump and the Republicans. However, in Trump’s version of American exceptionalism, he is the hero that will restore America to former believed greatness. His slogan and promise to “Make America Great Again” spring from this idea.

Alienating and ridiculing opponents

Ad hominem means to direct argumentation or criticism at a person, as opposed to their opinion or political position. Just as Trump enjoys mentioning his supporters’ many positive qualities, he also employs ad hominem when he ridicules and mocks his opponent. Trump has a way of targeting the person instead of their political

2.11. President Trump’s Speech at the January 6th Ellipse Rally

Pre-reading

1. In groups, discuss what you expect of a political speech. Draw on your experience from other speeches you have heard or read, Danish or English, and if you like, you can run through the following points:

a. level of formality in the language

b. use of rhetorical tools – metaphors, anaphora etc.

c. tone – serious, forthcoming, kind, angry

d. modes of appeal – logos, pathos, ethos

e. argumentation – claim, grounds, warrant.

2. In groups, discuss whether you know any examples of speeches having an influence on people to a degree where they changed their behavior either in the moment or longer term. Also, consider what is needed for a speech to be effective.

3. Using Cicero’s pentagram (p. 220) and a search machine, research the following to get a better understanding of the context of the speech:

a. Circumstances: What had happened in the presidential election during the two months leading up to the speech. Start from November 3rd.

b. Audience: Who listened to Donald Trump’s speech given at the Ellipse close to the White House?

As you read the speech, think about the following:

c. Topic: What are some of Trump’s key points?

d. Language: Choice of words, tone, and any rhetorical devices you recognize.

magnitude omfang rig an election manipulere et valg patriot person med stærke følelser for moderland integrity retskaffenhed, hæderlighed emboldened dristig concede indrømme modpartens valgsejr

President Trump’s Speech at the January 6th Ellipse Rally

Well, thank you very much. This is incredible.

Media will not show the magnitude of this crowd. Even I, when I turned on today, I looked, and I saw thousands of people here. But you don’t see hundreds of thousands of people behind you because they don’t want to show that.

We have hundreds of thousands of people here and I just want them to be recognized by the fake news media. Turn your cameras, please, and show what’s really happening out here because these people are not going to take it any longer. They’re not going to take it any longer. Go ahead. Turn your cameras, please. Would you show? They came from all over the world, actually, but they came from all over our country. […]

We beat them four years ago. We surprised them. We took them by surprise and this year they rigged an election. They rigged it like they’ve never rigged an election before. And by the way, last night they didn’t do a bad job either if you notice.

I’m honest. And I just, again, I want to thank you. It’s just a great honor to have this kind of crowd and to be before you and hundreds of thousands of American patriots who are committed to the honesty of our elections and the integrity of our glorious republic.

All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened radical-left Democrats, which is what they’re doing. And stolen by the fake news media. That’s what they’ve done and what they’re doing. We will never give up, we will never concede. It doesn’t happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved.

Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore and that’s what this is all about. And to use a favorite term that all of you people really came up with: We will stop the steal. Today I will lay out just some of the evidence proving that we won this election and we won it by a landslide. This was not a close election.

You know, I say, sometimes jokingly, but there’s no joke about it: I’ve been in two elections. I won them both and the second one, I won much bigger than the first. OK. Almost 75 million peo-

ple voted for our campaign, the most of any incumbent president by far in the history of our country, 12 million more people than four years ago.

And I was told by the real pollsters – we do have real pollsters – they know that we were going to do well and we were going to win. What I was told, if I went from 63 million, which we had four years ago, to 66 million, there was no chance of losing. Well, we didn’t go to 66, we went to 75 million, and they say we lost. We didn’t lose.

And by the way, does anybody believe that Joe had 80 million votes? Does anybody believe that? He had 80 million computer votes. It’s a disgrace. There’s never been anything like that. You could take third-world countries. Just take a look. Take thirdworld countries. Their elections are more honest than what we’ve been going through in this country. It’s a disgrace. It’s a disgrace.

Even when you look at last night. They’re all running around like chickens with their heads cut off with boxes. Nobody knows what the hell is going on. There’s never been anything like this. We will not let them silence your voices. We’re not going to let it happen, not going to let it happen. […]

US President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks to supporters gathered to protest Congress upcoming certification of Joe Biden as the next president on the Ellipse in Washington, DC, USA, January 6th, 2021.

incumbent nuværende, siddende

pollster person der laver meningsmålinger box (cutter) hobbykniv

CHAPTER 7 IMMIGRATION

Throughout history, America has taken in millions of immigrants, and it would be fair to say that immigration is a vital part of America’s DNA. Historically, America’s immigrants have come from all over the world. People have migrated to America in the hope of better opportunities after having been pushed out of their home countries because of persecution, oppression, or extreme poverty. To many, America has been a beacon of hope with regard to values like liberty, equality, and the opportunity to pursue your own happiness through hard work. In this way, the American Dream has been a pull-factor for many immigrants.

