Fred’s Weekly Note Archive

The March For Voting Rights Is Saturday & Looking Ahead To September Action In The Senate

This is not an easy time in America. The situation in Afghanistan, culminating in today’s terrorist attacks that tragically killed and wounded American servicemen and civilians and innocent Afghan civilians, is a matter of immediate national attention. The continuing spread of the pandemic and natural disasters, including historic wildfires and floods, also deserve our attention […]

President Biden’s Moment Of Truth On Voting Rights Has Arrived

The moment of truth on voting rights has arrived for President Biden. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced last week that the Senate’s first order of business when it returns in September will be voting rights legislation. President Biden must decide whether he will finally engage in the battle in Congress to pass this […]

President Biden Must Join Battle To Save Our Democracy As We Know It

The White House announced yesterday that President Biden will hold a two-day “Summit For Democracy” for world leaders in December. This ironic announcement comes at a time when our own democracy is facing multiple grave threats. And, it comes at a time when President Biden and his Administration has spent almost all of 2021 refusing […]

New Vote On S. 1 Could Be Soon; Small Donor Financing Provisions Must Stay In Bill

There are published reports today that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will schedule a second procedural vote in the coming days on the For the People Act. This pending legislation will protect voting rights, stop Washington political money corruption, and prevent partisan gerrymandering. A companion bill, H.R. 1, passed the House in March. Senate Republicans are […]

A Major Breakthrough On Voting Rights & Democracy Reform

There was a major breakthrough Wednesday on voting rights and other democracy reforms when Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), previously an opponent of S. 1, the For the People Act, said he and other Senate Democrats were drafting a revised bill. According to The Washington Post, Senator Manchin said a new bill could be released in […]

We Need Action, Not Just Words, From President Biden On Voting Rights

President Biden in his passionate voting rights speech on July 13, said, “Perhaps the most important of those things — the most fundamental of those things — is the right to vote.” The President also said in the speech, “It’s up to all of us to protect that right [to vote]. This is a test of our time.” So […]

It’s Time to Act on Voting Rights

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | July 15, 2021 “It is time for the Senate to pass legislation to ensure that every eligible American in this country has the right and ability to vote in federal elections.” President Joe Biden said this week about the attacks on voting rights in the states: “[We] are facing the […]

Failure is Not an Option

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | July 8, 2021 “The moment of truth is here for our democracy and for the fundamental right of every eligible citizen to vote.” The Constitution makes clear that Congress has the power to establish voting rules for federal elections and that the rules supersede state laws. Thus, Congress can provide […]

SCOTUS Decisions Highlight Need for Democracy Reforms

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | July 1, 2021 “The bottom line from today’s Supreme Court decisions: Congressional inaction is not an option. A Senate rule to allow a filibuster is not more important than protecting our democracy against voter discrimination, voter suppression and the corruption of our government and officeholders.” Today’s two Supreme Court decisions […]

The Fight Goes On

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | June 24, 2021 “The legislative process is complex and unwinds slowly. It requires patience, not prognostications, to determine whether legislation ultimately will pass.” To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the For the People Act’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Following Senator Joe Manchin’s June 6 op-ed stating he would […]