Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin says "we have to rely on the people" to ensure the Constitution is upheld.
Raskin led the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in 2021 and also sat on the House of Representatives panel investigating the January attack on the U.S. Capitol. He spoke with KPBS about the history behind our current political moment, the upcoming presidential election and its potential aftermath.
"It's the people who can reject somebody who says they want to be a dictator in government," he said. "It's the people who can reject a presidential candidate who says he will use the government as an instrument of revenge and retribution against his political enemies."
About the increase in threats to local elected officials, Raskin said "the throughline here is that there are some people who are absolutely committed to preventing this multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural, multireligious democracy from succeeding."
"They see it as a fundamental threat to who they are," he said. "The last time we had a social crisis over this that turned violent was the civil war."
Raskin was part of the Talking San Diego series. Its next guest is a conversation between legal analyst Harry Litman and Rep. Nancy Pelosi at the Balboa Theatre Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.