People For Member,
We lost a battle – for now – to change the Senate filibuster in order to pass voting rights legislation. It’s a tough loss.
Remember, however, that it’s a setback, not the end of our fight. History is on our side and, while federal legislation was always the quickest and most comprehensive way to shore up voting rights and secure our democracy, there are still many things we can do in the days to come to protect the right to vote and ensure the survival of our democracy.
Before I get into the path ahead, let me first say THANK YOU for your part in the movement we built over the past few years.
Because of our movement and our tenacious organizing, we lost last night by a mere TWO VOTES in the Senate. And until fairly recently, the number of Senate Democrats opposed to changing or doing away with the filibuster to pass voting rights was not limited to Sens. Manchin and Sinema. There were perhaps a dozen Democratic senators whose opposition was less vocal who we were able to win over in the end. And up until a few short weeks ago, the Biden administration did not support the rule change, but we succeeded in enlisting the full energy of the White House in our fight.
We also permeated the culture in profound ways – even getting influential voices in professional sports to weigh in on the need to protect voting rights. NFL team owners were sending letters to Sen. Manchin urging him to do what was necessary to pass voting rights legislation. On MLK Day, NBA play-by-play announcers were calling for passage of the voting rights bills to combat state-level voter suppression.
It’s important to remember that the filibuster’s unsavory history of blocking anti-lynching and civil rights legislation wasn’t the end of the story for those laws. The movements persisted and those bills eventually passed. The filibuster delayed but did not defeat the long arc of the moral universe bending towards justice.
Now that we’ve built this incredible national movement, it’s our job to make sure we preserve its energy and focus it on the fights we still can win.
So, what’s next...
First and foremost, we need to realize that the best antidote to voter suppression is massive voter turnout. With your continued support, People For’s nonpartisan Defend the Black Vote program will aim to increase turnout among the very group most aggressively targeted for disenfranchisement by the Far Right.
On the electoral side, we need to use this election year to expand the Democratic Senate majority and reduce the power of those two holdout senators. Some of our most important electoral efforts this year will focus on protecting the few vulnerable Democrats – most notably Rev. Raphael Warnock, who is also one of our most powerful voices for voting rights and the need to defend democracy – and picking up crucial seats in states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If we achieve a net gain of just two seats in the Senate, that will effectively neutralize Manchin and Sinema’s misguided obstruction.
We need to continue the push for democracy-strengthening reforms – state laws expanding voter access and, where appropriate, passage of the National Popular Vote interstate compact. And we need to support efforts to elect progressive state officials – especially secretaries of state – who are often the first line of defense against attacks on voting rights and efforts to subvert elections. We know Trump and the Far Right are making a big play to install pro-Trump “vote counters” in these key positions.
And we need to continue our push to maintain fair and independent courts. Dozens of suits by Trump supporters sought to challenge the results of the 2020 election and they were universally rejected by the courts. Just as the Trumpist Right now seeks to replace election officials with corrupt partisan cronies willing to overturn the will of the people, you can bet they’re eager to install judges who will be favorable to their voter suppression schemes and potential challenges to legitimate election results. And, even though it’s more of a long-term effort, we must remain in constant pursuit of the goal of changing the balance of the Supreme Court. Remember it’s the Roberts Court’s far-right majority that gutted the Voting Rights Act not once but twice, laying the groundwork for the voter suppression laws that started flying through Republican-controlled state legislatures even before the 2020 election and Trump’s Big Lie.
There’s so much energy this movement can continue building and, as we saw last night, that’s crucial. The road ahead will be long, but we are on the right side of history. With determination, courage, and smart, innovative strategies, we will prevail. We will defend democracy and preserve the American Way.
Thanks again for all of your work and everything you continue to contribute to this fight.
-- Ben Jealous, President
|
Do not reply directly to this e-mail. Please use [email protected]. Trouble viewing the email? THANK YOU for your support of People For the American Way! 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>> Radical Right extremists are trying to turn back the clock on a century of advances in civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, the social safety net and more… they’re waging an all-out assault on the fundamental pillars of our country – democracy, checks and balances, a fair and independent judicial branch, and core values like fairness, equality, and justice for all. People For is fighting back every day with: ✔ Grassroots organizing But we can’t do this vital work without the robust grassroots financial support of our members and activists.
|
|||
|
