“More than half of adults in the United States are more concerned about laws restricting voter access than election fraud,” according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
www.axios.com/…
Furthermore, 67 percent of the American public believe democracy in America is under threat, including majorities of Republicans, according to the poll.
This comes on the heels of a 6-3 partisan Supreme Court decision trying to put the final stake into the heart of the Voting Rights Act.
What people like Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin need to realize is this:
a) Their attempts to create the image among their constituents that they are moderate, independent-minded Senators willing to buck their party are not incompatible with this poll. In fact, this poll is proof positive that supporting both the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act are within the mainstream of public opinion.
b) Supporting those pieces of legislation constitutes being both moderate and independent-minded and are perfectly compatible with a the mainstream of public opinion.
c) They cannot get reelected without the enthusiastic support of people of color and others whose voting rights are deliberately being restricted by both Arizona and Supreme Court Republicans.
There is no problem with my telling these Senators the above directly; however, based on both of these Senators’ actions to date, it seems unlikely that they would give two hoots about the viewpoint of someone who does not reside in their state(s).
After the Supreme Court’s outrageously political, irrational decision earlier this week upholding Arizona’s voting rights restrictions, enabling the Federalist Society to dictate to them how they should rule, it is now more critical than ever that Congress reestablish the provisions of the Voting Rights Act, with enhancements, by passing the above pieces of legislation.
That’s not only the right thing for Sinema and Manchin to do in terms of serving people of color in their states, but it’s the right thing to do for all of their constituents and the country as a whole. And, furthermore, it’s the right thing for them to do if they want to burnish their images as “moderates” since those pieces of legislation are clearly within the mainstream of public opinion.
Since Republicans have vowed to do everything in their power to oppose the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act, and to limit voting rights further, that means that the only way to move either of these pieces of legislation forward is by changing the rules regarding the Senate filibuster. That Senate filibuster, which Republicans have promised to use, is the only thing standing in the way of doing what both Sinema and Manchin know in their hearts is the right thing to do.
apnews.com/...