John, the Senate filibuster -- and any elected official who still defends it -- is putting our democracy in grave danger.
Let me explain.
Right now, more than 400 voter suppression bills have been introduced at the state level -- many targeting Black and Brown voters in states like Texas and Georgia.
At the same time, politicians are gearing up to draw gerrymandered maps rigged for their own partisan advantage. And much of this anti-democracy manipulation is backed by big-spending special interests pouring in millions of dollars -- often in secret.
BEWARE. If the 2022 midterm elections are held under these conditions, millions of eligible Americans will be cut out. This easily -- and quite deliberately -- clears a path back to power for the anti-democracy, conspiracy-peddling forces led by former President Donald Trump.
THE GOOD NEWS: 50 senators are now on the record and ready to solve these problems by passing the For the People Act
THE BAD NEWS: These 50 votes mean little unless we fix the filibuster. You see, if we don’t, Senate Republicans will use it to block not only this groundbreaking anti-corruption legislation, but also climate action, workers’ rights, and other legislation to fight inequities.
Those are the stakes we’re up against. So long as Mitch McConnell is allowed to hold our nation’s priorities hostage by abusing the Senate’s rules, our government can do next to nothing.
That’s why it’s time to draw a line in the sand -- and increase our massive public pressure on senators like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who are still defending McConnell’s ability to shut down our government.
And, it also means that President Biden must back up his words with action. The President correctly claims that passing the For the People Act is a “national imperative” and “the test of our time.” If he is truly serious about that -- and it’s a gravely serious matter -- he must use the full weight of his presidency to end the filibuster, instead of sacrificing his entire agenda in order to protect it.
We have just a few short weeks to act -- here’s how we’ll get it done:
- Every day, Common Cause volunteers are calling thousands of voters in states like West Virginia, Arizona, and elsewhere -- connecting them directly to their senators to make sure they know their constituents are looking to them to save our democracy.
- We’re also organizing on the ground. Just this week, we delivered a letter from 500 Arizona small businesses to Sen. Sinema, and later today, we’ll be holding up signs and chanting outside of President Biden’s speech in Virginia urging him to take a bold stand.
- Plus, we’ve joined a nationwide public outreach effort -- including dozens of vigils this past Saturday to honor Rep. John Lewis and demand the Senate carry his legacy forward -- to make sure every American understands the stakes and the costs of inaction.
I’ve heard directly from key Senate offices that our strategy is working. And, Majority Leader Schumer has publicly committed to bringing voting rights legislation up for another vote -- after our summer of mobilization puts massive pressure on key senators in their home states.
But if we don’t act quickly, this once-in-a-generation opportunity will slip through our fingers.
I don’t want to hand our democracy over to the vote suppressors -- and if you don’t either, I need your immediate help to fuel Common Cause’s response.
Your immediate support for our Emergency Mobilization will help ensure we see this through to the end. If you believe, as I do, that this moment demands we give it our all, I hope you will rush your contribution of $3 or more today.
The next few weeks will quite literally determine what sort of democracy you and I leave for the next generation. Our action will determine whether every American -- or only a privileged few -- has a meaningful say in the decisions that affect us all.
That’s why I believe that failure is not an option -- and why I am so glad to know I can count on your immediate action right now.
Thanks for all you do,
Jesse Littlewood, Vice President for Campaigns
and the team at Common Cause
