Al Green: ‘The unbelievable had become a reality’

Rep. Al Green, a liberal Texas Democrat, recounts election night in his Houston district with an understatement that’s rare in the progressive circles he frequents. 

“We weren’t quite prepared for the way the tally was taking place,” said Green, who spent the evening “traversing” between unnamed watch spots with friends.

{mosads}“Quite frankly, we didn’t expect Florida. … And then things kept sliding in the wrong direction,” he said. “And at some point, we had to realize that it wasn’t to be, that Hillary wasn’t going to be president and that the unbelievable had become a reality.”

Like most Democrats, Green said he was expecting “a great celebration” for the nation’s first female president — a still-mythical event he foresees as “a quantum leap forward … for our country.” 

“It was one of the big disappointments in my life,” Green said. “Because when you’ve had the first African-American president, you assume that the first female president is likely to follow — you just assume that you’re going to have another first. 

“It was an awakening, because I realized that we’ve come a long way, but there’s still a lot left to be done.”

Green, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has become one of Trump’s staunchest congressional antagonists, having introduced articles of impeachment against the president.

Democratic leaders have discouraged talk of impeachment, largely for political reasons. But Green says he’s eyeing something more cosmic: his legacy.

“History won’t be kind to us,” he said.