Fred’s Weekly Note Archive

The Civil Rights Filibuster Returns With A Vengeance

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | November 11, 2021 One of the most famous Senate filibusters occurred in 1957, when South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond held the Senate floor for more than 24 hours in an effort to block passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The filibuster ultimately failed, and the Act – though […]

GOP Blocks Voting Rights For 4th Time; It’s Time To Revise The Filibuster Rules & Protect Democracy

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | November 4, 2021 For the fourth time this year, Senate Republicans have blocked essential voting rights legislation. Yesterday, their obstructionism blocked consideration of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. They previously blocked consideration of the For the People Act in June and again in August, and then, in October, […]

Bypassing The Filibuster Rules Will Save Voting Rights For Millions Of Americans

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 28, 2021 The stage is now set for enacting historic voting rights, anti-corruption, and anti-gerrymandering legislation. This essential legislation – the Freedom to Vote Act – will overturn the unprecedented wave of voter suppression laws passed this year by Republican-controlled state legislature around the country and provide protections to […]

The Battle For The Freedom To Vote Act Moves Forward

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 21, 2021 On Wednesday, Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block consideration of Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) compromise voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act. Every Republican Senator voted to deny the Senate even the ability to debate the Manchin compromise bill on the Senate floor. This battle, […]

Voting Rights Scheduled For Cloture Vote Next Week To Begin Debate

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 14, 2021 Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced today that he will file cloture next Monday, October 18, on a motion to proceed on the Freedom to Vote Act. This is the compromise legislation engineered by Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who had opposed an earlier version of the […]

McConnell Over Country

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 7, 2021 Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made his bones in the Senate on political money – both raising influence-buying contributions and blocking efforts to curb the corrupting impact of this money in Washington. McConnell also built power and influence with his Republican colleagues on his unquenchable thirst […]

The “Perils Of Pauline” Rollercoaster Ride Ahead In Congress

  FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 1, 2021 “Get ready for a Perils of Pauline rollercoaster ride in Congress in the coming weeks.” Legislation to prevent a government shutdown passed on Wednesday. Legislation to increase or suspend the debt ceiling will pass. Infrastructure legislation will pass. Budget reconciliation legislation will pass. And, legislation to protect […]

Trump’s Big Lie Continues

The former President continues to spread his Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him. According to a recent poll, Trump has managed to convince an astonishing 78 percent of Republicans that President Biden was not legitimately elected, even though there is not a shred of evidence to support Trump’s blatantly false claim. […]

Senate Breakthrough: The Freedom To Vote Act Is Introduced

A major breakthrough occurred in the Senate yesterday when a revised version of the For the People Act – sweeping voting rights and anti-corruption legislation – was introduced. The new bill, the Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747), represents the work of eight Democratic and Independent Senators, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). […]

Voting Rights & The Senate: It Will All Come Down To The Filibuster

Congress faces an overwhelming schedule this month. Funding for the government runs out on September 30 and must be extended. The debt ceiling limit needs to be increased so the United States can pay the debts already incurred. The reconciliation budget process – involving multiple committees in both the House and Senate – is moving […]