All eyes are on Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Over the weekend, Senator Manchin published an op-ed citing a dedication to “bipartisan compromise” for his refusal to support the For the People Act (H.R.1/S.1) — a commonsense and popular bill in Congress to protect voting rights and strengthen our democracy.

But here’s the thing:

If a Republican is punching you in the face, it is not “partisan” to block those punches.

And if the Republican Party is jamming through racist, anti-democratic laws in state after state — that are based on their own utterly false claims of election fraud, including the Big Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election, and that even give them the power to unilaterally overturn elections — it is not “partisan” to block those attacks either.

The Republican Party is so fanatical in its pure obstructionism and rank partisanship that Senate Republicans would not even break ranks to overcome a filibuster engineered by Mitch McConnell to stymie an independent commission to investigate the January 6 assault on their own workplace, the U.S. Capitol.

Join us in sending this message to Senator Joe Manchin:

Respectfully, Senator, the Republican Party is waging war against the very foundation of our democracy.

How much “bipartisanship” will there be if Republicans succeed in their current crusade to permanently take control of Congress and the White House — along with dozens of state legislatures and governors’ mansions — through racist voter suppression and partisan gerrymandering?

Whatever value there is in the ever more elusive pursuit of bipartisanship in Congress, it simply must not be elevated above the absolute imperative of preserving democracy itself.

The For the People Act is overwhelmingly popular with everyday Americans, who favor it two-to-one in polls. That’s the bipartisanship and national unity you should be looking at instead of hoping to find agreement from elected officials who have chosen to elevate their narrow, partisan self-interest above civil rights and democracy.

Please continue to search for 10 Republicans who will agree to meaningful reform that addresses the multifaceted crises of our democracy. But if you can’t find them, then America needs you to support the For the People Act and some adjustment to the filibuster.

Add your name.

Thanks for taking action.

For democracy,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

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