This week, the Senate held a pivotal hearing on the For the People Act — the most sweeping, transformative democracy reform in generations (which the House passed earlier this month).
To the surprise of exactly no one, Senator Ted Cruz chimed in absurdly:
“This bill is the single most dangerous bill this committee has ever considered. This bill is designed to corrupt the election process permanently, and it is a brazen and shameless power grab by Democrats. That the number one priority is not COVID or getting people back to work or getting kids back in school. It’s keeping Democrats in power for 100 years.”
First, Congress did make COVID a priority and already passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Maybe Senator Cruz forgot because he — along with every other Republican in both the House and the Senate — did not vote for it.
Second, think about what Ted Cruz is really saying here.
Ted Cruz is saying that if we had true democracy — where we make it easy for eligible voters to, you know, actually vote — Republicans would basically never win another election.
And rather than trying to appeal to more Americans, the Republican Party is trying to retain a grip on power by essentially opposing the very concept of democracy — by making it harder, not easier, for Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
In fact, Republican legislators are pushing more than 250 voter-suppression bills in 43 states.
That’s why the For the People Act (a.k.a. H.R.1/S.1) is so critical. If passed, it would:
- Protect voting rights and uphold the ideal of “one person, one vote.”
- Take steps to mitigate the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United ruling.
- Limit secret political spending (a.k.a. “dark money”).
- Tackle partisan and racist gerrymandering.
- Give everyday Americans a fighting chance at running for office through a public financing system funded by penalties on corporate wrongdoers.
- Improve election security.
- Clean up the ethics free-for-all in Washington, D.C.
- Prevent foreign interference in our elections.
- Confront the corrupting influence of billionaire and Big Business money in politics.
Tell the 99 senators who aren’t Ted Cruz:
Pass the For the People Act (S.1) or go down in history as *with* Ted Cruz and *against* democracy.
Add your name.
Thanks for taking action.
For democracy,
- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
P.S. For half a century, Public Citizen has been advancing policies that put the needs of everyday Americans before the greed of billionaires and Big Business. That legacy of progress and that ongoing work could not matter more right now, as our nation transitions to a Joe Biden presidency that will be as progressive as we — you and Public Citizen, together — make it. We’re also busy undoing all the damage Trump did. And, like so many nonprofits and small businesses, we continue to experience financial strain related to the coronavirus pandemic. If you can, please make an emergency donation today to support the critical work we’re doing together or even join our popular Monthly Giving program. Thank you.
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