Tennessee Dem Says Anything Goes In Fight Against ‘Fascist’ GOP: ‘There Is Nothing Off The Table’

Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson (D) escalated his rhetoric this weekend, claiming that Democrats should be prepared to use any means necessary in their battle against Republicans. Speaking on MSNBC with host Ali Velshi, Pearson repeatedly labeled the GOP as “fascists” and “neo-Confederates,” arguing that civility and bipartisanship are relics of the past.

Pearson, who was expelled and later reinstated to the state legislature after leading a disruptive protest inside the Tennessee Capitol, framed the political fight as an existential struggle. “It’s time for America to wake up and put our morals above our manners,” he said. “Now is not the time to engage in trying to play patty-cake with a party that’s been captured by fascists and neo-Confederates.”

He claimed Republicans were intent on building a minority-run oligarchy “between tech oligarchs, White supremacists, and Christian nationalists” — and insisted Democrats had to abandon restraint. “If we’re serious about the threat of fascism, that means there is nothing off the table,” Pearson declared. “We must fight back.”

Velshi, instead of challenging Pearson, endorsed the remarks. “Because you will not be around to fight back if you don’t fight it now,” the MSNBC host replied.

Pearson concluded that history would not judge Democrats by the tactics they used, but by whether they failed to act: “We will be judged not by what we do, but by what we don’t do, to future generations.”

The remarks underscore how far the Democratic Party’s activist wing is willing to go in framing Republicans not as political opponents, but as existential threats — and reflect a growing willingness on the left to justify extreme measures so long as they serve the goal of defeating the GOP.