Our democracy is in peril.

Republican legislators in 47 states are pushing reactionary, racist voter suppression laws that could leave us with a democracy in name only.

Just yesterday, for example, Arizona’s Trumpist governor signed a bill into law that will make it harder to vote by mail.

At every level — federal, state, and local — Republican lawmakers are essentially attacking the very concept of democracy itself.

All of these retrograde anti-voting laws have one plain and sinister purpose: make voting more difficult for people of color, young people, and others who tend to oppose Republican policies that benefit billionaires and Big Business while keeping the rest of us down.

Two major pieces of legislation in Congress — the For the People Act (a.k.a. H.R.1 / S.1) and the John Lewis Voter Advancement Act — may be our last chance to preserve democracy in the face of this nationwide Republican stampede toward outright authoritarianism.

But, behind closed doors, Mitch McConnell — the top Republican in the Senate — is telling other leaders in his party that stonewalling the For the People Act is his top priority.
And — when it comes to lining up Senate Republicans in opposition to any and all progress — Mitch McConnell is a man of his word.

Which brings us to the filibuster.

The filibuster originated by accident. (The word does not even appear in the Constitution. The Framers, imperfect though they were, never intended for the Senate to be rendered essentially dysfunctional by a minority of its members.)

For many decades, the filibuster was used almost exclusively by segregationist senators to block civil rights legislation.

Then, under McConnell’s “leadership,” Senate Republicans weaponized the filibuster during Barack Obama’s presidency — shamelessly abusing it to kill practically any legislation they didn’t like, even policies that were popular among their own constituents.

So this is our choice:

We can uphold an accidental and once-obscure Senate “rule” that has been exploited primarily to maintain white supremacism and to stonewall popular, progressive legislation.

Or ...

We can end the filibuster so that Mitch McConnell’s obstructionist, two-faced gang of Trumpist senators can’t prevent passage of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voter Advancement Act, among other important bills.

We can’t do both. It just isn’t possible.

Tell Senate Democrats:

Our democracy is in peril. We are counting on you to protect it. That means passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voter Advancement Act. But Mitch McConnell has made it abundantly clear that he will do everything he can to prevent both bills from becoming law. You have the authority to set the filibuster aside in order to advance the commonsense and popular measures needed to defend our democracy from the most profound threats it has faced in generations. Please join together — before it’s too late — to set the filibuster aside so that you can pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voter Advancement Act.

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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