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The January 6th attack on our Capitol was an unprecedented attack on the peaceful certification of our democratic election results incited by a sitting president in an effort to retain power illegally. It was, to be blunt, an attempted coup. And it will go down in history as a critical juncture for our democracy.
As we learn more about the events leading up to and including that day, it’s clear the outcome was far from certain. Had it not been for the Capitol Hill police and heroes like Officer Goodman, as well as the D.C. police and the National Guard, the certification vote might have been stopped.
It’s an alarming reality that one year later the threat to our democracy has only grown. While the Capitol itself is now more secure, our democracy isn’t. The Republican Party has refused to denounce the Big Lie that fed the attack. Instead, when the coup at the Capitol failed, Republican-controlled state legislatures began passing voter suppression laws across the country that are especially designed to make it more difficult for people of color and younger voters to access the ballot box — and even include provisions that empower partisan officials to overturn the people's vote. These laws represent nothing less than a coordinated attempt to usurp our electoral process and gain undue influence over the outcome of the upcoming 2022 and 2024 elections.
The failure of Republican senators to convict Donald Trump at his impeachment trial for his role in the January 6 attack — and for his failure to use his powers to stop the violence — was unconscionable. But the Republican party's actions since that time may be even more destructive for our future. Over the last year the Republican party, with a handful of exceptions, has overwhelmingly made it clear that going forward they will stand with Donald Trump over our Constitution and the rule of law. Like Trump's compatriot, Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary, whose cruel and authoritarian rule Trump just publicly endorsed again yesterday, they have turned their back on democratic principles.
Never since the civil war has our democracy been in such peril.
That's why this is a moment that calls for decisive action. January is the make or break month for passing two measures critical to protecting our democratic electoral process. Republicans oppose both measures. That is why it is essential that we muster fifty Senate Democratic votes to reform the filibuster rule. The current rule runs contrary to the original vision of the Senate as a place where we have vigorous and long debates, but where a majority vote ultimately prevails. We must reform our filibuster rules to achieve that original intent and protect our democracy. This will require complete unanimity in our Senate Democratic Caucus and we will vote on or before January 17th.
While we survived January 6th, our democracy is still very much at risk. We can't afford to wait in taking action. History is watching and will remember how we responded at this critical juncture.
Onwards,
Chris
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