After US Representative Al Green was removed from the House Chamber for standing up to President Trump during his address to Congress, 10 Democrats angered their party base by voting with Republicans to censure him.
One of those votes came from Representative Jim Himes, a Connecticut congressman serving his ninth term in the House, who had also voted to censure Republican Congressman Joe Wilson in 2009 for shouting “You lie!” at then-President Obama. Now, Himes joins Mehdi as they clash on why he voted to censure Green.
“It’s not really about decorum and civility … what this is really about, is the rules,” Himes says. “In a world where everybody thinks that politicians have no principle and believe that it’s okay when our side does it — that’s a bad message to send.”
“The Republicans could have all voted to censure him and he could have accepted this. He didn't need ten Democrats to join in,” counters Mehdi.
Himes also reflects on the Democratic Party’s losses and its current prospects, as well as what he sees as the threats to democracy with Trump. When it comes to shadow president Elon Musk, Himes believes he doesn’t have “any sense for what democracy is,” adding that “there’s very clearly pro-fascist instincts in that man.”
He also agrees with Mehdi that the ICE detention and disappearance of lawful permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil, over his pro-Palestine protests, is what “fascism looks like.”
If you are a paid subscriber, you can watch the full interview above to hear Himes’ full response to the treatment of Khalil, what he sees as a betrayal of Ukraine by Trump, and his view of which issues Democrats should focus on to win back the House of Representatives in 2026.
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