MSNBC host Al Sharpton said Thursday that Democrats need to uphold the promises they made to voters and not stay focused on the “calamity” that happened Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol.
In an appearance on “Morning Joe,” Sharpton questioned whether Democrats would deliver on the agenda they ran on or if they would be allowed to “escape” from their commitments by giving the events at the Capitol too much attention, referring to the riot that took place.
“January 6th will not only be remembered for the calamity that happened. I think it will be the beginning of a new era of where we go forward from here,” Sharpton began. “The question becomes whether the Democrats that have now seized the Senate, now they control the House, the Senate, and the White House, whether they will deliver on the agenda that they told the voters they would do, that ended up getting the largest turnout of voters in the history of this country, whether they will live up to the promises that were made.”
The current Senate is comprised of 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, with Vice President Mike Pence being the deciding vote that gives Republicans the majority. Democrats will take control of the Senate once Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in and becomes the president of the Senate. Democrats maintained a slim majority in the House of Representatives after Republicans flipped at least 10 seats.
“If we focus only on the calamity, then we allow the Democrats to escape from what they committed and the mandate that they were given,” Sharpton continued. It isn’t clear if Sharpton was also referring to Wednesday’s impeachment of President Donald Trump, which came as a result of the riot Jan. 6. (RELATED: Trump’s Latest Statement Condemns ‘Violence And Vandalism’ But Ignores Being Impeached For The Second Time)
“I think if we miss that, we are going to end up making the calamity that happened become the prelude to be disappointment that will follow,” Sharpton said. “A lot of people put a lot into voting on Election Day hoping that this would turn the tide another way. We don’t want to drown in the tide that we turned.”