Seize the Moment to Repair Democracy

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | January 28, 2021

“We must seize the moment that now exists to repair our democracy. If we do not, history shows us this opportunity will not come around again anytime soon.”

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The following is an excerpt from an op-ed that I wrote for NBC News Think that was published yesterday:

The Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol by an insurrectionist mob assembled and incited by then-President Donald Trump has set the stage to enact historic reforms of our democracy.

With President Joe Biden sitting in the White House, and a Democratic majority in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently declared that his first big legislative priorities would include the overarching reform bill S. 1, designed to repair America’s broken political structure, fix our corrupting campaign finance system and revitalize U.S. democracy. It mirrors Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bill in the House, the For the People Act, known as H.R. 1, which passed the House in 2019 and is expected to be voted on again soon. She considers it “central to the integrity of our government.”

The grave problems facing our political system make passage of this bill crucial in both houses of Congress, alongside Biden’s top priority: solving the Covid-19 crisis.

I began working on democracy issues roughly 50 years ago, fighting for the campaign finance and government reforms enacted in the wake of the 1970s Watergate scandal.

We must seize the moment that now exists to repair our democracy. If we do not, history shows us this opportunity will not come around again anytime soon.

Here are 10 reasons why Congress must pass this law now:

It empowers citizens. It protects the right to vote. It empowers small donors instead of big money. It protects voting by mail and early voting. It brings dark money into the light. It increases election security. It enforces campaign finance laws. It creates fair congressional districts. It addresses presidential conflicts of interest. It cuts down on foreign influence in U.S. elections.

We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to repair our system of representative government and rebuild citizen confidence. All Americans need to know that their voices are heard and their interests represented — not just the voices and interests of the wealthy and powerful.

Read the full op-ed here.

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