THE FILIBUSTER AGAINST
ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, EVEN
VOTING RIGHTS.
ALL 50 REPUBLICAN SENATORS VOTED
TODAY THAT THERE SHOULD NOT EVEN
BE A DEBATE ON THE VOTING RIGHTS
BILL, THE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT.
THAT ALSO MEANT THAT REPUBLICANS
DIDNT EVEN CONSENT TO CONSIDER
TO EVEN TALKING ABOUT A
DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE BILL,
LIKE FOR EXAMPLE THE
SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ITERATION
OF THE BILL PROPOSED BY
CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
JOE MANCHIN OF WEST VIRGINIA.
SENATOR MANCHIN HAS BEEN THE
FOCUS OF SO MUCH ATTENTION ON
THIS ISSUE BECAUSE OF THE
PECULIAR ANGLE HE TOOK ON THIS
THING.
IT WASNT JUST THAT MANCHIN SAID
HE DIDNT WANT TO VOTE FOR A
VOTING RIGHTS BILL UNLESS IT HAD
REPUBLICAN SUPPORT.
HE SAID THAT, BUT HE ALSO
EXPRESSED THIS RELENTLESS AND
SORT OF INEXPLICABLE OPTIMISM
THAT SOME REPUBLICANS WOULD
SUPPORT VOTING RIGHTS IN THE
END.
WHEN HE WROTE HIS OP-ED IN HIS
HOMETOWN PAPER RECENTLY
EXPRESSING HIS OPPOSITION TO ANY
VOTING RIGHTS BILL THAT DIDNT
HAVE REPUBLICAN SUPPORT, THAT
WAS SORT OF AN IMPLICIT
CRITICISM OF HIS DEMOCRATIC
COLLEAGUES IN THE SENATE FOR
WRITING A VOTING RIGHTS BILL
THAT NO REPUBLICAN SENATOR COULD
SUPPORT.
SENATOR MANCHIN PUT HIS THEORY
TO THE TEST THOUGH.
HE WROTE HIS OWN VERSION OF THE
VOTING RIGHTS BILL, SHOWING HIS
CONCEPT OF THE KIND OF BILL HE
FELT REPUBLICANS RIGHTFULLY
SHOULD SUPPORT AND SHOULD BE
EXPECTED TO SUPPORT ON VOTING
RIGHTS.
SENATOR MANCHIN DREW UP HIS OWN
PROPOSAL, WHAT HE THOUGHT SHOULD
GET REPUBLICAN VOTES.
THE REPUBLICAN LEADER IN THE
SENATE, MITCH McCONNELL,
RESPONDED BY CALLING THE PRO
POSED BILL, QUOTE, ROTTEN.
AND THEN TODAY REPUBLICAN
SENATORS, ALL 50 REPUBLICAN
SENATORS, VOTED TO NOT EVEN
CONSIDER WHAT JOE MANCHIN PUT
FORWARD.
SO, DOES THIS CHANGE SENATOR
MANCHINS MIND ABOUT ANY OF
THIS?
DOES IT SHIFT HIS IDEA THAT NO
VOTING RIGHTS BILL SHOULD PASS
IF IT DOESNT HAVE REPUBLICAN
VOTES?
NOW THAT HE SEES THE WAY THAT
REPUBLICANS ARE APPROACHING THIS
ISSUE IN TERMS OF DECIDING WHAT
THEYRE GOING TO VOTE FOR, WHAT
THEYRE GOING TO VOTE TO DEBATE,
WHAT THEYRE GOING TO VOTE TO
HEAR, DOES THIS CHANGE HIS MIND
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT A VOTING
RIGHTS BILL MUST HAVE REPUBLICAN
VOTES IF IT IS GOING TO BE A
LEGITIMATE APPROACH TO THIS
ISSUE THAT DESERVES HIS SUPPORT?
WE DONT KNOW.
SENATORS LEAVE AT THE END OF
THIS WEEK TO GO HOME FOR A
TWO-WEEK-LONG -- OH -- JULY 4th
RECESS.
WHAT SENATORS HEAR FROM THEIR
CONSTITUENTS WHEN THEYRE AT
HOME ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
VOTING RIGHTS, THAT MAY BE
DETERMINATIVE HERE AS TO WHETHER
THIS IS NOW OVER OR WHETHER
THERE MIGHT BE A NEXT STEP.
AT HOME IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA,
TODAY THIS WAS THE SCENE AT THE
OFFICES OF DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
KYRSTEN SINEMA.
SHE IS THE OTHER CONSERVATIVE
DEMOCRAT WHOS BEEN A HOLD-OUT
ON THIS ISSUE.
ALSO INSISTING SINCE REPUBLICANS
OUGHT TO SUPPORT VOTING RIGHTS,
DEMOCRATS SHOULD GIVE UP ON IT
IF THEY DONT.
I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW.
AND HER CONSTITUENTS CLEARLY
KNOW.
IN ADDITION TO THESE VISITS AT
HER OFFICE TODAY, SENATOR SINEMA
IS ALSO FACING ADS LIKE THESE
ONES RUNNING ON ARIZONA TV
STATIONS JUST BLASTING HER FOR
NOT BEING WILLING TO GET IT
DONE, FOR NOT STANDING UP FOR
VOTING RIGHTS.
NOW, I DONT KNOW HOW THIS IS
GOING TO END, BUT I DO KNOW THAT
REPUBLICANS IN THE STATES ARE
GOING MAXIMALIST WITH THEIR
POSITION ON THIS ISSUE.
TO THE POINT WHERE THEY
LITERALLY ARENT ASHAMED TO HAVE
THE DUDE WHO MAKES MOVIES ABOUT
NAZIS ON THE MOON AND ALIENS
DOING 9/11 BECOMING THE OFFICIAL
DOCUMENTARIAN FOR THEIR EFFORT
TO PROMOTE ELECTION FRAUD
NARRATIVE TO BOLSTER NOT ONLY
DISRESPECT FOR ELECTION BROAD
STROKES BUT SPECIFICALLY TO
BOLSTER REPUBLICAN EFFORTS IN ALL REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED STATES
ALL REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED STATES
NOW TO RESCIND VOTING RIGHTS.
SENATE REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON
KNOW THAT AS LONG AS THE
FILIBUSTER IS THERE, DEMOCRATS
HAVE NO OPTIONS IN TERMS OF
BACKING UP VOTING RIGHTS.
CLEAR ON THAT -- THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY BEING CLEAR ON THAT IN
TERMS OF WHETHER THERES GOING
TO BE FEDERAL PROTECTION FOR
VOTING RIGHTS CLEARS THE FIELD
FOR REPUBLICANS IN THE STATES TO
GO MAXIMALIST AND SHAMELESSLY AS
FAR AS THEY CAN ON THIS ISSUE.
TO MAKE VOTING AS RESTRICTED AS
POSSIBLE, TO TARGET VOTING
RESTRICTIONS AND THE
ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS IN A
WAY THAT IS MAXIMALLY PARTISAN
TO THEIR ADVANTAGE.
AND SO THEY PROCEED.
UNLESS DEMOCRATS CAN FIGURE OUT,
CAN GET THEIR HEADS AROUND THE