Republicans Block Big Democratic Voting Rights Bill
Latest obstruction only seems to push moderate Manchin closer into Dems' partisan arms
To a man and woman, all 50 Senate Republicans stood solidly behind a filibuster aimed at dooming the slim Democratic majority's expansive voting rights bill — even over the objections of conservative West Virginia Democratic Sen Joe Manchin, who once again was caught holding the bag after trying to craft an honest bipartisan compromise.
Democrats are eager to pass federal legislation to stanch the flow of laws Republicans are approving at the state level to restrict the voting access for Black Americans and others.
Manchin, himself, was a holdout in support for the Democratic voting rights legislation, as he sought a compromise measure which he and at least some Republicans could embrace.
“Over the past month, I have worked to eliminate the far reaching provisions of S.1, the For the People Act – which I do not support. I’ve found common ground with my Democratic colleagues on a new version of the bill that ensures our elections are fair, accessible and secure. Today I will vote ‘YES’ to move to debate this updated voting legislation as a substitute amendment to ensure every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot and participate in our great democracy,” Manchin said.
“This compromise legislation makes it easier to vote by expanding voter access through early voting and vote by mail for those who are eligible and unable to vote in person. Additionally, the bill has been modified to include voter ID requirements that aim to strengthen the security of our elections without making it harder for Americans to vote,” he added. “Finally, this common-sense compromise seeks to end dark money and increase transparency behind campaign funding by requiring the disclosure of donors making contributions of $10,000 or more.
“These reasonable changes have moved the bill forward and to a place worthy of debate on the Senate floor. This process would allow both Republicans and Democrats to offer amendments to further change the bill. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues refused to allow debate of this legislation despite the reasonable changes made to focus the bill on the core issues facing our democracy,” Manchin said. “As I have said before, the right to vote is fundamental to our American democracy and protecting that right should not be about party or politics. I remain committed to finding a bipartisan pathway forward because the future of our democracy is worth it.”
Republicans may have hoped that their filibuster killed any hopes for voting rights legislation, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed that Democrats would not give up.
“But I want to be clear about one thing. As I said last night, the fight to protect voting rights is far—very far—from over. Yesterday’s vote was the starting gun, not the finish line,” he said in remarks from the Senate floor. “As the Senate majority leader, I reserve the right to bring this issue up for debate again. Yesterday was the first time we tried to consider major voting rights legislation, but it won’t be the last.
“Democrats will explore every option available to us for reconsidering legislation on this topic. We’ll leave no stone unturned. Voting rights are too important,” Schumer added.
Manchin's second “frustration”
Tuesday's voting rights filibuster was the second time Republican bald-faced obstruction has blown up in Manchin's face in recent weeks.
He tried last month — unsuccessfully — to head off a filibuster aimed at the formation of a bipartisan commission to study the events around the deadly January 6 Capitol insurrection.
Manchin admitted that it stirred up his “frustration.”
But while Republicans may think that they are achieving short-term goals in blocking the Democratic legislative agenda, they may in truth be shooting themselves in the foot.
How?
Because already as Manchin is witnessing his Republican colleagues’ abject partisan obstruction, it's pushing him to abandon his own vows of solemn bipartisanship — and into the embrace of more Democratic-only legislating.
For instance, since Tuesday's voting rights filibuster, Manchin's publicly come out to support a Democratic-only “human infrastructure” bill and a rollback of at least part of the 2017 tax cuts enacted under former president Donald Trump.
"Republicans have drawn a line in the sand on not changing anything, and I thought the 2017 tax bill was a very unfair bill, and weighted to a side that basically did not benefit the average American," he told NBC News.