Leading voices are calling on Democrats to finally address and overcome the filibuster to deliver progress on a range of important issues - from voting rights to police reform to the debt ceiling and more. Voices include:
- New York Times editorial, Joe Manchin Got the Voting Bill He Wanted. Time to Pass It: "Bipartisanship can be a means to an end. But when voting rights are being ratcheted backward by one party, bipartisanship can’t be an excuse for inaction … President Biden is said to be ready to enter the fray … Now, Mr. President, is the time to act boldly. Make those calls. Set up those Oval Office chats with Mr. Manchin and any other Democrats who might still need persuading … Protecting the integrity of America’s electoral system and the voting rights of its citizens should be priority No. 1 — not because it helps Democrats, but because it helps preserve democracy.”
- Washington Post editorial, If Republicans Can’t Get Behind an Issue as Fundamental as Voting, Democrats Must Push Through their Bill: "If, as expected, Republicans unite against it, Democrats must stop negotiating with themselves on an issue as fundamental as voting. They should reform the Senate filibuster rule, which has shifted from an extraordinary procedure to a routine blocking maneuver, and try again."
- Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) statement after collapse of bipartisan police reform negotiations: “We accepted significant compromises, knowing that they would be a tough sell to our community, but still believing that we would be moving the needle forward on this issue. But every time, more was demanded to the point that there would be no progress made in the bill that we were left discussing. Our sense of urgency remains, but this issue requires a re-engagement of the legislative process. With our counterparts unwilling to come to a compromise, we have no other option than to explore further avenues to stop police brutality in this country.”
- Young Invincibles Rocky Mountain chapter, Colorado Senators Have an Opportunity to Save Democracy. Young People Will Push Them To Take It: “Our generation doesn’t have the leeway to hope that Republicans will magically revert to a bygone era of bipartisanship, because every piece of legislation that’s blocked by obstruction damages our future … Maintaining the filibuster risks failing to address the myriad crises facing our country and sets us up for decades of worsening political gridlock and the erosion of voting rights. Young people are depending on our current leaders to ensure there is a democracy left for us to lead in the generations to come. We are the future of this country, and that future is in jeopardy. Senators Bennett and Hickenlooper have an opportunity to act now on the right side of history to protect it.”
- Ron Brownstein on debt ceiling threat: “Democrats could defang the McConnell threat to default on the debt and batter the world economy by exempting the debt ceiling from the filibuster or ending the filibuster altogether. If they won't do that, they're giving McConnell the gun to threaten them with.”
- Jennifer Rubin’s syndicated Washington Post column, As the GOP Renounces Democratic Governance, the Rationale to Keep the Filibuster is Evaporating: “The GOP insists the Democrats can raise the debt ceiling in a reconciliation package (which looks iffy). But why should they? Instead of letting Republicans off the hook, Democrats should change the filibuster rules. The filibuster is supposed to promote compromise and debate; Republicans are incapable of either and have announced their intention to do great harm through pure obstruction … It is time to take Republicans at their word and hold them accountable for their blatant efforts to undermine America’s democracy and economy. The media must do it. Voters must do it. And Democrats now have the perfect opening to do the same by dispensing with the filibuster.”
- Dan Pfeiffer of Crooked Media, The Real Reasons Behind the Mess on Capitol Hill: “In one fell swoop, Democrats are trying to rebuild our roads and bridges, unrig the tax code, lift millions out of poverty, address climate change, create jobs, expand access to high education and help families afford childcare and eldercare. Any of these on their own would be hard. Doing them all at once is nearly impossible. But this is the only option because Senate Democrats won’t fix the filibuster, and Republicans will not lift a finger to help their constituents or save the planet under their feet.”
- Jordan Weissman in Slate, Nuking the Filibuster Is the Obvious Way to End This Dumb Debt-Ceiling Standoff: “Has there ever been a more obvious moment where it made sense to do away with the filibuster? Congress is in the midst of a standoff over the debt limit that, improbably, is somehow even more inane and exasperating than ones Americans have previously been forced to endure … Democrats have said they are happy to vote for a debt-limit increase with 50 votes using regular order, which would conveniently allow them to simply suspend the limit, rather than hike it by a specific number that could repeated in a campaign spot. The problem is that Republicans have basically promised to filibuster such a move.”
