Senate tees up vote on Freedom to Vote Act

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By now, you've probably heard about the Renew America Movement's release of a list of "Renewers" that the organization has endorsed in the 2022 elections. (If you missed the news, check out the RAM Chat here ([link removed]) to get up to speed.) This is a new way to think about politics—uniting around and supporting candidates with common principles, as opposed to specific party-line policies, which explains why there are Democrats, Republicans, and independents represented on the list. American democracy as we know it can only survive if there's a shared understanding of fair play and a commitment to putting respect for the process above our desired outcomes. On that note, this week's reader question is: what do you think is the most important quality any prospective candidate can have and why? Let us know what you think by clicking here ([link removed]) . Have a great week! —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

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** The last dance for voting rights
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For a federal bill that protects voting rights? Yes, quite possibly. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is moving to set up a vote on the Freedom to Vote Act this week, likely on Wednesday. The legislation was introduced last month by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration. It would set minimum standards for voting access in all states—including automatic and same-day voter registration, two weeks of early voting, and the establishment of Election Day as a public holiday. It also seeks to protect non-partisan election officials from undue interference. ([link removed])
* — It is a pared-back version of the For the People Act, largely designed to win the vote of Sen. Joe Manchin, a key holdout on the previous version. "I thank Sen. Manchin and the other members who have admirably sought common ground with our Republican colleagues. I hope Republicans now join us in common cause to protect the integrity of our democracy," Schumer said. ([link removed])
*
* — That's extremely unlikely to happen. While the bill has the support of all 50 Democratic senators, it likely doesn't have the 60 votes it needs to overcome a guaranteed Republican filibuster. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised that the measure "will go nowhere," labeling it a "partisan power grab" and the product of "far-left hysteria about our democracy." ([link removed])
*
* — Some have suggested a carve-out to the filibuster for voting rights. Schumer has said the bill is necessary to "right the ship of our democracy and establish common-sense national standards to give fair access to our democracy to all Americans"—and thus critical enough to temporarily suspend the filibuster. But Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, despite supporting the bill, want to keep the 60-vote rule. —NBC News ([link removed])

MORE: House Democrats urge Senate colleagues to pass voting rights bill this week —CNN ([link removed])


** Blow: Why voting rights are the top priority
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"With Trump once again in the White House, a Republican Congress would be able to federalize voter suppression. (If they found themselves in the position the Democrats do now, they wouldn't bat an eye at eliminating the filibuster to have their way.) Republican groups are already working to draft legislation so that they have it ready to introduce in Congress if Trump is elected. Brooke Rollins, the president of the America First Policy Institute and a former policy director in the Trump White House, recently told Politico that 'if we do our job right, we will have a package of model legislation' to bring federal policy in line with restrictive states'." —Charles Blow in ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

Charles Blow is an opinion columnist at
The New York Times.

MORE: Fred Hiatt: How a lie becomes respectable, step by cowardly step —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** Colin Powell dies
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Colin Powell, the first Black U.S. secretary of state, passed away this morning from complications of COVID-19. Though he was fully vaccinated, Powell had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells; the immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus, even when vaccinated. Powell's career took him from combat duty in Vietnam to becoming the first Black national security adviser during Ronald Reagan's presidency and the youngest and first Black chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush. He served as secretary of state under former President George W. Bush, who said in a statement that Powell was "such a favorite of presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom—twice. He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend." RIP, Gen. Powell. —CNN ([link removed])

MORE: Fauci says FDA data shows J&J vaccine should have been two shots —The Hill ([link removed])


** Ditching climate agenda is linchpin to Manchin's vote
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Negotiations among Democrats in Congress will drag on again this week over President Biden's Build Back Better agenda. The president has already conceded that the $3.5 trillion target is unattainable, but he expects the legislation to pass—eventually—with a lower price tag. At issue are the bill's clean electricity provisions, aimed at rapidly replacing the nation's coal- and gas-fired power plants with wind, solar, and nuclear energy. Sen. Joe Manchin, one of the two Senate Democrats, along with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, opposed to the reconciliation bill in its current form, has strongly objected to the climate provisions. No surprise there, since he hails from coal-rich West Virginia. To earn Manchin's vote, White House staffers are rewriting the legislation without the clean energy initiatives. Stay tuned. — ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

