Totally agree, Richard. I worry about voting rights so much, and hope DOJ will play a part in securing them. Hopefully DOJтАЩs working hard on checking out the legality of all the new state legislation restricting voting rights, giving powers to state legislatures to decide which votes to count, etc etc.
Dan, I would note that when, in 2013, the Roberts Court removed Section 5 (Pre-Clearance) from The 1965 Voting Rights Act, DOJтАЩs influence was severely diminished. Hence, a few weeks back, when A.G. Garland was concluding a press conference about suing Texas for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, he closed with a plea to Congress to pass new Federal voting rights legislation, making clear that DOJ will do whatever it can (translation: go to court to protect voting rights), while imploring Congress to do what it alone can do (pass legislation that also protects election integrity and thus democracy itself), Were I to have any power, I would prevail upon journalists to air GarlandтАЩs plea to Congress again and again, especially since repeatedly hearing that neither Manchin nor Sinema is willing to amend the 60-vote Senate filibuster rule threshold aimed at blocking an up or down vote on voter protection legislation.
They are not the only ones, only the ones talked about. Tonight on Rachel Maddow, Maggie Hassan - a moderate Democratic Senator who also has resisted changes to the filibuster - publicly stated that she now sees the urgency of taking action on voting rights so now supports a 'carve out'. There are others though I don't know who they are but may they hear and join her. It quite literally is Now or Never.
Judith, Thanks for your note. You might also be aware that this past Wednesday NAACP President Derrick Johnson spoke with 6 Senators including Sinema, who, unlike the others, was silent. Moderate Democrat John Hickenlooper emerged from the conversation as supporting any rule change that would allow for an up or down vote. As I understand, though all 50 Senators support both bills, just 2тАФManchin and SinemaтАФrefuse, without support from Republicans, to pass either measure, even while GOP controlled state legislatures continue, unilaterally, to pass bill after bill that restricts voting and nullifies votes.
Yes- I would like to know that there is as much passion to protect democracy as there is to overthrow it- maybe even more.
Thanks!
Totally agree, Richard. I worry about voting rights so much, and hope DOJ will play a part in securing them. Hopefully DOJтАЩs working hard on checking out the legality of all the new state legislation restricting voting rights, giving powers to state legislatures to decide which votes to count, etc etc.
Dan, I would note that when, in 2013, the Roberts Court removed Section 5 (Pre-Clearance) from The 1965 Voting Rights Act, DOJтАЩs influence was severely diminished. Hence, a few weeks back, when A.G. Garland was concluding a press conference about suing Texas for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, he closed with a plea to Congress to pass new Federal voting rights legislation, making clear that DOJ will do whatever it can (translation: go to court to protect voting rights), while imploring Congress to do what it alone can do (pass legislation that also protects election integrity and thus democracy itself), Were I to have any power, I would prevail upon journalists to air GarlandтАЩs plea to Congress again and again, especially since repeatedly hearing that neither Manchin nor Sinema is willing to amend the 60-vote Senate filibuster rule threshold aimed at blocking an up or down vote on voter protection legislation.
They are not the only ones, only the ones talked about. Tonight on Rachel Maddow, Maggie Hassan - a moderate Democratic Senator who also has resisted changes to the filibuster - publicly stated that she now sees the urgency of taking action on voting rights so now supports a 'carve out'. There are others though I don't know who they are but may they hear and join her. It quite literally is Now or Never.
Judith, Thanks for your note. You might also be aware that this past Wednesday NAACP President Derrick Johnson spoke with 6 Senators including Sinema, who, unlike the others, was silent. Moderate Democrat John Hickenlooper emerged from the conversation as supporting any rule change that would allow for an up or down vote. As I understand, though all 50 Senators support both bills, just 2тАФManchin and SinemaтАФrefuse, without support from Republicans, to pass either measure, even while GOP controlled state legislatures continue, unilaterally, to pass bill after bill that restricts voting and nullifies votes.
Thanks so much for this.