The United States Senate calls itself a great “democratic” institution. But here’s the rub. Under the current Senate rules, if you get a vote of 59 to 0, ZERO can win.
Yes, that’s right. This bizarre and undemocratic result is the way the Senate filibuster rule operates. Unless a bill has a clear budget nexus, forty-one of the one hundred senators can prevent the legislation from moving forward. And they don’t even have to show up to stop it!
That’s why last week Mitch McConnell and the Republicans defeated the bill to establish a 1/6 Commission even though they mustered only 35 votes against it. Fifty-four senators voted for the Commission but, under the rules of the Senate, the 35 who opposed it won. In fact, they would have won even if none of those 35 had even shown up.
These results reveal the ridiculous nature of the filibuster rule. It is an inherently undemocratic rule that is being used by Senate Republicans, who represent a minority of the American people, to impose their will on the overwhelming majority of the American people.
And, in a horrible twist of irony, Mitch McConnell and the Republicans intend to use this same undemocratic rule to block legislation that is absolutely necessary to protect our democracy — the For the People Act .
We MUST act. Add your name to our petition if you agree we can’t let an antiquated Senate rule like the filibuster stand in the way of protecting our democracy and passing the For The People Act >> [[link removed]]
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I won’t sugarcoat this. It’s going to take sustained and significant grassroots pressure to get rid of the filibuster and pass the For The People Act.
Your voice and engagement counts:
Sign our petition if you agree that it’s time to eliminate the filibuster to enable our government to do the people’s work including, most importantly, protecting our democracy and passing the For The People Act >> [[link removed]]
SIGN NOW [[link removed]]
Thank you for being part of this fight,
Chris
Paid for by Van Hollen for Senate
Van Hollen for Senate | 10605 Concord Street, Suite 202 | Kensington, MD, 20895
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