Pennsylvania state and socialist Chris Rabb, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, has joined the growing chorus of Democrats denouncing the founding documents and core institutions in the country on our 250th anniversary. The Democratic socialist is running unopposed for Congress and will almost certainly be a member of Congress after November.
Rabb spoke at an event billed as “America at 250 — Trump Fascism, Historical Erasure, and the Battle Over Truth” at People’s Plaza on Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
He denounced the country as based on “stolen land and stolen labor.” He lashed out at the Declaration of Independence:
“Those screeds that were very lofty but were notoriously catering to a performative aspect of collective genius that purposely erased indigenous and black peoples…It created distance from an empire to help very privileged people continue that privilege and ultimately institutionalize that through the U.S. Constitution many years later. But it certainly did not provide independence to indigenous and black peoples. And we cannot talk about anything today without acknowledging that this is a nation born on stolen land & stolen labor.”
It is entirely appropriate to raise the inherent conflict in the words of the Declaration and the continuation of slavery. In Rage and the Republic, I discuss the inherent hypocrisy of our Declaration in declaring natural rights without denouncing the enslaving of so many in the country:
“The Founders understood that inescapable truth of natural law when they signed a Declaration that ‘all men are created equal.’ Despite this defining line, even some who opposed slavery saw little hope for a revolution that would seek to overthrow both the monarchy and slavery. Jefferson would have to make the concession in striking critical language from his draft. While Jefferson’s legacy would be forever stained by his own maintenance of slaves, he did attempt to condemn the institution of slavery. He was rebuffed by his fellow delegates who were willing to acknowledge the existence of a natural law while ignoring its implications for the enslaved people in the new nation.”
Rabb goes further than raising the inherent conflict with slavery and suggests that our system is inherently fascistic and not worthy of celebration for the ideals that it articulated for a new nation.
He ignores how the Declaration laid the foundation for a more perfect union. Ours was the first major Enlightenment Revolution based on the belief that our rights came not from the government but from God. It embraced the principles that would ultimately prevail in ending this shameful stain on our nation.
“Fascism is not new. These systems of harm are built into the very fabric of this nation,..You cannot kill the beast until you name it. And that is difficult for many people who want to embrace certain tropes, certain narratives, whether it’s the American dream or American exceptionalism or the Protestant work ethic or so many other myths that do us no — they are a disservice.”
Rabb is not the first figure on the far left to denounce the “American dream” and “the Protestant work ethic” as harmful “myths.”
He pledged that he would be “one of the few unapologetic reparationists going to Congress,” joining a growing number of Democrats demanding billions in reparations for black Americans.
Many on the left are using the anniversary to condemn our founding principles or to decline to celebrate our Independence Day. This includes such demonstrations in states such as Massachusetts, which declined to join the celebration on the Mall for the 250th anniversary.
Recently, we discussed how a Massachusetts church ended the long-standing celebration of the Fourth of July to focus on the “on-going process within the congregation to better understand our own whiteness.”
John Adams once wrote his wife Abigail to predict that Independence Day would be:
“celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”
Adams was virulently opposed to slavery as were many of the Founders. Many openly discussed their hope that the new nation would address slavery after it succeeded in establishing its independence. Those lofty values were ultimately realized at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives in the Civil War.
The claim that fascism is a system “built into the very fabric of this nation” is absurd and demagogic. This nation defeated fascism and remains the oldest and most successful republic in history. Indeed, the left is claiming to be fighting fascism while seeking to take over the Supreme Court in a court-packing scheme while limiting such core human rights as free speech.
In “killing the beast,” the far left is threatening to unleash the very forces that destroyed the contemporary revolution in France at the time of our founding. These voices are not new. They have been part of this republic — and other republics — throughout history. They are the voices of mobocracy that we rejected 250 years ago. That is precisely why Benjamin Franklin was right that this is, and will remain, our Republic to keep.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
So other than Antarctica what lands weren’t stolen? What continent didn’t have slavery?4
Slavery has existed since ancient times, with its origins traced back to early civilizations such as Sumer in Mesopotamia around 4000 BC. The practice was widespread across various cultures, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas
Did you know today’s Native Americans stole the land from the people here before them? That many had slaves? Many even offered human scarifies.
