The real opponent here is the political system that privileges corporate interests and the status quo.
John,
Yesterday, the GOP used the filibuster to block HR 1, or the For The People Act — a bill that would secure historic voting rights protections at a time when Republicans across the country pass voter suppression laws.
It wasn’t until yesterday, though, until President Biden finally began to amplify his support with advocacy for HR 1 after months of urging from myself and my progressive colleagues:
So when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki suggests that my calls for action to the President are “a fight against the wrong opponent” — particularly in light of yesterday’s news — I can’t help but be a bit frustrated, John.
President Biden is not my opponent. The White House is not my opponent. The real opponent here is the political system that privileges corporate interests and the status quo. I’ll continue to do my part to hold anyone who impedes on our progress accountable, whether that be Senator Joe Manchin, the Biden administration, or another institution that prevents progress.
If we don’t continue to hold leaders like President Biden accountable — if we operate under the fear of going up against “the wrong opponent” — we will never achieve the much-needed progress that we’ve been elected to deliver.
John, yesterday’s blocking of the For The People Act is just the start if we don’t do something about ending the filibuster now. We must end the filibuster, and put an end to the attacks on our democracy from the Republican Party and the political establishment.
The political establishment will always use the filibuster to shamelessly block progress. With the filibuster in place, our Democratic majority won’t be able to pass the critical reforms needed at this moment — whether that be a Green New Deal, the PRO Act, or Medicare for All.
It’s not lost on me that we were elected to deliver results for the people, John. As elected officials, we have a firm responsibility to bring the much-needed change our constituents voted us in to execute — and if we do not deliver this change now, our party will lose upcoming elections.
John, no matter what the White House or anyone else might say, I’m going to do the job that I was elected to do. I’ll never stop fighting for our progressive agenda, and I’m going to continue calling out all those who refuse to do the right thing for our future.
