By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
The American people need to realize that the real issue in the United States Senate is not the “Filibuster” but racism. Former President Obama clearly stated this in his recent interview with Anderson Cooper of CNN. The fact that U.S. Senator Joe Manchin is meeting or has met with national Civil Rights leaders as if he is interested in what they have to say, is no more than a media stunt in an attempt to soften the blow of his racist attitude concerning the filibuster.
Yes. It is racist to see that you are one of the two people in the U.S. Senate attempting to re-institutionalize “Jim Crow” segregation through supporting the filibuster which would require 10 Republican votes in the Senate instead of a simple majority, which could allow passage.
Everytime the American people hear the term “Filibuster”, the word “Racist” should be inserted in its place. Those members of the Senate who support the filibuster over debate and legislative consideration of the public policy issues facing this great nation, should be labeled for the racists they are.
When one considers the 22 states that have already passed voter suppression laws, which eliminate hours and locations for polling places, that require voter identification cards for those with the greatest issues of getting such cards, like our Black and Latino seniors who have already been voting since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the very fact that the John Lewis “For the People Act” would render null and void the voter suppression acts now in all of 47 states, it becomes clear that the whole idea is to prevent people of color from voting so that we do not have a repeat of the Black voter victories in Georgia that placed a Black and a Jew in the U.S. Senate.
Donald Trump has become the symbol of the Republican Party because he gives body and voice to the fears that old school whites have about the “browning” of America.
The same wave of righteous indignation that swept America after the “murder” of George Floyd and that placed Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris in the Presidency should be continued with all the same passion. “We The People” must demand the abolishment of the “filibuster” and the racism it represents. It is not a part of our Constitution. We must remain a nation of laws and not outdated racist tradition.
Joe Manchin and your Democratic colleague, Kyrsten Sinema, your actions support the racist behavior of the Republican Senate and the Republican Party which is leading this national attack on blocking legislation that supports all of America and people of color in particular.
Let’s not waste more precious time on the Republicans. Let’s get rid of the filibuster now by any means necessary. The future depends on it.