There is evidence suggesting that people may have been in the Americas as early as 30,000 years ago, predating the Paleo-Indians (present day Native Americans).
The Romans, the Vikings, The Ottomans (Turks) all conquered lands (stole in your verbiage). They all had slaves. Every single country in the Americas was stolen by your definition, not just the USA.
Of course your goal is Communism, which is all about theft and forced labor. The USSR stole everything, capital, land, art, and labor in forced labor camps.
USSR:
Estimates of deaths under Soviet repression range widely, with scholarly sources citing around 61.9 million excess deaths from 1917 to 1987, including about 3.3 million Soviet prisoners of war killed by Nazi Germany and over 5.7 to 7 million in the 1932–1933 famine linked to collectivization.
CCP:
Forced-labor / prison-camp deaths (laogai, prisons, labor camps) under Mao: commonly cited estimates range from ~15 million (Harry Wu’s 1949–1997 estimate, often used more broadly for Mao-era custody) up to ~27 million (Jung Chang & Jon Halliday’s estimate of deaths in prisons and labor camps during Mao’s rule).
Mao’s regime carried out an estimated 712,000 to 2,000,000 executions during the Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries (1950–1953) alone.
Between 15 and 55 million people died of starvation during the Great Chinese Famine from 1959 to 1961, primarily due to the policies of the Great Leap Forward and other man-made factors.
Cambodia:
The Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.5 to 2.2 million people from 1975 to 1979, which was about 25% of Cambodia’s population at that time.
So communism is better?
Yep. For some.
America’s unique status re slavery is that we maintained it while aspiring to the ideal of all people being equal, leaving America open to a charge of hypocrisy. The charge was accurate. The question becomes “should America be seen as uniquely evil because it failed to live up to its founding ideals”. It seems to me that a country founded on a belief of human freedom and agency that did not convert those words into actions worse than the rest of the world that did not even pretend to believe that all men are created equal with certain inalienable rights. The ultimate resounding success of the USA as an example to the world of what can be accomplished through free enterprise capitalism coupled with greater individual freedom than seen anywhere on Earth would indicate to me that the USA should be celebrated — not as perfect but as having created a more perfect Union.
There was never any “ideal of all people being equal.” Everyone knows that all people could not ever possibly be equal. The Declaration stated “created equal” leaving the results of their lives up to the individuals.
JT states: And will almost certainly be a member of Congress after November.
What is best in life? Crush the enemy, see them flee before you and hear the lamentation of their women.
I just looked it up, and PA’s 3rd congressional district is in Philadelphia. This continues a pattern of Dem politicians in deep-blue cities trash-talking America and promoting communism. In their limited urban circles that kind of talk is praised and rewarded, but not in the majority of America. The rest of the nation will take notice and it will help the GOP.
OldManFromKS,
I agree with you in the idea of the rest of the nation helping the GOP.
Thing is, there are still even moderate Democrats, like my sister, who will still down vote Blue.
Other thing Democrats need to do is to call out the far leftists. But that is a real problem for the Democrat party. They created this monster, thinking they could control it and discard it once it out lived its usefulness. But now, they need their votes for the mid-terms and calling them out just may split the vote in favor of Republicans.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes both the Democrats and the DSA are plotting their future moves. Again, that risks future elections, namely 2028.
Democratic Socialist candidates expand appeal, some Democrats see potential obstruction, chaos
https://justthenews.com/government/congress/socialist-candidates-expand-appeal-some-democrats-see-potential-obstruction
Be careful where you walk. It’s all entrapment.
I hope you are correct. GOP voters must remember that any Democrat who wins will be subject to the Democrat machine they become part of. They will vote lock step with them to the cadence being dictated by the energized socialists who have infected the party.
