A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
[link removed]
***********************

People For Member,

As we spend today honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s
members of the U.S. Senate who need to be thinking long and hard about
their own future legacies.

That’s because senators are being called on to meet this historic moment,
when our democracy itself hangs in the balance, by affirming their
commitment to free and fair elections and the right to vote.

Earlier this week, I traveled to Atlanta to watch President Biden and Vice
President Harris embrace Dr. King’s legacy and history – in fact, the
legacy and history of the entire civil rights movement.

The president chose Morehouse College, Dr. King’s alma mater, as the venue
for his powerful speech challenging U.S. senators to be on the right side
of history by doing whatever it takes to pass urgently needed voting
rights legislation. Morehouse is also in the district represented by the
late John Lewis. Before the speech, the president and vice president
visited Dr. King’s church.

In his speech, President Biden asked senators – and every elected official
in America – how they want to be remembered… reminding them that
consequential moments in history like the one we’re in right now present a
clear choice:

“Do you want to be on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want
to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the
side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?”

The Senate plans to take up the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act this
week. The bill combines the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting
Rights Advancement Act, which have languished in the Senate for months
thanks to Republicans’ stubborn opposition and their abuse of the
filibuster rule. President Biden used his speech to urge a carveout to the
filibuster to allow these bills to proceed and pass, and this new bill
will be the legislative vehicle that Senate Democrats use to push that
rule change.

As we prepare for this intense week of action in the Senate, we’ve seen
much newspaper ink and talking head commentary these past few days
dedicated to the intractability of certain Democratic senators who are
clinging to a misguided view of Senate rules. Many of the headlines have
been bleak.

I’m telling you, right now, that this fight is not over.

It wasn’t long ago that the Biden administration was also opposed to
changing or doing away with the filibuster in order to protect voting
rights. But this past week, some of us who were in the front row for the
president’s speech had just a few weeks earlier been getting arrested
outside the White House in acts of civil disobedience aimed at getting the
president to put the full power of the presidency behind this fight. Then
we were invited to Atlanta to witness the president announce that he was
meeting that very demand. We succeeded in that goal and we can succeed
with the holdout Democratic senators as well.

Joe Manchin is famous for changing his position on numerous issues. He was
staunchly opposed to the For the People Act, then joined with colleagues
to co-author the Freedom to Vote Act – For the People 2.0, which keeps
intact most of the original bill’s major provisions.

And it should not be lost on Senator Sinema that her state was the very
last state in the nation to formally recognize today’s Martin Luther King
Day holiday. In a way, it’s almost fitting that she perhaps will be the
last senator to recognize – and act on – the urgency of removing the
filibuster as an obstacle to protecting the vote and saving our democracy.

We’re not backing down. And with your support we’ve been keeping up the
pressure through the weekend and will continue to do so throughout the
week.

I hope that Dr. King, and, for that matter, Congressman Lewis, are proud
of how we’ve carried on their tradition of nonviolent direct action in our
fight to protect the vote and defend democracy. And just as they stood on
the right side of history, I’m optimistic that enough senators – with
continued pressure – will heed the president’s words and choose to stand
on the right side of history as well. The survival of our democracy
depends on it.

Thank you, so much, for everything you do and for continuing to work with
us to bend that arc of history towards justice.

Sincerely,

Ben Jealous, President

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ [link removed] ]donate:

 

 

 

 

 

 


***********************

Do not reply directly to this e-mail. Please use [email protected].

Trouble viewing the email?
VIEW AS WEB PAGE:
[link removed]

This email was sent to [email protected]. Reaching you over email
is the best way we have to let you know about the ways you can take
action to fight the Right Wing and defend our constitutional rights
and values. If you have any thoughts, comments, or criticisms, or if
there's a better email address at which to reach you, please
let us know. If you'd like to unsubscribe from our list, you
can do that here:

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
. But know that if you leave, it will be harder for you to stay involved with People For the American Way and continue our
crucial work. PFAW is able to win policy battles and elections, and
counter the Right's extremism and hate, because of dedicated
activists like you, and we're always eager to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for your support.

[link removed]

CONTACT:
[link removed]

PRIVACY POLICY:
[link removed]

FACEBOOK:
[link removed]

TWITTER:
[link removed]

YOUTUBE:
[link removed]

1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC xxxxxx-5002,
202-467-4999

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]