Fred’s Weekly Note Archive

The Battle for S. 1 Must Be Fought on the Senate Floor

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | April 8, 2021 “This battle must be fought out on the Senate floor.” In an op-ed in The Washington Post yesterday, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) proposed a Catch-22 solution to enacting voting rights and campaign finance reforms. Manchin said: “There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate […]

S. 1 Must Pass In Whole

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | April 1, 2021 “There is nothing to indicate that taking out key democracy reforms from the bill will improve the chances of passing S. 1.” Some academics and pundits have been postulating that the campaign finance, gerrymandering, and other reform provisions of S. 1, the For the People Act, should […]

A New Development in the Battle for S. 1

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | March 25, 2021 “The reforms in S. 1 have bipartisan support in the country. There is broad support from Democrats, Republicans, and independents.” Earlier today, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) issued a statement on the need for the Senate to address voting reforms and reforms to address “the disturbing role money plays in […]

S. 1, The Filibuster, And McConnell

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | March 18, 2021 “Is a changed filibuster rule more important to confirm a Supreme Court Justice than it is to prevent the greatest suppression and disenfranchisement of voters since the Jim Crow era, to reform a corrupting campaign finance system, to prevent extreme partisan gerrymandering, to stop self-dealing abuses by […]

H.R. 1 vs. GOP State Voter Suppression Efforts

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | March 12, 2021 “Senate Republicans will pull out all the stops to block H.R. 1 and enable GOP state voter suppression and disenfranchisement efforts to succeed.” Republican state legislators in Georgia are the leading edge of efforts across the country to enact new state laws aimed directly at the suppression […]

House Passes Historic Democracy Reform

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | March 4, 2021 “The bottom-line choice is clear: either the Senate votes to meet the urgent need of the American people to repair our democracy and protect the sacred right to vote, or the Senate maintains without exception the filibuster that has been serially abused for years by Senator Mitch […]

The Need for Political Reform Hasn’t Changed. The GOP Has.

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | February 25, 2021 “The need for reforms to repair our political system has not changed. The Republican Party in Congress has.” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced this week that H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021, will be on the House floor for consideration the week of […]

Two Weeks to H.R. 1 Vote

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | February 18, 2021 “The stakes involved in enacting H.R. 1 are enormous. It is essential to fix our badly broken political system. This is a battle that must be won.” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced this week that H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021, will be […]

Trump’s Continuing Threat

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | February 11, 2021 “Trump remains unhinged, narcissistic, and dangerous to the country. He must be challenged and countered every step of the way in the coming months and years.” Donald Trump remains a continuing threat to our democracy. During yesterday’s impeachment trial in the Senate, the House Impeachment Managers presented […]

The Biden Era’s First Critical Period

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | February 4, 2021 “President Biden has been a leader throughout his career in challenging corrupting political money and in promoting public financing of elections. His public leadership in support of H.R. 1 and S. 1 will be important to winning the battle for this transformational democracy reform legislation.” We are […]