Philly is real america. just like in 76 theyre on the right path first
Everywhere in America is “real America.” I guess you thing communism is “the right path.” Most Americans disagree with you.
wrong. og 13 is real america. cities are real america.
OldManFromKS,
America is the sum of its parts. From Philadelphia, to Topeka, to Yellow Hammer NY, to Nye WV, to Freedom OK, to Buckskin Joe CO, to even San Fran and points in between.
That is America.
kansas is not real america.
It should be remembered that true socialism calls for dictatorship — the dictatorship of the proletariat. In socialist theory, dictatorship is necessary in order to overcome class enemies (Klassenfeinde) at home and capitalist interventionists abroad. The dictatorship is also needed to implement the social revolution of expropriation of capitalist wealth and its appropriation by the state, i.e. by society as a whole. So the people opposing fascism are working to advance dictatorship. (See Boer, Roland. Socialism in Power: On the History and Theory of Socialist Governance. 2023.) Admittedly, socialist theory anticipates that the dictatorship of the proletariat will further evolve as the state “withers away”, but that has yet to be realized in any socialist state to date.
it doesnt but youre dumb so continue
^ Says the moron with more typos than words ^
says dictionay. you dumb too
For sure, Oliver Stone’s critically acclaimed movie ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ starring Tom Cruise, as paralyzed Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic, won’t be screened at Trump’s US’s 250th 4th of July anniversary. Much to celebrate and also to reflect upon our country.
Why would anyone be sitting around, watching movies on the 4th of July, when their time would be better spent with friends and family, cook outs, fireworks.
The deomcrats are getting KKKlanny, again.
Purge the Mau-Maus.
I am sick of the term Socialist or Democratic Socialist. They are communists and are promoting tyranny.
It is time to call these people out. Whatever the faults of the Founders in their time they created liberty for the greatest number of people they could. They fought for the light. How can any “Socialist “ be accepted into Congress when they fully intend on violating their oath of allegiance to the Constitution.
that was dumb. you are dumb
Maybe dumb is you…
This is the face the New Democrat Party. It’s the face of the New Breed of Americans who are ill equipped for public discourse, decision making, selecting leaders or even functioning within the American state. Virtually no knowledge of history. No civics. No philosophy or anything resembling ethics. They are products of the uber woke education system that grew out of the sixties. Pathetic. The problem is not their individual societal ineptitude, it comes from the fact that they bond together to form a patently imperfect union, vote, promote misinformation about their true motives and convince equally deficient people to support them. And, horrifically, they win! But, they should never feel confident. They have as yet not run into the silent masses who will not take well to their plan of destruction. When they do, when they take one step too far, they will encounter the immovable object. The result will be neither pleasant nor peaceful. If it’s war they wish, it’s war they will get.
Keep up the good work!
Rabb is another phony moralist that is quick to condemn actions that took place 250 years ago by today’s standards. As Bill Maher says, “It’s like being mad at yourself for not knowing at 10 yrs old what you know now at 60 yrs old.” It is a fallacy foisted on the public in order to say look what a good person I am, i.e., political BS
What lessons about slavery and the morals thereof have been discovered in the last 250 years of civilization that were not known widely in the first 5,000? The story of the slavery of the Jews was an abomination in the Bible before the discovery by Europeans of the North American continent.
Most likely a sociopath seeking money. Nothing else.
More word salad.
The Democratic Party has truly lost its way.
Someone who has publicly stated that he (or she) rejects our founding documents, including the Constitution, cannot in good faith take the oath of office:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
If there remains a Republican majority in the House and Senate, it should refuse to seat any avowed socialist or Marxist.
Any person who declares they cannot uphold our Constitution cannot swear the oath of office and therefore cannot serve. Our basic societal to truth is fundamental.
Trump claimed the constitution should be deleted. After being sworn in to uphold it he should’ve been refused to be seated as president.
Yawn…
The remarks by Rabb are rhetorical. They cannot be used against him to refuse to seat him. Refusing to seat him would be fascist.
