Democrats Unite

 Democrats need to Unite

 

One of the great things about the Democratic party is that it is a big tent organization which welcomes members who span the spectrum of ideas and voices on the left of the political divide. One of the bad things about the Democratic party is that it is a big tent organization that has difficulty uniting to achieve broad based political agendas which some view as too far left.  

 

The recent spectacle in the United States Senate demonstrates both aspects of our party.

 

While Senate Democrats all agreed that voting rights are critical to the continuation of our democracy, they could not agree on how to achieve greater protection of voting rights in the face of Republican efforts in many states to curtail the ability of citizens to cast their ballots. 

 

With a bare majority of Senators, all 50 Democrats needed to agree to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights bill already passed by the House of Representatives. Two Democratic Senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona refused to follow the leaders in the Senate and amend the rules to by-pass the filibuster rule that requires 60 votes to pass legislation. All the Republican members of the Senate refused to vote for the bill or the rule change that would allow passage of the bill with 51 votes. The 51^st vote would have come from Vice President Kamala Harris sitting as President Pro Tem of the Senate when there is a tie vote. 

 

The Senate filibuster rule is a holdover from the Civil War era. It was created to mollify Southern Senators who feared passage of civil rights legislation benefitting former slaves after the Union won the war. It has been modified or dispensed with periodically throughout its subsequent history when one party or the other has controlled the Senate. The most notable recent deviations occurred when Republicans controlled the Senate and Leader Mitch McConnell did away with it to deny the Supreme Court appointment of Merrick Garland proposed by President Obama and then to approve Court appointments proposed by the former President after the election in 2016.

 

The filibuster can prevent passage of legislation opposed by the minority in an evenly divided chamber and is profoundly undemocratic in a society generally governed by simple majority rules. 

 

A similar fate apparently awaits passage of President Biden’s signature Build Back Better social agenda. Biden acknowledged as much in this week’s press conference when he indicated the large package of legislation would need to be broken up into small chunks of biils, each with its own topic. By doing that, there is a glimmer of hope that at least some of its provisions will find bipartisan support for passage. 

 

Progressive Democrats will most likely mount primary challenges to both Manchin and Sinema hoping to replace them with those more willing to support voting rights and other progressive legislation as well as doing away with the filibuster. We will also work diligently to replace some of those vulnerable Republican Senators, like our own Ron Johnson, in this year’s mid-term elections. By giving, Democrats a larger Senate majority the hope is that the filibuster can finally be consigned to the dust bin of history where it belongs and voting rights can be protected from the efforts of those who want to retain power by making much harder for poor people, those with disabilities and people of color to cast their ballots. 

 

Ron Johnson is vulnerable on a few fronts. When he ran initially, he promised to serve just two terms. He recently broke that promise and is running for a third term. While in office, Johnson promoted and voted for tax breaks that directly benefited some of his wealthiest donors and himself as he cashed out of his business. His net worth has increased significantly in the 12 years he has been in the Senate. He has been one of the former Presidents staunchest supporters and continues to support the Big Lie that the last election was stolen. Most concerning is Johnson’s continuing misinformation campaign about COVID-19. He has championed wacky cures, opposed common sense measures to combat its spread and opposed vaccine mandates. He is so far off the political spectrum to the right, that I am surprised that no one from the more sensible wing of his party has not stepped up to offer voters a choice. 

 

Democrats will choose among a strong field of candidates in the fall primary for Johnson’s challenger. It will be a hard-fought statewide campaign that Democrats are very likely to win.