| Friend, It was no surprise that 43 Republican senators voted to acquit Donald Trump this past weekend. What was a surprise is that the House managers agreed to not call a witness who had proof that Trump refused to call off the insurrectionists in the January 6 attack. We now know that Senate Republicans threatened to use the filibuster to hold up Joe Biden’s entire agenda if House managers called any witnesses.(1) Senate Republicans are using a Civil War–era rule to block the legislation that the American people so desperately need, like COVID relief and the $15 minimum wage. But Senator Dianne Feinstein won’t agree to vote to end the filibuster. It's time to turn up the heat. Here’s what happened: Last Friday, Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler revealed a conversation she'd had with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, in which McCarthy asked Trump to call off the insurrectionists and Trump refused. The House managers tried to call witnesses of that conversation, but then withdrew the request and went straight to a vote.(2) The New York Times revealed that Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham and Joni Ernst, threatened to drag out the trial and block the Senate’s work if the witnesses were called. Ernst said, “They won’t get their noms, they won’t get anything.”(3) The GOP knew how desperately people need COVID-19 relief legislation to pass, so they used it to help Trump. This is the Republican Party the Senate is working with -- they’d harm the American people in order to protect the man who caused an attack on the seat of government. And Sen. Feinstein needs to come to terms with that, right now. Feinstein has been pretty happy lately to place her relationships with Senate Republicans above the people of California she represents. Last fall, when Republicans rushed through the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett over the will of the people, Feinstein praised Lindsey Graham for his “leadership” in “one of the best set of hearings I’ve participated in.”(4) And in January, she defended Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley after they led objections to certifying the election results.(5) Feinstein is more interested in protecting the rules of the Senate as she’s known them for more than 30 years than she is stopping Mitch McConnell from blocking COVID-19 relief for millions of Americans. And Feinstein’s refusal to end the filibuster is allowing Democratic senators from Trump states, like Joe Manchin from West Virginia, to avoid the filibuster question altogether. As long as an entrenched Democrat like Feinstein is protecting the rule, there won’t be the political pressure needed to flip Manchin. Nearly 1 in 3 Californians disapprove of the job Feinstein is doing, the worst approval rating she’s ever had. But she has filed to run again, and we’re in the perfect position to pressure her to end the filibuster. We’re collecting signatures and working with a national coalition to stop the filibuster and finally pass the bills the Senate has been holding up. Will you donate to Courage California today? Yours in the fight for our democracy, Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Deepthi, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Molly, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team) Footnotes:  |
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