As you have probably come to learn, Glenn is particularly excited about this year’s crop of primary candidates. From Matt Bevin in Kentucky to Greg Brannon in North Carolina, Lee Bright in South Carolina to Chris McDaniel in Mississippi, there is a strong group of constitutionally minded candidates that could make a real impact.
On radio this morning, another one of those candidates, Igor Birman, who is running for Congress in California’s 7th Congressional District, joined Glenn to discuss his family’s journey from the Soviet Union to the United States and why he has chosen to run.
Birman has already received endorsements from FreedomWorks and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), and Glenn began the interview by asking Birman what the American Dream means to him.
“Well, I'm living it. I watched my parents not only struggle and risk their lives to flee the Soviet Union, but come here with absolutely nothing – no house, no jobs, no leads – and they flourished,” he explained. “Five years after they came here, they were homeowners. And I flourished because I became an attorney and I became a chief of staff to Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA). I came from absolutely nothing. And that's only possible in America – no place else in the world.”
Like Glenn, Birman appeared at FreePAC Kentucky last weekend, and in his speech he explained how he couldn’t help but find similarities between life in the Soviet Union and life in Obama’s America. Birman also warned about an “increasingly fast transfer” of rights from the individual to the government.
“It's the increasingly fast transfer of our most basic, most intimate decisions, from we the people to we the government,” Birman said. “At some point we're going to come to a very important moment where government is going to be making… a large portion of our day-to-day decisions – from the cradle to the grave – where we're in danger of losing our freedom. And that's why I'm running for Congress. I know that going down that road does not end well.”
In too many cases, there is little to no distinction between the Democrat and Republican Parties. In order to reverse that trend, it will be necessary to elect courageous individuals who are willing to stand up for what they believe in.
“Well, it's scary stuff… So many in Washington, D.C. have lost their courage. And this election is probably the brightest contrast between a constitutional conservative and a most liberal Republican running for office in America today,” Birman said. “I think the results are going to be very, very telling about not just the direction of the Republican Party but the direction of America. If we fail to elect leaders who believe in the Constitution, it's going to be tough to recover our freedoms.”
Watching his family fight so hard for freedom, Birman has a unique understanding as to the level of commitment and determination the battle to restore this country will require.
“[W]e can only claim freedom as our future if we fight for it. And I was inspired thoroughly by my parents because I watched them fight for freedom from beyond the Iron Curtain against all odds. And they succeeded,” he said. “I watched my grandmother, who lived almost 70 years under the Iron Curtain, fight for it. She became fully blind in both eyes at the age of 83 wanting nothing more than to become an American citizen. And she did it. She did it by listening to this old black tape player on which my dad had recorded questions and answers to the naturalization exam. And then she went and she passed it with flying colors because as she said she wanted to die an American.”
“It only occurred to me when I went to work for Congressman Tom McClintock just how close the oath of a new citizen is to an oath of a new Congressman,” he continued. “Both oaths reflect on supporting and defending the Constitution. How little does that oath mean to so many in Congress? And how much does that oath mean to a new citizen?”
Glenn encouraged his listeners to consider supporting the candidates who are willing to stand for the values and principles that matter most.
"Igor Birman is running for Congress in California's 7th Dstrict. He needs your help. If he sounds like somebody that you can support, I want you to go to IgorBirman.com and donate,” Glenn concluded. “These are the guys we prayed for. These are the guys we begged for. They're here. If they don't get in, it is on our shoulders. We have to do whatever it is we can do.”
Learn more about Birman’s campaign HERE.