This is the reason why many today refer to America as a melting-pot where different cultures melt together to form a new culture consisting of both old and new “ingredients”. However, to many people, the idea of a melting-pot is a myth, and in large parts of America, the population is divided by their original cultural heritage. Therefore, it makes more sense to talk about a salad bowl where people live within the same framework (consisting of the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence) but in different ways, each cultivating their own culture and norms. That is why people also talk about hyphenated Americans, e.g. Afro-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans, etc. It is therefore in no way a new phenomenon that America consists of many different cultures and ethnicities. Today more than 40 million people living in the US were born outside the country, which equates to around 14 % of the entire population.

Immigration has been more or less welcomed in different periods of American history but there has always been a tendency to not consider the latest arrivals as true Americans. Despite the fact that America is made up of immigrants from around the world, there is widespread skepticism towards further immigration. Most Americans want stricter control at the border between Texas and Mexico where many people cross the border illegally.

When it comes to the reception of and the views on immigrants, it is important to distinguish between legal and unauthorized immigrants. Legal immigration is when foreign citizens are allowed to settle in America by getting a so-called Green Card. Unlike legal immigrants, unauthorized immigrants cross the American border without a visa and/or stay in the country for longer than their visas allow them

Figure 7.1. US Foreign-born Population from 1850 to 2015 Measured in Millions and Future Predictions for Numbers up to 2065

Source: Data collected by Pew Research Center.

to. Today, unauthorized immigrants are primarily from South and Central America and the massive pressure on the southern border is expected to continue. Immigration policies can bring victory or cost defeat in American politics. The topic has always been a subject for debate, and at the moment it is on the political agenda because of the massive strain on the southern borders to Mexico. According to the US Border Patrol, the number of unauthorized migrants who crossed the border between Mexico and the US in 2023 reached 2.5 million people. The largest concentrations of unauthorized immigrants are seen in states like Florida, Texas, California, and New York where many immigrants come to the big cities to look for work.

7.1. American Views on Immigration

More than half of the American population think that the handling of immigration is one of the most important political topics today. Republicans, however, differ from Democrats by placing much more importance on the issue. A majority of American voters, however, thinks that there has to be some form of increase in security and control at the Mexican border.

If you were to look solely at Republican voters, you would find that pretty much everyone is in support of more border control. The Republicans want a reduction in the number of unauthorized immigrants, and they want it to be harder to obtain asylum in the US than the Democrats do. Republican voters further support the deportation of unauthorized immigrants and are not as willing as Democratic voters to grant legal stay to those immigrants who have already been in the country for several years. There is general outspoken skepticism towards immigration and a wish for

7.7. Senate Floor Speech by Senator Alex Padilla on Labor Protections and Immigration Reform for Farm Workers

June 27th, 2022

Mr. President, the first thing you need to know about picking radishes is that it is hard work. You have to work literally on your knees, and you pick each radish and parsley out of the ground by hand. No machines, no tools.

I learned how to pick radishes and parsley about three weeks ago, when I accepted an invitation from United Farm Workers and the UFW Foundation to spend a day working alongside them in California.

I’ve said countless times that day in and day out, farm workers show up to some of the hardest jobs in America. I’ve always believed that farm workers are essential. But not until that day did I appreciate the physical demands of long hours on one’s knees under the sun.

Mr. President, many of the workers picking radishes are older than I am and have worked in the fields for decades. They have labored through heat waves, through storms, wildfire smoke, and more. They’ve labored through a global health

United States Senator Alex Padilla picks and bundles radishes in Ventura County, California, June 3rd, 2022. Padilla visited Muranaka Farm in Ventura County for a day in the life of a farm worker.

pandemic. They are the backbone of our economy, helping keep food on our tables. And yet, the majority of farm workers don’t have legal status to live or work here in the United States. That includes those who I worked alongside picking radishes. People like Efren, who has worked on American farms for more than 40 years, and Patricia, who has raised her children here.

Several told me that one of the hardest parts of being undocumented was being cut off from their families in Mexico and other countries. Being denied the opportunity to see their mother or their father one last time before passing away. Or to attend their funeral to pay their last respects.

Imagine that heartbreaking choice: never seeing your parents again because doing so means risking not being able to see your children ever again.

That is the fate that we are forcing on countless undocumented farm workers who fill our grocery stores with fruits and vegetables. That is the choice we exacerbate every time we push immigration reform off for another month, another year, another session of Congress.

That is why we must pass legislation that creates a pathway to citizenship for farm workers.

