Break It Down!: Filibuster For The Block: GOP Stymies Dems' Election Bill

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Filibuster For The Block: GOP Stymies Dems' Election Bill

It's time to Break It Down!

As anticipated, the GOP didn’t cast a single vote in favor of the plan viewed as the Democrat’s key legislative initiate during the 117^th Congress, the For The People Act. Democratic Senators have argued the bill is necessary to allay the nefarious effects of a spate of bills Republican legislatures across the country are enacting to restrict voting access. Republicans counter the measure is a partisan power grab and a federal overreach into state voting and election systems.

The bills springing up in halls of GOP-controlled state legislatures appear in large measure to be a product of machinations stemming from The Big Lie (TBL); 45’s debunked claim that he won the 2020 Election in a landslide, and a conspiratorial cabal of Democrats, liberals, media, and foreign countries stole it from him. The single most notable outcome of TBL, to date, is the January 6^th insurrection. With not nearly enough exceptions, Republicans from the State Senate to the U.S. Senate have been acting in ways that support, defend, or deny TBL.

When given a chance to convict 45 after his second impeachment, the U.S. Senate Republicans declined, when given a chance to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6^th uprising that played out on TV, nationally and internationally, Republicans opted out, and yesterday, when given the opportunity to cross party lines and support voter access and integrity, once again, the inhabitants of the Grand Old Party excused themselves, this time unanimously.

As of last month, state legislators in 48 states had introduced over 380 bills with provisions restricting voting, according to a tally from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. There are more in the queue.

Yesterday, the Senate considered an amended version of legislation that passed the House in March. The Senate had been working since that time to craft legislation that conservative Democrats like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin would agree to support. After an array of twists and turns, including Manchin offering his spin that would have included:

Declaring Election Day a public holiday

Providing a ban on partisan gerrymandering

Mandating at least 15 consecutive days of early voting

Instituting a voter ID requirement

No dice. In fact, on the same day Manchin offered up his proposal, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for all intents and purposes, declared the ideas DOA. He practically assured America on TV, and all those assembled at a news conference that every GOP member in the Senate would oppose such a bill.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gave an impassioned speech on the floor of the Senate regarding the significance of voting rights. He deemed Tuesday’s vote crucial, saying that it would “protect American voting rights.” He added, voting rights “are under assault from one end of the country to the other.” Then came yesterday; McConnell and the GOP fulfilled his prophesy. “Filibuster For The Block: GOP Stymies Dems’ Election Bill!”

I’m done; holla back!

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