We have a President hostile to fixing the system and a Congress currently controlled by reform opponents. However, history makes clear that reform issues are cyclical in nature: the kind of scandalous system that exists today has led to major reforms in the past, and can do so again in the future.

Tag Archive for: Democracy Reforms

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, […]

D21 President Fred Wertheimer On Sen. Romney’s Disingenuous Case For Protecting The Filibuster Rules

Statement Of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer   Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) has an op-ed in The Washington Post today in which he makes a disingenuous case for protecting the filibuster rules. He makes his case based on creating an incorrect impression that Senate Democrats are seeking to fully repeal the Senate filibuster in order to pass voting rights […]

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, […]

Wertheimer/Eisen Op-Ed: “Two Senators Could Save U.S. Democracy”

“We hope Senators Manchin and Sinema choose to be on the right side of history. Failing to do so could be fatal to the future of the American experiment.” “Today we face a full-blown national crisis for our democracy – with the voting rights of millions of Americans about to be sacrificed solely for partisan […]

The Freedom To Vote Act Now Moves To The Next Stage After Senate Republicans Blocked Even Debating This Essential Legislation

Statement Of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Today, Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block consideration of Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) compromise voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act. This battle, however, is by no means over. The Act would protect the sacred right to vote for all eligible Americans by overriding the wave […]

Democracy 21 Urges Senate To Pass The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

“Protecting the sacred right to vote for all eligible Americans should be a goal for all Members of Congress.”  Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, introduced in the Senate on Tuesday, is a vitally important step forward in the work to protect the sacred right to vote […]

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. […]