Early this morning, Senate Republicans invoked the filibuster — three times, no less — to stall bills that would counteract the most sustained attacks on our democracy in half a century.

• First, Senate Republicans filibustered the entire For the People Act (a.k.a. H.R.1/S.1) — a commonsense package of protections to safeguard our democracy.

• Then they separately filibustered the DISCLOSE Act, which would end the scourge of secret billionaire and Big Business spending in our elections — even though this “Dark Money” is widely opposed by everyday Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike.

• And then Republicans filibustered another separate proposal that would prevent the extreme partisan and racial gerrymandering that they themselves are using to rig elections in their favor.

Here’s the good news:

Democratic leaders in the Senate intentionally brought these bills to the floor specifically so that Republicans would show their true obstructionist and anti-democratic colors by doing exactly what they did.

Why?

To make it beyond obvious that it is foolhardy to go on expecting Republicans to defend our democracy out of some hope of bipartisanship for its own sake.

Senate Democrats face a very simple choice:

Let Republicans get away with exploiting the filibuster — an outdated procedural tactic that originated by accident and was used for decades to perpetuate white supremacism — and succeed in their all-out offensive to block people of color from voting and to sabotage our democracy.

Or ...

Stand the hell up for democracy by agreeing on a workaround to the filibuster and passing the For the People Act.

Tell every single Senate Democrat:

Your choice is between preserving the filibuster or protecting our democracy. That should be as no-brainer as it gets. Republicans are not going to do the right thing — it’s up to you. Agree on a workaround to the filibuster and pass the For the People Act. Come on!

Add your name.

Thanks for taking action.

For democracy,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. For half a century, Public Citizen has been advancing policies that put the needs of everyday Americans before the greed of billionaires and Big Business. That legacy of progress and that ongoing work could not matter more right now, as our nation transitions to a Joe Biden presidency that will be as progressive as we — you and Public Citizen, together — make it. We’re also busy undoing all the damage Trump did. And, like so many nonprofits and small businesses, we continue to experience financial strain related to the coronavirus pandemic. If you can, please make an emergency donation today to support the critical work we’re doing together or even join our popular Monthly Giving program. Thank you.
 
 
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