Response to Hoyer's This Week Appearance

In an episode of ABC’s news program This Week on Sunday morning, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Minority Leader John Boehner predictably struck tones of both cooperation and opposition when discussing the issues of the day. But what Democrats across the country were waiting and hoping to see in their party’s leader in Congress – a strident, outspoken voice for progressive values in regards to the issues and controversies of our time – did not materialize. Instead, Rep. Hoyer gave his audience of viewers the same lukewarm defense of the administration’s policies on issues from the economy to the oil spill to Israel’s recent attack on the Gaza flotilla. He failed to advocate the values that the people of Maryland’s 5th District sent him to Congress to fight for, and House Democrats chose him to lead their caucus to speak out for each and every day in the Capitol and on the floor of the House of Representatives.

At the end of the interview, Rep. Hoyer predicted that Democrats would “keep the House” this fall. My hope is that will be the case, and that the Democratic caucus will have the opportunity to keep working to solve the problems we face and make progress towards solving the problems that deeply affect America. But a majority of seats in Congress does us no good if our members are not fighting every day to improve the quality of life for all their constituents and equal opportunity for everyone. We cannot afford a majority of Democrats-in-name-only in these times that are so critical to our country’s and our generation’s future, and that is why I am running to bring a new voice to Congress for the people of Maryland’s 5th District, and a new generation of leadership to Washington, D.C.