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Dear John,
There have been big new developments in the fight to end the filibuster, and Mitch McConnell is starting to panic.
First, Democrat Joe Manchin came out in favor of restoring the "talking filibuster," which would change the filibuster rule so that Republicans could only block legislation as long as they can actually stand on the floor and talk without taking a break.
Then President Joe Biden announced support for bringing back the talking filibuster as well.
In response, Mitch McConnell lashed out at Democrats by threatening "scorched earth" retribution (as if Mitch McConnell hasn't been engaged in scorched earth tactics all along). McConnell's meltdown shows that he's afraid we're winning. And he should be afraid.
Now's the time we need to keep up the pressure on Democratic holdouts, like Kyrsten Sinema, who haven't yet supported changing or ending the filibuster rule. Will you make a donation to Inequality Media Civic Action and help make sure we have the resources to take on this fight and win? [[link removed]]
Let's be clear: the Senate should get rid of the filibuster completely. As President Obama said, the filibuster is a Jim Crow relic created to defend white supremacy.
But restoring the "talking filibuster" would be a huge step forward by forcing senators who want to block legislation to actually stand on the floor and speak for hours or days on end — making it far harder to obstruct legislation.
If Democrats don't get rid of the filibuster, then we have no chance of passing gun safety legislation, even after this week's tragic shootings in Atlanta. Background checks, clean energy, immigration, infrastructure ... all of it is dead on arrival in the Senate unless Democrats get rid of the filibuster.
And the fight over the filibuster is quickly coming to a head over the issue of voting rights. Republican legislatures in states like Georgia are passing sweeping voter suppression laws and extreme partisan gerrymanders to lock in Republican power, forcing the Senate to decide what they care about more: an arcane Senate procedure or protecting the most fundamental right in our democracy, the right to vote.
Will you donate to help support Inequality Media Civic Action and mobilize our millions of followers across social media to end the filibuster? [[link removed]]
As Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell blocked:
*
The
release
of
the
Mueller
report
*
A
Supreme
Court
nominee
*
Voting
rights
bills
*
Clean
energy
investments
*
Gun
safety
legislation
*
A
$15
minimum
wage
*
Anti-corruption
laws
And now he's threatening total war if Democrats end the filibuster? Please. It's been total war for Mitch McConnell for decades.
Remember, the filibuster is not in the Constitution. It's not even a law. It's a simple Senate rule that can be changed by a simple majority vote, the same way that Mitch McConnell blew up the rules of the Senate to end the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations and steal Merrick Garland's seat for Donald Trump.
If enough of us pressure Senators Sinema, Manchin, and the other holdouts, we can restore majority rule in the Senate, as the framers of the Constitution intended.
Will you make a donation today to help end the filibuster and support all of our urgent work? [[link removed]]
Thank you for helping restore majority rule in the U.S. Senate,
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
*Contributions to IMCA are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
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