YouSaid · the spoken record

Justin Amash

lines on the record: 73
first: 2021-05-20
most recent: 2021-05-20
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Show people what it's like to be an independent representative. Now, I was going to run as a Republican, but even as a Republican, my intent was get in there and be the most independent Republican I can be, represent my community, stick to my principles. I'll tell people when I'm running what my principles are and I'm going to stick to them. And I did that as a state representative. And it was highly popular. You know, it worked out. People did in fact think it was great that I was an independent representative and they elected me to Congress. So, you know, I...”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, you know, like I'm not played to go back into law, but who knows, you never know. But I wanted to get out and to talk to people and to try to have a broader impact. Lawyers make an impact. They make an important impact, especially for the clients they're working for, they make a difference. They're important to our society and the way we operate under the rule of law. You know, I didn't find it satisfying enough. I was in a room quite often just writing agreements or merger documents or, you know, a lot of transactional work. And I wanted to get out there and shape opinions and also represent opinions. So I was like, you know, I want to get into this. I want to run for office.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Be it. That's what I'll do for my life. But as I worked as a lawyer, it didn't really inspire me. And no offense to any lawyers out there. I was a business lawyer.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, no, as a kid, I thought that, but, you know, as I got older, I did start to think to myself, well, maybe I'll just be a lawyer. And, you know, I'll just settle into that job.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Know, as a kid, I think that, again, it goes back to my dad's story. I did think about things like being president of the United States. Like I've got pictures that I drew as a kid where, you know, I'm drawing myself as president.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Say around 2005 or so that I recognized that I was just a libertarian. I hadn't really tried to categorize it or classify it before, but I went to Google and I typed into the search box my views, what I thought might summarize my views like in a sentence and up popped FA Hayek, you know. So I read the Wikipedia article on him. I read it. I said, yeah, this is largely aligned with my views on things. And he called himself a libertarian. I said, I'm going to spend some time reading his works and looking into this.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“As I got through college, I started to recognize that my views did not align perfectly with a lot of my Republican friends. You know, I thought of myself as a Republican going into college. I'd supported Republican candidates. And ultimately I ran for office as a Republican. But I always felt that I didn't quite align with Republicans on everything. And it was those college years that sort of worked that out in my mind. And it's there that I came to realize, look, I've got quite libertarian views on things. And it really wasn't until after I was done with law school.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I mean. I think I've always been fairly libertarian, and this goes back again to the story of my childhood and my dad's experience and my mom's experience and just the way I was raised. I've always been a fairly anti-authoritarian person. I'm against arbitrary authority. I don't like the idea of dictators or rulers. I like people to work together and lay down the rules in advance in a way that's transparent and obvious. I felt that way since I was a kid. I've always been a big believer in the rule of law since I was a kid. And I think the rule of law is foundational to liberty and to libertarianism. So I would say that”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, that's right from Damascus coming here as an immigrant from Damascus and coming here at a pretty young age too, starting a new life here, she was willing to leave her home country of Syria and come here and start a new life only as a teenager. And that was something that really shows a lot of trust in this country and what it offers, what it provides that you would do that, that you would leave a place you've only, the only place you've really known throughout your life and come to a whole new country across the sea.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“The most amazing place where we care about each other, where we have a constitution that protects people's rights, where anyone has an opportunity.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Life in our system, if it's when you tell people, no, you're not welcome here that they think, well, there's something wrong. Maybe I want to fight this system. If you tell people, hey, you are absolutely welcome here. They're much more likely to embrace it to say, isn't this wonderful? I mean, I think I'm an example of this, right? My dad came here and he felt welcomed in America. And as a result, our whole family felt welcomed. And I grew up thinking to myself, isn't this country great? Isn't this the most fantastic thing on earth? You know, I was privileged to be born here in this country. Nonetheless, having an immigrant family like that, I was able to see, you know, what their struggles were in their, you know, early lives, both of my parents, and how they've come here and they were blessed. And it made me love the Constitution even more. It made me say, isn't this?”