The Democrats, to their credit, were able to pass the Covid relief bill through reconciliation, albeit with a host of unnecessary self-negotiating. It was considered “must pass” legislation, which in theory means there wasn’t much change of the Democratic party dropping the ball here completely. Reconciliation, however, can only be used on items pertaining to the federal budget, and only once a year, which means that any other legislation needs to overcome a filibuster with 60 votes in the Senate, a nearly unthinkable task in this political climate. As mentioned above, under normal circumstances this might not be such a bad thing for the Biden administration, who’ve already shown an inclination to use procedure as an excuse. The so called fly-in the ointment here, however, is that without passing a least one more piece of legislation, it’s unlikely the Democrats will retain control of Congress. Hundreds of bills have already been introduced by Republicans to restrict voting rights, and further rig up coming elections, making it all but impossible for Democrats to compete. Republicans are doing this under the nakedly cynical excuse of “election integrity.” Instead, Democrats need to outflank this election rigging by passing HR1/S1, the For the People’s act, which contains legislation to expand voter access, improve election integrity and security, revise rules for political spending and set out provisions related to ethics for all three branches of the federal government. These types of proven reforms, that actually expand democratic participation, and allow the people a greater say in their government are not just vital for the short-term viability of the Democratic party, but possibly the long-term existence of our democracy itself! The American people recognize the importance of this bill as well: Do you support or oppose the For the People Act? Support Overall: 68% Democrats: 70% Independents: 68% Republicans: 57% Oppose: 16% This bill is must-pass of an entirely different sort. The American people want it, and the Democrats need it, to avoid losing in 2022 and 2024 amidst a wash of Republican-led election engineering. This, in many ways is the first true test of the Biden administration. Can they control their caucus, and bring Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema in line? Manchin has already declared that he will not eliminate the filibuster, but has indicated he’s willing to “reform” it. This type of semantic wiggle room is all a good President would need to get the job done. Reforming the filibuster will me killing it in it’s current form, and in the end that’s all that will matter. Despite the clear cut nature of this situation, it’s still not a sure thing that Biden and the Democrats will pull through and overcome procedure, to protect not only democracy, but their own personal power. As always, they are going to need pressure from the people to make them cross the line from talk to action. It’s our job to organize and demand that our rights are not stripped from us, and that we are not subjected to minority rule! Join us every Tuesday as we grow our economic power in concert with our political power, to make sure this country stays a democracy with real elections! . Don't Shop on Tuesdays!
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