Dear People For Supporter, Last night in a CNN Town Hall, President Biden finally indicated a willingness to reform Senate filibuster rules over voting rights -- saying, "...We're going to have to move to the point where we fundamentally alter the filibuster." This is EXACTLY the progress we’ve been demanding with our escalating series of direct actions at the White House. It shows that we’re getting the president’s attention and our efforts are working. More than that, it shows WE CAN WIN! But these are still words. We need them to turn into action. We’re running out of time and need to keep escalating, keep accelerating, and keep the pressure on both the White House and senators to work together to safeguard our sacred right to vote. We’re already planning our next big civil disobedience event at the White House for November 3rd -- and we’re going to keep up the pressure until our sacred American voting rights are fully secured against the wave of voter suppression bills still surging through Republican-controlled state legislatures these days. We hope you’ll stand with us by donating today. Thank you and let’s keep fighting, -- Ben Jealous, President ----[previous message]---- Dear People For Supporter, We’ve arrived at a watershed moment for voting rights, and you and I are right in the middle of it. Just moments ago, Republicans voted against even allowing a debate on the Freedom to Vote Act. We always knew they would do this, and we always knew what we need to do next: get the White House to push this Act over the finish line, whatever it takes. Fortunately, the pressure we’ve been applying together is having a significant effect already. When asked yesterday about the Freedom to Vote Act, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that ... "If Republicans cannot come forward and stop standing in the way ... then Democrats are going to have to determine an alternative path forward." And then in response to a follow-up question she said that "... the President is committed to getting voting rights done."[1] That "alternative path" is code for fixing the filibuster, and that word choice shows movement on the White House’s public posture as a direct result of our efforts. Your pressure is working -- but we also need your financial help to see this fight through. People For is one of the leading organizations pushing to enshrine our fundamental right to vote into law -- with petitions, calls, and a series of civil disobedience actions in front of the White House. We’re NOT planning to give up this fight... but as a grassroots-funded nonprofit organization, we depend on contributions from people like you to keep our work going. So we ask – will you chip in a contribution today to support our work? We’re fighting so hard on this issue because without the fundamental right to vote, we really don’t have a democracy here in America anymore. As you’re probably aware, Republican-controlled legislatures have passed dozens of new laws restricting the right to vote in recent months, nearly all of which seem designed to suppress votes from communities of color and other groups less likely to vote for Republicans. Federal legislation is the only practical solution to this widespread problem, so People For has been on the front lines of this fight since day one. But we can’t do this work without your support. We’ll put your donation to work immediately in our fight to push the Freedom to Vote Act through the Senate, including (if necessary) our next big civil disobedience action at the White House on November 3. Thanks for being in this fight with us, -- Ben Jealous, President
Sources: 1. Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, WhiteHouse.gov, 9/1/21
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