MORE: Manchin slams Sanders over infrastructure op-ed in West Virginia paper —Insider ([link removed])
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** FT Ed Board: A UK murder with global implications
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"This is not unique to Britain. Many will recall the attempted murder of the U.S. congresswoman Gabby Giffords at a 'Congress on your corner' event in 2011. … The killing [of British Member of Parliament David Amess] reminds us of a second point, which is the abuse politicians direct at each other. While there is nothing to suggest it is relevant to this case—which is being treated as a terrorist incident—the venomous language used by too many MPs in recent years has heightened the climate of abuse and fear. … [I]n the current climate of intense polarization, such hyperbolic language—the Twitterization of debate—contributes to an atmosphere which leaves MPs feeling less safe. MPs ought to be able to disagree without inflammatory abuse. Perhaps the most useful tribute to Amess, who conducted his politics with a smile on his face, would be for politicians on all sides to work harder to dial down the rhetoric of rage." —Financial Times
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MORE: Sir David Amess stabbing: What we know so far —BBC News ([link removed])


** Focus on the insurrection
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This could be some must-see TV. During a podcast interview, Rep. Adam Schiff, a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, suggested that the panel could potentially subpoena ex-President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. "No one is off the table," Schiff said. "We'll determine what went wrong in the lead-up to Jan. 6, and we're going to find out who was involved and who was knowledgeable and what roles they played in the planning, what expectation they had of violence, and what the former president was doing." —RawStory ([link removed])
* — "His street cred went up." As the committee now struggles to enforce witness subpoenas—and with all but a few members of the GOP dismissing the investigation as a partisan exercise—it's easy to forget that in the first few hours and days after the insurrection, accountability for state lawmakers who attended the event seemed all but assured. But rather than being shamed out of office, many of those who participated not only avoided pushback from party leaders in their state, but instead grew their political platform and online following by continuing to spread lies about election fraud. Ugh. —Politico ([link removed])
*
* — "I'm a Capitol Police officer who agrees with your political stance…" Michael Angelo Riley, a 25-year veteran of the Capitol Police, won't be quite so lucky. He was arrested on Friday for allegedly encouraging a suspect in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to hide evidence of their involvement in the attack. He is facing two counts of obstruction of justice, and has been placed on administrative leave while the case is ongoing. —NPR ([link removed])

1. — "Democracy survived." Officer Riley notwithstanding, President Biden paid tribute on Saturday to law enforcement officers, particularly those killed in the line of duty and those who fought off the insurrection, at the 40th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service. Standing where the violent mob tried to block his own ascension to the presidency, Biden singled out the 150 officers who were injured and the five who died in the attack's aftermath. "Nine months ago, your brothers and sisters thwarted an unconstitutional and fundamentally un-American attack on our nation's values and our votes," Biden said. "Because of you, democracy survived." —Associated Press ([link removed])

MORE: Democrats are ready to send Steve Bannon to jail —The Atlantic ([link removed])


** Lewis: The media can help—or hurt—democracy
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"[Sen. Mitt] Romney's loss [in 2012] convinced many conservatives that nice guys can't win and they they needed a fighter to take on the left and the media—which is no small part of the story of how the party ended up with Trump. Collectively, these incidents have eroded trust in the media as an institution, persuaded millions of Americans to tune out mainstream media elites and outlets (and tune into alternative outlets), and empowered bad political actors who want to exploit this lack of trust for political gain." —Matt Lewis in ([link removed]) The Daily Beast ([link removed])

Matt Lewis is a senior columnist at
The Daily Beast and the author of "Too Dumb to Fail."

MORE: 'More reporting:' How journalists should cover threats to democracy —CNN ([link removed])

Bravo, Michael Carin! —Anna K., Washington

Mr. Carin is very wrong about Sen. Romney. I personally have been wrestling with the decision to remain a Republican or register as an independent or something else. At the present time, a voter loses an important right to participate in the primary elections if not a member of one of the two major political parties. Another reason I find it important to remain with the Republican Party is that I believe the basic principles of the party remain important, and the party should be salvaged, if possible.

To call Sen. Romney a milquetoast because you disagree with his position is not admirable. This man has shown his strong character through some challenging criticism by members of his own party and has faced up well. —Robert R., Arizona
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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