Terrorist Torn Between Going On Violent Jihad Or Getting Elected As Democratic Senator
At publishing time, Abdullah bin Khalid Al-Makki had decided to put away his bazooka and give the Democratic politician thing a go, knowing that he always had terrorism to fall back on.
https://babylonbee.com/news/terrorist-torn-between-going-on-violent-jihad-or-getting-elected-as-democratic-senator
In 1776 all of these guys, including the Founding Fathers, were also politicians. Every politician likes to be ambiguous so they don’t lose supporters. Everyone thinks the politician is on their side. Sort of a wink & a nod (not clear wording) to supporters to keep coalitions from breaking apart.
In 1776, Great Britain was the world’s greatest superpower with a military that eventually defeated another superpower France. Great Britain in 1776 was like the USA today. In 1776 America was like Ukraine, the nation being bullied.
The Founding Fathers faced execution (death) if the American coalition broke apart. Sort of that saying “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. In 1776, France (Britain’s enemy) and American states, including slave states were the “friends” of the Founding Fathers.
These politicians “excluded” the actual words “slaves” and “African-Americans” in the Declaration of Independence and created a U.S. Constitution that could be amended in the future. This ambiguous language appeased the racists and slave owners, but the legal wording allowed slavery to be abolished by future voters.
If the Founding Fathers didn’t do this, the weak coalition with a weak military would have fallen apart. The Founding Fathers would have been executed and there would be no USA at all.
This U.S. Constitution allowed the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments (protecting all of us especially African-Americans) to be the supreme law of the United States. The original constitutional wording of “all men” was amended allowing women to vote in 1920.
If the Founding Fathers had been executed and their coalition fell apart in 1776, there would be no Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics or Jewish houses of worship in the USA today. All of us would be forced to join the Anglican Church and severely punished for practicing any other religion.
Politicians like Trump do this ambiguous language today. Trump built a partial wall on the border that anyone could cut through with tools purchased from Home Depot, but the photographs really misled voters. It’s what politicians do.
In 1776 the only bullying of the American colonies was to get them to help pay for defending them. The colonists, an ungrateful lot, decided in 1776 that they had a good chance to avoid that debt.
Tell me, how many religions are in Canada? India? Other former British colonies? If Britain crushed other religions in their colonies, there should be 2 Billion Anglicans. How many Anglicans are there?
In January 2026, CBP encountered 34,626 illegal aliens crossing our borders at and between ports of entry nationwide—a 13% increase from December 2025, but a 58% decrease from January 2025. Nationwide encounters averaged 1,117 per day, 58% lower than the 2,628 daily average from January 2025.Feb 18, 2026.
I wonder what nation they would prefer. And if they disclose that they certainly should move there.
Great column. Speaking of stolen land, the Dems fail to point out in their support of Hamas, is that Islam reigns almost completely on stolen land, stolen a millennium ago, but definitely swiped from countless indigenous populations. Included are all of North Africa, all of the Eastern Mediterranean, even Iraq, Iran, and Palestine itself. The Dems have a bunch of talking points that aren’t even challenged anymore.
Our Declaration of Independence is the model document for most of the countries most livable countries worldwide. Its why people come here.
Stolen, as in the US Government crafted and agreed to treaties with occupants of the land and then broke pretty much all of them. That is stealing.
Gonna steal it back for your merry band of 70-IQs and Reid Hoffman?
No, not by the chicanery of treaties, but by the threat of death. “Convert or die” is a very convincing argument.
some of these leftist/ communist Who are heading to Congress actually believe that 911 was deserved by us It’s amazing that these same people can get elected in New york of all plaIt What the hell are they thinking about? How could anyone vote in a communist? This is mind-boggling.
25 years later ….
Not surprising this comes from Pennsylvania. I admire Senators McCormick and Fetterman for their unwavering support of our country. What is beyond shocking and a perfect example of what Gad Saad wrote, “Suicidal Empathy,” a Jewish governor, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is anti-America. Can you imagine the fate of Jews if America did not exist?