![]() ![]() And it’s that second half that is broken. But there’s another half of that social contract, which is, in the end, the majority makes the decision, not the minority. The minority can delay in order to seek a compromise, delay to make sure they have a chance to be heard, to participate in amendments. JEFF MERKLEY: Well, in its best framework, the idea is that there’s a social contract in the Senate in which the majority doesn’t run over the top of the minority. Senator from Oregon.” Your response to Manchin, as well as to Sinema from Arizona? They’ve attempted to demonize the filibuster and conveniently ignore how it has been critical to protecting the rights of Democrats in the past.” Your Twitter handle says you’re “Dad, runner, Chief Filibuster Antagonist. And so, that was - think of that as the starting line, not the finish line, for the battle for this bill.ĪMY GOODMAN: Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, your colleague from West Virginia, wrote a piece for the Charleston Gazette-Mail headlined “Why I’m voting against the For the People Act.” In it, Manchin wrote, quote, “I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy, and for that reason, I will vote against the For the People Act.” Manchin also wrote, quote, “Democrats have again proposed eliminating the Senate filibuster rule in order to pass the For the People Act with only Democratic support. It’s wrong in the concept of our Constitution of government by and for the people. It’s a shield for enabling states to pursue obstruction against communities of color, Black Americans, tribal members and college students. I must say it’s really a disturbing moment, in which Republicans are returning to an argument that was here throughout the Jim Crow past, in which they say states’ rights triumph equality of opportunity for people to participate in our democracy. And every Republican voted against proceeding to debate the bill. These are things supported by Republicans, Democrats, independents across the country, but not by Republicans here in the Senate. A pleasure to be with you.Īnd yesterday, I was so pleased that every Democrat stood up for the rights of citizens and the principles of our Constitution, principles like defending the ballot box for every single American against the targeted attacks that are erupting all over the country taking on gerrymandering, which is an attack on equal representation and stopping billionaires and corporations from buying elections with dark money. Let’s talk about what just went down yesterday with your For the People Act and what your plans are going to be now that the Republicans defeated it in this procedural vote, though didn’t kill it overall. ![]() But right now let’s talk about the heat in the Capitol. Now you’re in Washington, although Oregon is facing the hottest weather in history. Senator Merkley, welcome back to Democracy Now! We had you on during one of the U.N. We go now to Washington, D.C., where we’re joined by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the lead sponsor in the Senate of the For the People Act. Their protest came a day after all 50 Republican senators blocked debate on the For the People Act, the most sweeping voter rights bill in decades. Senate as they demanded West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin and other lawmakers abolish the filibuster to pass a major voting rights bill, as well as other legislation. In Washington, D.C., several civil rights leaders, including the Reverends Jesse Jackson and William Barber, were arrested Wednesday at a nonviolent protest outside the U.S. Merkley explains why he said, “If there’s no climate, there’s no deal.”ĪMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!,. Meanwhile, as much of the Pacific Northwest faces record-shattering temperatures, 30 degrees or more above average, including Merkley’s home state of Oregon, lawmakers in Washington continue to negotiate over an infrastructure bill Democrats say needs to include major new funding to address the climate crisis. “The majority makes the decision, not the minority,” he adds. ![]() Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who is a lead sponsor of the For the People Act and self-described “Chief Filibuster Antagonist,” says Republicans have broken the Senate’s “social contract” of bipartisan cooperation in favor of total obstruction of all Democratic priorities. Republicans this week used the filibuster to prevent debate on the For the People Act, which would restore the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act gutted by the Supreme Court eight years ago. Pressure is growing on Democrats to abolish the Senate filibuster in order to pass a major voting rights bill and other legislation. ![]()
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