Fred’s Weekly Note Archive

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, […]

The Democracy Summit Highlights The Urgent Need To Repair Our Own Democracy

  FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  December 9, 2021 As the United States holds its Democracy Summit this week for more than 100 countries, our own democracy has serious credibility problems. The attempted political coup and insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, the baseless, demagogic attacks by former President Trump on the presidential election he lost, […]

5 Ways Trump’s Big Lie Is Setting The Stage To Rig & Steal Future Elections

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE  |  December 2, 2021 We need to be clear-eyed about what former President Trump, his acolytes, and state and congressional Republican officeholders are doing. Trump is a habitual liar who repeatedly claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, without a shred of credible evidence to back that up. Since […]

Nearly 9 Months And Still No Senate Action On Voting Rights. Here’s Why.

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | November 18, 2021 On March 3, the House of Representatives passed the For the People Act, landmark legislation to establish fair voting rules for federal elections and to stop voter suppression efforts in the states. Now, some nine months later, the Senate has failed to act on – or even […]