U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City) tells Missourinet he’ll address those at the Democratic National Convention this week at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. He says he won’t mention Donald Trump, nor will he criticize Republicans during the speech. The six-term Congressman says the United States is “badly-divided” now.
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)
“We have political tribalism that is doing enormous damage to the country,” Cleaver says. “In fact, I think that we are headed in the direction of previous empires that eventually collapsed.”
Cleaver’s office says Congressman Cleaver is tentatively scheduled to address the Convention Thursday at about 5 pm central time.
Cleaver, who’s a superdelegate, says he’ll focus his speech on hope and bringing people together. He supports Hillary Clinton.
“And when I speak in Philadelphia, people who know me don’t expect me to start talking about how horrible Mr. Trump is,” Cleaver says. “I’m going to talk about policy and the candidate (Clinton) that I support.”
Cleaver notes that while he has a strong Democratic voting record, he works well with his GOP colleagues. He talks regularly with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin).
“If you go to Washington and just ask Republicans, you know, who is one of the easiest people to work and talk with, if I’m not number one, I’d be number two but probably number one in 98%Â of the people you speak with,” Cleaver says.
Cleaver is a Senior Whip in the House Democratic Caucus. He also served as Kansas City Mayor for eight years.
