Advocates Weigh in Following Vote on Bipartisan Jan. 6 Commission: It’s Time to Eliminate the Filibuster and Protect Our Democracy
By Alan Minsky, Executive Director – Progressive Democrats of America
“The path forward is clear: The filibuster must be eliminated as a weapon that a minority of senators can wield to veto popular democracy-protecting bills”
Washington, DC — Following the Senate Republicans filibuster of legislation to create a bipartisan commission investigating the January 6 insurrection, Indivisible, Fix Our Senate, and 56 other organizations representing millions of people across the country released the following statement calling on Senate Democrats to finally eliminate the filibuster:
“This is no longer a debate about hypotheticals: Senate Republicans have filibustered a bipartisan bill to form a bipartisan commission investigating an attack on their workplace and the seat of our democracy. Despite Senate Democrats ‘imploring’ Republicans to work with them to get this done, Sen. McConnell and his caucus swatted away every attempt at good faith bipartisan work and committed themselves to partisan obstruction. Now the path forward is clear: The filibuster must be eliminated as a weapon that a minority of senators can wield to veto popular democracy-protecting bills.
“Democrats won the White House, Senate and House on promises to protect our elections, stand up to special interests, and restore our democracy – and they have a mandate for action on the January 6th commission, the For The People Act, and other bills protecting and expanding our democracy. After seeing obstruction in action, Senate Democrats have a choice – they can protect the filibuster or deliver on critical and popular policies to protect our democracy. They won’t be able to do both.”
At the same time GOP legislatures are attacking voting access in states across the country, some Senate Republicans admit there is nothing Democrats can do to get their support for the For The People Act, crucial legislation to ensure voting access and election integrity. Senate Minority Leader McConnell has called blocking the For the People Act his “top priority” and is committed to using the filibuster as a weapon to keep our democracy rigged. Investigating an insurrection and protecting voting rights should not be controversial or partisan legislation, and a minority of Senators should not be able to block such bills.
Progressive momentum and support for eliminating the filibuster continues to build. Last week over 250,000 people joined Senator Merkley, Senator Warren, and advocates and activists across the country in a virtual town hall calling for the elimination of the filibuster. And Fix our Senate and Indivisible joined New York activists in pressuring Senators to end the filibuster with #FilibusterFriday, a weekly momentum-building effort on social media, along with over a dozen partner organizations. The effort includes an action center to help grassroots activists email, call, and tweet their senators to end the filibuster to pass democracy reforms. Last week’s efforts reached over 13 million Twitter users.
The statement was signed by the following organizations
- America’s Voice
- Athens County’s Future Action Network (OH)
- Battle Born Collective
- Blue Wave Postcard Movement
- Broward for Progress
- Businesses for a Livable Climate
- CA Businesses for a Livable Climate
- Call to Action Colorado
- CatholicNetwork US
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
- Clean Elections Texas
- CO Businesses for a Livable Climate
- Colorado Small Business Coalition
- Common Defense
- Communications Workers of America
- DC Vote
- Demand Justice
- Demand Progress
- DemCast USA
- Equal Justice Society
- Evergreen Action
- Fix Our Senate
- For All
- Free Speech For People
- Friends of the Earth
- Indivisible
- Mainers for Accountable Leadership
- Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action
- MoveOn Civic Action
- New Energy Economy
- No Dem Left Behind
- North Range Concerned Citizens
- Oil Change U.S.
- Our Revolution
- Our Revolution Michigan
- People’s Action
- People’s Parity Project
- Progress Arizona
- Progressive Democrats of America (PDA)
- Public Citizen
- RapidShift Network
- RepresentUs New Mexico
- Rise Up WV
- Secure Elections Network
- Sierra Club
- Spirit of the Sun
- Stand Up America
- Take Back the Court
- The Borneo Project
- The Workers Circle
- UltraViolet Action
- Unite North Metro Denver
- Voices for Progress
- Vote Save America
- Wall of Women
- Women’s March
- WV Citizen Action
- Working Families Party
Eliminating the filibuster isn’t enough. The next Republican-controlled Senate can just go right back to it. The two sides to this coin are not pretty, but they are important to understand:
1. The Republicans are actively attempting to overthrow Democracy and turn this country into an Authoritarian Dictatorship with Trump (or someone worse) at the head of the table. They want to destroy Democracy because that many voices contributing to the national discussion is an impediment to their profits. In the end, this is all that matters to them.
2. The Democratic Establishment understands that without Democracy, people would be suffering at the hands of a brutal Authoritarian regime and that, at the very least, the illusion of Democracy keeps the masses from picking up those pitchforks, lighting those torches and polishing those guillotines. But just like their Republican counterparts, the only thing that matters to them in the end is PROFIT.
Two things need to happen, in my view: The first thing is that we ultimately should abolish the Senate and move to a proportionate representative body, using Ranked Choice Voting at all levels of Government – including the Presidency both through this, and through abolishing the Electoral College. Second, certain issues must be taken off the table via Constitutional Amendment that guarantee the American people all the basics for sustaining life:
Food, Shelter, Clothing, Healthcare, and Education. The 5 Pillars of Life, as I call them. These are the things that must be guaranteed to all people, for without them, every other aspect of society is meaningless. The only way to prevent these things from being put on the chopping block in the future is through a Constitutional Amendment mandating that Congress allocate all necessary funds towards these areas without debate or delay. After these things are addressed, THEN there can be discussion on any other issue.
Republicans will NOT act in a bipartisan way EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You MUST END THE FILIBUSTER to get anything else done!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,
That’s part of the point of my post; except, like I said, getting rid of the filibuster isn’t enough because the GOP can just bring it right back when they get back into power. What I just stated above is the most effective way to get around this ridiculous partisan nonsense.