| We’re putting pressure on Sen. Feinstein to stop protecting the filibuster, so that progressive legislation can get a fair vote! The filibuster is the rule McConnell has used to block more than 400 bills from the Democrat-controlled House last year alone. Under the rule, contested legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate to override the filibuster and get a floor vote, even though it would take only 51 votes to actually pass the bill. It’s a rule that was written by the father of the Confederacy, John C. Calhoun, to protect slavery from being made illegal by the majority non-slave states. It has been used to block landmark bills and protect Jim Crow time and time again. Sen. Feinstein is protecting the filibuster based on an idea of the Senate that no longer exists. The filibuster doesn’t force senators to come to the table for compromise — instead, McConnell uses it to block progressive legislation from coming up for any discussion whatsoever. Her refusal is helping Republicans block critical abortion and gun safety bills, as well as any other legislation Democrats put forward. Sen. Feinstein’s approval rating is 35%, the lowest in her career, and we need to leverage political pressure to convince her to do the right thing. She is a powerful voice in the Senate, and if she agrees to end the filibuster, it will help convince the other holdouts. Sign our petition to tell Sen. Dianne Feinstein: Vote to end the filibuster! |
