| Friend, Last month, Dianne Feinstein said that she would only support ending the filibuster "if democracy were in jeopardy … and I don't see it being in jeopardy right now."(1) Unbelievable. But now, after months of relentless grassroots pressure, Sen. Feinstein's support for the filibuster is starting to weaken. As she told the Sacramento Bee, she is reconsidering her position on ending the filibuster.(2) This is one more indication that the calls, protests, billboards, and letters are having an impact. But with Republican state legislatures passing the most sweeping attack on voting rights since Jim Crow, we need action NOW. We're printing up thousands of posters to paste all over Sen. Feinstein's hometown of San Francisco, demanding that she step up for voting rights and end the filibuster, or step down. Will you chip in? Yes, I'll donate $5 to help demand that Dianne Feinstein end the filibuster. The GOP has passed 20 voter-suppression laws in 14 states around the country -- all aimed at ensuring that fewer people of color and indigenous people can vote -- and literally hundreds of more potential laws are in the hopper. We desperately need to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to stop these power grabs. But the GOP will not "compromise" on legislation they view as a threat to their ability to ever win power: because if more people vote, they can't win. Unless Democrats end the filibuster, it will require 60 votes to pass any voting-rights bill. Currently there are only 50 Democrats in the Senate, and not one Republican, let alone 10, will support these voting rights bills. We can only do it if all 50 Democrats, plus Vice President Kamala Harris, vote to end the filibuster. Maybe it's all starting to sink in for Dianne Feinstein. The filibuster allows a small number of white, mostly male senators -- representing a small number of mostly white people -- to block wildly popular legislation that will help every single person in America. It's true of voting-rights legislation. It's true of climate-change action, gun control, raising the minimum wage, and so much more. That's why California's other U.S. senator, Alex Padilla, wants to end the filibuster. That's why California voters do, too. And it's part of why Dianne Feinstein is deeply unpopular in the state, with an approval rating of just 35%. Courage and other groups have been raising the heat on Sen. Feinstein, with high-profile newspaper articles, protests, and more. And we're starting to make headway. But we're running out of time to pass voting rights and other critical progressive priorities, and we need Feinstein to ACT -- not just "think" and release press statements that we have to read like tea leaves. We're printing up posters and distributing PDFs that people can print on their own -- to send a clear message to Sen. Dianne Feinstein: Step up or step down. Will you chip in to help turn up the heat and demand that Dianne Feinstein end the filibuster? Yours in the fight for democracy, Molly, along with Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Irene, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team) P.S. Courage California is fighting for equity and justice across the state and country. Will you become a monthly donor and help sustain our work? Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more progressive California and country. Follow us now on Facebook or Twitter! Footnotes:  |
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