Fred’s Weekly Note Archive

Democracy vs. Autocracy

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  February 24, 2022 An autocracy is defined as a system of government by one person with absolute power. Evil President Vladimir Putin of Russia is an autocrat. Donald Trump aspired to be one during his presidency – and still aspires to be one. Trump sees Putin as his role model. […]

The New Jim Crow Laws Are Already Having An Impact On The Primaries

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  February 17, 2022 The attacks on our democracy are moving into the 2022 primary elections. New state voter suppression laws that restrict access to absentee ballots, eliminate ballot drop boxes, drop registered voters from the rolls, and reduce polling places, among other provisions, are about to directly impact voters in […]

Trump’s Ceaseless Efforts To Undermine Our Democracy

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  February 10, 2022 The greatest attacks on voting rights since the days before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 began last year and continue unabated in 2022. These attacks are Trump’s Big Lie in action. Republican officeholders are passing state laws blatantly designed to diminish the ability of Democratic supporters […]

Reforming The Electoral Count Act Does Not Address The Democracy Crisis Facing Our Nation

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  February 3, 2022 Following the defeat last month of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, essential voting rights legislation, by a vote of 52-to-48, a small bipartisan group of Senators turned their focus to repairing the Electoral Count Act of 1877 (ECA). This effort to develop ECA reforms […]

The Destructive Impact Of Voter Suppression

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  JANUARY 27, 2022 If anyone had any doubt about the destructive impact that last week’s defeat in the Senate of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act will have on our nation, look no further than this example from Texas. Kenneth Thompson, a 95-year-old World War II veteran, who […]

“The Fight Goes On.”

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  JANUARY 20, 2022 American democracy suffered a major defeat last night. Last night, 52 Senators voted down a filibuster rules change that would have allowed the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act to pass the Senate by majority vote. Those Senators – 50 Republicans and two Democrats – joined […]

Decision Time On Voting Rights Has Arrived

WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  JANUARY 13, 2022 Last night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced a strategy to use a little known procedure that will bring voting rights legislation to the Senate floor for debate – bypassing a filibuster. The voting rights legislation, consolidated into a single bill, the Freedom to Vote: John R. […]

Will The Senate Protect Democracy Or Will The Big Lie Prevail?

  WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  JANUARY 6, 2022 Today, one year after the insurrectionist attack on the Capitol, our democracy faces its greatest internal threat since the Civil War. Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him may well be the most dangerous con job ever perpetrated on the American people. […]

It’s Not Too Late To Save Our Democracy. Senate Showdown On Voting Rights Coming In January.

WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  DECEMBER 23, 2021 This has been a very difficult year for the country, starting with the devastating impact of the coronavirus. Nevertheless, we should also recognize our good fortune this year when the effort of a demagogic, lawless former President to pull off a political coup was averted. But, while that […]

President Biden Must Use His Bully Pulpit On Voting Rights — Now

WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  DECEMBER 16, 2021 Yesterday, President Joe Biden said, “There’s nothing domestically more important than voting rights.” This is an important statement by President Biden, but it belies Biden’s damaging failure over the past 11 months to treat the enactment of voting rights legislation as a top priority for his Administration. Nevertheless, […]