When he takes the podium to deliver a voting rights speech in Atlanta, Ga., on Tuesday, President Biden is expected to make the case that the Senate must abandon its longstanding commitment to the filibuster or risk losing democracy.
Biden is expected to advocate special voting rights “carve-out” to the filibuster, a move that Republicans argue will effectively kill the rule as each party devises specific exceptions for its top legislative priorities when it comes to power.
“The next few days, when these bills come to a vote, will mark a turning point in this nation. Will we choose democracy over autocracy, light overshadow, justice over injustice? I know where I stand,” Biden will say, according to an excerpt of his statement published by the White House. “I will not yield. I will not flinch. I will defend your right to vote and our democracy against all enemies foreign and domestic. And so the question is where will the institution of United States Senate stand?”
It is strategic for the president to choose Georgia as the location of his address given that the state enacted a voting right bill of its own nearly a year ago, causing an uproar among Democrats, who claimed it was a restrictive measure that would suppress minorities’ right to vote and usher in a new era of “Jim Crow.”
Stacey Abrams, Democratic candidate for Georgia governor and advocate for radical voting reform who notoriously used that phrase to condemn the state’s law, will be absent from Biden’s speech. A number of voting rights organizations will also not attend to protest what they perceive as tepidness from the Biden administration in responding to Republican obstructionism on the elections bill.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to schedule a vote this week on one or more of his party’s proposals to loosen voting standards, which Republicans view as a blow to election system integrity. Still, Democrats view it as expanding access to the ballot box and enfranchising more Americans.
If Republicans stand their ground against that measure, Schumer will direct the chamber to debate eliminating the filibuster, the rule that requires most Senate legislation to garner 60 votes to advance; he confirmed last week.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sparred with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor over the filibuster on Monday, vowing dire consequences if Schumer pushes filibuster changes over the line — a prospect that remains unlikely given the longstanding opposition of Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
McConnell threatened to place a spate of Republican-backed bills on the legislative calendar to force Democrats to take tough votes ahead of the midterm elections. Those bills include Republican interests such as restoring the Keystone XL pipeline project, abortion restrictions, and construction on the U.S-Mexico border wall.
“Since Sen. Schumer is hell-bent on trying to break the Senate, Republicans will show how this reckless action would have immediate consequences,” McConnell said in a statement on Monday.
If Buck Fiden is FOR it, I am resolutely AGAINST it …. on just about any issue. If easing restrictions on voting is being touted by the Democrats because it allows wider participation by more citizens, you can bet that justification is false. The Democrats view such easing as making it easier to RIG elections.
Voting is a “privilege”, not a right. There are certain actions that qualify individuals to be eligible to vote. That list is short and easily accomplished. I suggest, anyone who is unwilling to make these small efforts, disqualify themselves, and therefore do NOT deserve to participate in this most important duty to the Republic.
If you want something, GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND EARN IT! The USA was not built on irresponsibility & laziness.
Of course Biden will read whatever his handlers write for him to say. That’s never in any doubt. Meanwhile, the best we can get from our side in D.C. on the matter is another half-hearted sound bite from the turtle. The lack of energy and focus from D.C. Republicans becomes more concerning with each passing day as we inch closer and closer to election day.
This year will be a vicious battle between freedom and tyranny so the people need to rise up and be counted. Let your Washington reps know where you stand and they are being held accountable for their actions. Your reps need to be reminded that they are elected officials for the People and not a political party.
I think there’s about 12 people that care what this old POS says. There isn’t a democrat in Georgia who wants to have anything to do with him or who will even stand on the podium with him. That tells you quite a bit. F joe biden
Wow! Just WOW!!! I am sooooo disenfranchised as this point…..battle between freedom and COMMUNISM is coming!!!
Screw Biden! He’s not calling the shots anyway Obama is he can got $hit in his hat too. Biden is attempting to make the Country Communist!
Biden is doing what he is because his own Party is starting to turn against him. They better move quick, communism is just around the corner for the United States! We need Trump back in office
Why do we call this character “president?”
