In new Democratic Congress, Raskin poised for bigger role.
'The crowd began to march and shout as it moved down 16th Street in Washington, D.C., a cluster of federal workers and union organizers protesting the partial government shutdown that was then about to head into its fourth week.
In the front ranks of the march, among the labor leaders and fellow politicians, Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 8) joined in the chants urging President Donald Trump to work with congressional Democrats to end the stand-off and send federal employees back to work.
You could say activism comes naturally to Raskin.
Some of his earliest memories are of playing tic-tac-toe with his older sister in a Boston courtroom where their father was on trial for conspiracy charges for activities related to his opposition to the Vietnam War, for counseling young men to avoid the military draft.
But the shutdown issue has a practical component for Raskin as well: the 8th District, which includes parts of Frederick County, has the second-highest number of federal employees in the country.
“It’s a profoundly demoralizing and damaging thing for my constituents,” he said of the shutdown.
Raskin’s support of labor, gun control, the environment and other progressive causes has made him a favorite of national progressive activists and organizations, but he may be poised to take on an even larger role.'>>>
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