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, and I think Donald Trump used it to his own benefit, to his own gain. He figured he could charge up some segment of the population, which he thinks is still large enough to get him victories. It didn't work this most recent time, but it did work one time. And I think that's a short-term strategy that may work. I don't think it's a long-term strategy in the United States. I think Americans are welcoming people, kind and caring people. They want to have neighbors who come in who are from different backgrounds, who can add to the wonderful tapestry of this country. So I don't think it's a long-term strategy. Welcoming people has made them more likely to adopt our way of”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And they see a wonderful environment where now they can put their talents and skills to use, no matter how poor they were or how uneducated they might have been, now they have a chance to really go out and just through hard work and effort provide for their families. And I think most of them are eager to do that.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Values that Republicans talk about. So I'm not sure what the fear is. You know, I don't think a lot of immigrants are coming to the United States thinking, oh, I want to go there because I just want to sit around and not do anything. They're coming here charged up and ready to go”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, absolutely. I really don't understand the Republican fear of immigration or immigrants. You know, at least the Republicans I knew growing up said they believed in capitalism and opportunity and look a lot of these immigrants who come here from very bad situations are the ones who especially embrace capitalism and freedom because they very often come from situations where the government was overbearing, where a lot of their poverty was due to government policies that were discriminatory that hindered their ability to succeed. So, you know, a lot of these immigrants who come here are particularly interested in the things Republicans used to claim they cared about, you know, the freedom and capitalism and opportunity and the ability to succeed through hard work. These are very”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“They were often people who were despised for one reason or another or put down. And they came here seeking opportunity. And if we make this a place just for people who are already rich or already highly credentialed, you know, they've got PhDs and then those are the people we're going to welcome and everyone else, I'm sorry, you can't come here. I don't think that's really the American dream. I think we're like we're. We're leaving so many people out who can benefit.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I mean, an immigration generally, I've been concerned over the years with this trend toward thinking immigrants should come here only if they're already highly successful. That would have excluded my family for sure in mine, by the way. And so, look, we have a country where lots of people came here who weren't the most highly educated people. They weren't the ones who had the greatest opportunity back in whatever country they came from.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“This country, but we also must acknowledge that the United States is a special place that does provide opportunity for millions of people, many of whom come here as refugees or immigrants.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Was it matter that we started out in poverty? We were here and we were succeeding. And my dad used to always say to us, it doesn't matter in this country what your background is. It doesn't matter what your religion is or your ethnicity. It doesn't matter how connected you are to the government, you know, because in a lot of parts of the Middle East, your connections to the government matter. That stuff, he told us doesn't matter here. If you work hard, you can provide for your family. And I really believe that deep down in my heart. And I know it doesn't work out that way for every family. There are a lot of struggles.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, yeah, he does. He gets as charged up about politics as anyone and can't believe what's going on in Washington these days. But yeah, he's very proud. You know, as a kid, I just remember thinking, boy, my dad had such a difficult life and he worked so hard to make it to where he is. And he started with nothing. And here he is in the United States. And look at him succeeding. You know, he has a business that is successful. He has a family that's successful. Even before we got to where we are today, the fact that we could live in a community and be just like anyone else in that community, it didn't matter what our background.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, that's right. And you know that story of my dad's arrival in the United States and the fact that I can look at him now, he's 81 years old and he can see the success that his family has had, that he was able to start a small business. My brothers are running that business today. He has a son who ended up as a United States congressman. I mean What a story, what a life.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You can imagine the level of poverty. Like, you know, no shoes living together with a family in one room, extraordinarily poor. And then when they became refugees, they had to just move from place to place for a long time. It was an incredibly difficult life. They were blessed with the opportunity in 1956 to come to the United States. where a pastor and his wife and their family had sponsored my dad's family and said, hey, you know, come live with us at first and we'll help you out. We'll get you going. And they came to the United States and made a new beginning.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“We feel very blessed through all this. You know, we have this painful history where my dad was expelled from his home and became a refugee. And even before that, he was very poor as a Palestinian. Like he was the kind of Palestinian the other Palestinians made fun of for being poor.”
2021-05-20 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 444 — Justin Amash · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source