On Thursday, August 12, Daily Kos, Stand Up America, Black Voters Matter, Common Cause, Fix Our Senate, People for the American Way, and other voting rights advocates from across the country joined family members of the late Hon. John Lewis and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to deliver a petition to the White House.
The petition, which garnered nearly 200,000 signatures from Daily Kos readers, calls on President Biden to leverage the power of his office and publicly urge the Senate to end the filibuster and ensure lawmakers can pass crucial legislation protecting our voting rights. You can watch the press conference on Stand Up America's Facebook page.
The petition delivery comes on the heels of Senate Republicans blocking debate over the For The People Act earlier this week, for the second time in as many months. Advocates gathered by the White House to call on President Biden to stand up and use the biggest soapbox in the world to call on the Senate to end the filibuster.
“Throughout the 20th century, the filibuster has been used first and foremost to block civil rights legislation, and now the threat of the filibuster is being abused today to obstruct D.C. statehood—full local self-government and voting representation in Congress—for residents of the nation's capital. President Biden, do everything you can to end the filibuster,” Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said.
Americans made their voices clearly heard this past election cycle. Yet, Republican senators are now using the filibuster as a cudgel to retain power, bending our government and policy to the will of the minority party. Not only is this fundamentally undemocratic, but it is also especially harmful to communities of color. We cannot stand idle as these elected officials shamelessly cling to a parliamentary gimmick in an attempt to silence us. It is time to end the filibuster and ensure that all Americans can live with dignity.
Thursday's event is part of our long-term commitment to abolish the Jim Crow filibuster. Eleven years ago, Daily Kos was one of the first and largest organizations to demand the change publicly. We helped form the first inside-outside coalition of grassroots activists and experienced Capitol Hill advocates to reform Senate rules. Three years later, we received a lot of credit from the news media when Senate Democrats invoked the nuclear option to end filibusters on executive branch and judicial nominations.
Daily Kos will continue waging this campaign—no matter how long it takes—until we win. Momentum is overwhelmingly on our side. Three years ago, only Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon—our long-time champion in this fight—was on record in favor of ending the filibuster. Now 28 are in favor, and 18 have not ruled it out. Campaigns with audacious goals take a really long time to win. This fight is no exception. Our advocacy team will continue to pressure Democrats to end this indefensible relic of Jim Crow.
The campaign to end the filibuster is ongoing. Take action today. Sign the petition to the U.S. Senate: Eliminate the filibuster to protect our freedom to vote.
Increase your impact: Please, make a $5 monthly donation to Daily Kos to support our long-term advocacy efforts, including abolishing the filibuster. Campaigns that can only be won over the long term require long-term support.
The petition, which garnered nearly 200,000 signatures from Daily Kos readers, calls on President Biden to leverage the power of his office and publicly urge the Senate to end the filibuster and ensure lawmakers can pass crucial legislation protecting our voting rights. You can watch the press conference on Stand Up America's Facebook page.
The petition delivery comes on the heels of Senate Republicans blocking debate over the For The People Act earlier this week, for the second time in as many months. Advocates gathered by the White House to call on President Biden to stand up and use the biggest soapbox in the world to call on the Senate to end the filibuster.
“Throughout the 20th century, the filibuster has been used first and foremost to block civil rights legislation, and now the threat of the filibuster is being abused today to obstruct D.C. statehood—full local self-government and voting representation in Congress—for residents of the nation's capital. President Biden, do everything you can to end the filibuster,” Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said.
Americans made their voices clearly heard this past election cycle. Yet, Republican senators are now using the filibuster as a cudgel to retain power, bending our government and policy to the will of the minority party. Not only is this fundamentally undemocratic, but it is also especially harmful to communities of color. We cannot stand idle as these elected officials shamelessly cling to a parliamentary gimmick in an attempt to silence us. It is time to end the filibuster and ensure that all Americans can live with dignity.
Thursday's event is part of our long-term commitment to abolish the Jim Crow filibuster. Eleven years ago, Daily Kos was one of the first and largest organizations to demand the change publicly. We helped form the first inside-outside coalition of grassroots activists and experienced Capitol Hill advocates to reform Senate rules. Three years later, we received a lot of credit from the news media when Senate Democrats invoked the nuclear option to end filibusters on executive branch and judicial nominations.
Daily Kos will continue waging this campaign—no matter how long it takes—until we win. Momentum is overwhelmingly on our side. Three years ago, only Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon—our long-time champion in this fight—was on record in favor of ending the filibuster. Now 28 are in favor, and 18 have not ruled it out. Campaigns with audacious goals take a really long time to win. This fight is no exception. Our advocacy team will continue to pressure Democrats to end this indefensible relic of Jim Crow.
The campaign to end the filibuster is ongoing. Take action today. Sign the petition to the U.S. Senate: Eliminate the filibuster to protect our freedom to vote.
Increase your impact: Please, make a $5 monthly donation to Daily Kos to support our long-term advocacy efforts, including abolishing the filibuster. Campaigns that can only be won over the long term require long-term support.