Mitch went against the last sitting president and basically was aiding and abetting the leftist democrats to destroy TRUMP , now he’s realizing that the Marxist leftist democrats will enact and use any means necessary to obtain and fulfill the true objective from the very beginning, destroy our long standing free and honest voting system and completely change everything in only their favor . We’re a republic and not a banana republic, there views democracy are our way is the only way. Total hypocrisy and if they can even think or try to destroy our proven fair and open way of voting and install a corrupt leftist voting system I truly have to wonder if dementia joe even came close to winning the presidential election,and several other elections are extremely suspect . The ends justify the means at any and all costs, especially if your an elitist hater of our founding fathers and our constitution .
Does no good to try and share this. Only thing that does is offer downloading the AMAC app. AMAC, how about changing that please?!
It is time to take this to the Supreme court! Dempsey, and the Constitution is bing stolen from Americans! ????????
TAKEN FROM THE NAZI PLAYBOOK. HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO SIT IDLY BY AND LET THEM MAKE AMERICA A MARXIST COUNTRY?
Buck Fiden will also advocate someone changing his Depends and that doesn’t happen EITHER, as witnessed by his struts through the now Blight House with a load in the seat!!
I have voted Republican for 59 years. However, Sharyn’s comment about “how long are we going to sit idly by,,,,,” is the reason I hesitate to support the GOP. Even when the GOP is in power, as it was with Trump in the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, the Republicans could not get together enough to pass anything. With all the power in their hands, they blew it. They don’t know how to get something done.
Destroy the Constitution…you go joeblow…
Sounds like another bonehead idea,
If these efforts are successful by the Democrats, we are one more step closer to communism.
The GOP believes the voting system today is deeply flawed. Mail in voting encourages corruption which is what we saw in the last election. Everyone who is eligible to vote can vote! Nothing is stopping them from getting to the polls!!!
There appears to be mobs of people demonstrating, defile our cities and destroy the livelihoods of many.
If you can do that, get to the polls to vote!
In other words …. Dems & RINOs are intent on “STEALING” another election. And they’re doing it with illegitimate votes… using the massive mail in ballot fraud method …. AND the unregistered who show up without any identification …. A N D otherwise “ineligible warm bodies” as well as the “not-so-warm bodies” of DEAD people!
OUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN HI-JACKED BY A CRIMINAL MARXIST REGIME!
Pumpkin Head can F-off and die.
This is not a democracy (mob rule) but a republic. Dems are pushing this agenda as a last ditch way to gain permanent control over the federal government.
“Let’s go Brandon!”
Rigging and cheating …. that’s what the Democraps are good at. They will abuse any the conduct of any event or situation to force their political on the people and the opposition. Remember … the Democraps seek to RULE the Nation … NOT GOVERN the Nation according to the principle laid out in the Democratic Constitution. The Democraps know that they cannot honestly and fairly rule the Nation without gradually converting it to Communism. Hence, rigged elections, abusing the laws in secrecy and lying about what they really seek to achieve, etc.
Kill the filibuster eh! Funny (meaning odd, not laughable) no one was wanting to kill the filibuster when Trump was being harassed with the phony impeachment political savagery for virtually no sane reason. The Democraps are so freaked in to changing the rules, cheating, lying, hypocrisy, and false accusations they seem more like a Commie group that a Congressional group.
This HR 1 crap passes and we can kiss our —- goodbye. You’ll have people registering at friends and relatives addresses and coming to the country for one day to vote. I STILL haven’t found Democrat who will bet their life there is no voter fraud. They are so insistent it doesn’t happen that one of them should bet that I can shoot them when I find it. I bet nothing because when it is found it means we have lost.
Once again, Biden has lied again. Last year he said he was against changing the filibuster. When Biden opens his mouth, he is lying.
Once again, disillusioned people, presidents included, call our Nation a democracy. It is NOT a democracy! The United States of America is a constitutional republic. As long as the Constitution of the United States remains this One Nation’s supreme law (and we must ensure it remains so), the USA will be a constitutional republic. We see what happens in countries which claim to be a “democratic republic.” They are neither democratic NOR a republic.
SCREW FASCIST BIDEN AND HIS ENTIRE FASCIST MOB.. INCLUDING JILL.
I’m speechless. I can’t wait until my Heavenly Father comes back for his children.
Schucky Schumer needs to go – he is apparently the driving force
behind the partisan split in this country – he can’t seem to understand that the majority of the people in this country don’t want what he is selling – and the filibuster provides the lock on his ability to push ridiculous spending bills through the Senate that will most probably further bankrupt our country!