Friday, July 23, 2021

(#4556) Time to get the infrastructure packages done

     It has been long enough for the bipartisan infrastructure package to be finalized and ready for votes so let us get it done. The republicans have been slow walking it since arriving at a consensus on an overall package. Chuck Schumer gets it and most of us do also. So again, force their hand and schedule a vote for Monday to invoke cloture and this time if republicans do not support what is there now as a bipartisan infrastructure deal then let them kill and don't save it for another day down the road. We have seen this strategy of theirs over and over so let us not give it any more breath.
     Too many other things need to be addressed and wasting time with republicans to put together a simple infrastructure package is not beneficial. We have to get our minds and hearts on the voting rights bills that have been passed in the house and get to some agreement where a vote on them in the senate is doable. However we get there the idea that we would let red states destroy our right to vote without taking action is unfathomable. When we are under attack like we are with restrictive voting rights laws being passed throughout our nation the remedy of a federal law that prohibits voting restrictions is required.
     The republican party will not stop the voting restriction laws being implemented so it will be up to us democrats to do so. With only a 50 vote majority in the senate the only way to pass voting rights protections is to remove or dilute the senate filibuster rule. Removing the filibuster rule entirely is a hard nut to crack and at this moment in time isn't necessary as the way to go. But diluting the rule by doing a carve out of the filibuster, just for protecting voting rights, is not only justifiable but it is also a necessary priority. As we have seen with the staunch allies within our party to preserve the filibuster, we have also seen their arguments for keeping the rule become less logical. If we cannot protect our democracy then a sub set rule within our democracy becomes moot!

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