Mr. President, did you know that when you pick radishes, you get paid by the number of crates you fill?

On the day that I worked in the field, it comes as no surprise that I picked at a slower rate than the highly skilled and experienced farm workers who depend on speed for their livelyhood.

Yet laws across the country leave farm workers in a position of uncertainty that few other workers have to face. If you’re a farm worker, and you miss a day, there’s no paid sick leave. If you’re a farm worker, and you’re injured on the job, you can’t get disability insurance. Living and working while undocumented means worrying constantly about your status.

So when the Senate says that immigration reform can wait, we are not seeing the people whose lives are at stake.

Isidro, Armando, Isabel.

Mr. President, as they pick radishes, these workers are not taking the jobs of American citizens. I repeat, they are not taking the jobs of American citizens.

In fact, the opposite is true. We don’t have enough farm workers to meet the demand. Not just for radishes, but for countless

other crops. As different produce comes into season, growers need skilled labor on tight timelines. Corporate leaders, small business owners, and economists agree – we need more immigrants, with more protections. And the stakes for our economy are high. Right now, American families are paying higher prices, not just at the gas pump but at the grocery store.

Our labor shortage is contributing to higher inflation. Over a trillion dollars of America’s GDP is linked to agriculture. All across the nation, we rely on immigrant farm workers.

In North Carolina, agriculture is the top industry, aided by tens of thousands of undocumented workers growing soybeans, corn, peanuts. In Idaho, agriculture accounts for 17 percent of economic output, including a booming dairy industry. Around ninety percent of Idaho’s dairy workers are foreign born, with the vast majority undocumented. In Texas, agriculture is worth more than 20 billion dollars each year. More than 100,000 immigrant workers, mostly undocumented, are employed on Texas’s ranches, farms, and fields.

I can go on and on, but I think the point is clear. This is truly a national issue. The majority of all farm workers lack legal status and growers say that more help is needed.

Congress can make a difference, we can do so by passing the laws that farm workers need and deserve.

Our country can’t afford to wait.

That’s why as my first bill I introduced the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act when I joined the Senate last year. The workers who keep us healthy, safe, and fed. The workers that we as a federal government have deemed essential. They deserve dignity. They deserve respect. They have earned a pathway to citizenship.

Today, I’m also proud to introduce the Fairness for Farm Workers Act. This bill will support fair pay for agricultural workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Mr. President, in one day, I had just a small dose of the physically demanding life of farm workers. Still, there’s so much more that I could tell you about the kind, funny, generous individuals who I worked alongside that day. As we shared a lunch of homemade tortillas, beans, and carne con chiles, they told me about their hometowns that they miss, their favorite music, and their dreams for their children.

They also had one more message that they asked me to deliver, that they implored me to deliver, to all of you: and that is that you should come, too.

I was the first U.S. Senator to accept an invitation to work in the fields. Last week, my friend and colleague Senator Booker became the second.

I urge you, and I urge each and every member of the Senate, to take this opportunity to work alongside the heroes who feed America. And then, let’s come back here, as I have, humbled and inspired, to do our job. Let’s come together behind a solution so farm workers can finally live and work with dignity and security. Thank you, Mr. President.

implore bønfalde, trygle

Analysis

1. Look up background information about Alex Padilla. How may this contribute to an analysis of the speech?

2. Turn to Cicero’s pentagram (see the toolbox, p. 220 and begin by looking into the speaker, circumstances, and audience of the speech.

3. Examine the repetition of the phrase “Mr. President” throughout the speech. What rhetorical effect does this repetition create?

4. How does Padilla use his personal experience of picking radishes to highlight the physical challenges of the farm workers and why is it effective in conveying his message?

5. How does Senator Padilla use descriptive language to convey the physical demands of farm work? Give examples of metaphors in the speech.

6. How does Padilla connect the farm workers’ contributions to the backbone of the American economy? Comment on his choice of words.

7. What rhetorical devices does Padilla use to evoke empathy for the farm workers?

8. How does Padilla try to personalize the narrative of the farm workers in his speech? How do cultural references contribute to this? Find examples.

9. How does Padilla build his argument for immigration reform? (See the toolbox for Toulmin’s model of argumentation p. 219.) How does he convey a sense of urgency in his argument? Look into his choice of words.

10. What rhetorical devices does Padilla use to counter the argument that undocumented farm workers are taking jobs from American citizens?

11. What specific examples and statistics does Senator Padilla use to illustrate the national significance of the immigration issue in states such as North Carolina, Idaho, and Texas, and how does this contribute to the overall impact of his argument?

12. Find examples of Padilla using rhetorical questions. What is the purpose of these questions?

13. In conclusion, what is the intention of the speech? How did you reach this conclusion?