What is it now? Clue: it’s neither climate change nor Covid , although managing both is also critical for life forward.
Around the world it’s happening from Brazil to Hungary, the United States to Turkey. IT is the loss of democracy. We already know what that’s like from Russia and China, but are we really prepared to let that happen here? Because it is: today, this week, last month, the previous four years.
But now, it’s becoming enshrined in our electoral system. Free and fair elections are what make Democratic Republics work. Without that we have an autocracy, dictatorship, call it what you want. The Republican party is working hard at the state level to ensure that elections for which they don’t like the results can be overturned, no matter what the actual, reliable vote count is. Let that sink in. The people’s votes don’t count unless Republicans win.
The fight about voting rights in states like Texas and Georgia is not only about access to voting. More fundamentally, it is about how votes are counted and how actual results can be ignored. This is the TIPPING Point for a democracy!
The ONLY way to stop this onslaught to our democracy is to get the For the People Act passed! I promise you, right now that is actually, realistically the only way to stop this attempt to slaughter voting, a foundation for democracy. And the only way this bill will pass is to get rid of the filibuster, which is nothing more than a minority being able to prevent legislation!
Watch this, please, for a witty, very possible take on what’s going to happen. Pay attention to the last line that starts: “I hope I scared….” Exactly! www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cR4fXcsu9w
Here is another articulate, well-researched take on the For the People Act from the well-respected, nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.
“Today, we are at an inflection point. The 2020 election produced the largest number of voters in U.S. history, and the highest turnout in over a century.1 At the same time, it produced one of the largest-scale attempts to disenfranchise Americans, especially voters of color, in at least half a century.2 On January 6, 2021, insurrectionists violently stormed the United States Capitol, leading to five deaths. This attempted coup was driven by the racially tinged Big Lie of widespread voter fraud, intended to cast doubt on the validity of many votes cast by voters of color in order to falsely allege the presidential election was stolen. While the claim is baseless, it continues to be used as a justification for the introduction of restrictive state-level voting laws in unprecedented numbers — 389 restrictive bills in 48 states as of May 2021 — many of which target voters of color.3 (bold mine)
1 Domenico Montanaro, “President-Elect Joe Biden Hits 80 Million Votes In Year Of Record Turnout,” NPR, November 25, 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/11/25/937248659/president-elect-biden-hits-80-million-votes-in-year-of-record-turnout; Kevin Schaul, Kate Rabinowitz, and Ted Mellnik, “2020 Turnout is the Highest in Over a Century,” Washington Post, November 5, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/elections/voter-turnout/.
2 See, e.g., Jacob Shamsian, “Trump’s Lawsuits Are Trying to Throw Out Votes in Counties with More Black People — Even When They Played by the Same Election Rules as Predominantly White Ones,” Business Insider, December 14, 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-election-lawsuits-target-black-voters-2020-12.
3 Brennan Center for Justice, “Voting Laws Roundup: May 2021,” May 28, 2021, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-may-2021; Kevin Morris, “Georgia’s Proposed Voting Restrictions Will Harm Black Voters Most,” Brennan Center for Justice, March 6, 2021, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/georgias-proposed-voting-restrictions-will-harm-black-voters-most.
“Equity for the People S.1/H.R.1 and the Fight for an Inclusive Democracy,” by Elizabeth Hira, Julia Boland, and Julia Kirschenbaum, June 17, 2021; Brenan Center for Justice.
I’ve written an entire post about the filibuster, which I researched extensively. It’s called “Filibuster: What’s the Point” and was published on July 1, 2021. Here’s a brief excerpt, but for an interesting history and use of it, I suggest reading the entire post. “We elect Senators to go to Washington to conduct the business of thoughtful legislation that represents our (their constituents) interests. The filibuster prevents the work of the Senate from taking place. Today, when there are so many issues at stake, the filibuster is outdated, obsolete, and a throw-back to a less complicated time. There is nothing in the Constitution or the rules of the Senate giving the filibuster a place in the techniques used by our Senators to get their work done; in fact, it accomplishes the opposite! There is no such “technique” in the House of Representatives. The filibuster is based on the idea that one person or group (i.e., a minority) can block a particular piece of legislation they don’t agree with and stop the work of the Senate from continuing. Now, Senators don’t even have to talk nonstop, they can just threaten a filibuster. How is this democratic? How does it even make any logical sense?” It doesn’t mean Senators can’t still voice their objections to a bill for the record.
The For the People Act, H.R. 1 passed the House on March 3, 2021 and was sent to the Senate on March 17, 2021. In the Senate it is S.R. 1 and was discussed March 24 and May 11, 2021 in the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, to which it had been assigned. On August 11, 2021, the Senate voted along strict party lines with the two Independents voting with the Democrats to discharge the bill to be considered further by the full chamber. “S-1—117th Congress: For the People Act of 2021.” www.govtrack.us, October 27, 2021 www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/s1.
What is the point of a democratic republic if you can’t win an election with a majority vote? Instead, the Republicans intend to kill the bill in the Senate with a filibuster, an outmoded, undemocratic attempt that enables one person (or any minority) to kill any bill.
Here is what H.R. 1/S.R. 1 actually does:
“Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls.
The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting.
Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.
Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.
The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House.” www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr1/summary
Imagine this with a big red line slashed across it, meaning you voted but it didn’t count!
This is so critical! We have to pay attention and act in whatever way we can.
Yes, attention and action, whatever that might be for each one of us. Thanks for mentioning that.