Dan Pfeiffer - Voting Rights Failed: Here's What To Do Now

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:Jon Zal
@jon_zal
I’m trying to spend less time feeling angry and defeated, and more time accepting that there are only two choices: keep fighting or give up.

I can’t seem to do the second one … so I appreciate @danpfeiffer’s ability to shift my focus to what’s next.

messagebox.substack.com
Voting Rights Failed: Here's What To Do Now
Yesterday was a tough day, but it doesn't have to be the end of our efforts to save democracy
6:10 AM · Jan 20, 2022

https://messagebox.substack.com/p/voting-rights-failed-heres-what-to

*snip*


Understanding the Limits of Political Leverage

Over the last year, every wing of the party tried to put tremendous public and private pressure on Manchin and Sinema. There were promised primary challenges, protests, and television ads. In the end, none of it mattered. Neither senator budged an inch. In fact, they are significantly more dug in against changing the filibuster than they were a year ago. There are lessons to be learned about the limits of political leverage. Manchin and Sinema both believe it to be in their political interests to be seen as opposing their own party. Manchin, who represents a state Trump won by 39 points last year, is undoubtedly correct about his political situation. Sinema is likely dead wrong about her politics, but no one is going to convince her otherwise, especially since she doesn’t have to face the voters until 2024.

But because they believe pissing off their party is good politics, all of the attention lavished on them had the opposite of the intended effect. Going forward, all of us are going to have to be more strategic about how we invest time and energy, and be realistic about politics. Changing a politician’s mind about what is in their own political interests is very difficult and in this case, impossible. Our focus going forward needs to be on changing the math in the Senate. It won’t be easy, but 52 Democratic Senators means we can stop caring about what Manchin and Sinema want regarding voting rights and other key issues.

Stop Talking About Manchin and Sinema

Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are a problem. They stand in the way of popular and important policy. They are a political anvil around our necks. But it’s time to stop talking and tweeting about them. I am sick of talking about them and I know you are sick of hearing about them. But this is about more than self-care. As Jonathan Weisman put it in the New York Times:

The remarkable vitriol being trained by Democratic activists on two members of their own party has largely given Republicans a pass for blocking the bill and standing by new state laws designed to limit access to the ballot box and empower partisan actors to administer elections and count votes.

All of the focus this week has been on the inability of Democrats to reform the filibuster as opposed to Republicans using the filibuster to block voting rights legislation. The story is our failure, not their obstruction, and that’s a big problem. To win in 2022, Democrats must reconstitute the anti-Trump majority who delivered the House, Senate, and White House. The best way to do that is to remind people the crisis that sparked them into action five years ago has not receded. It has grown. We have to make this election a choice between Democrats and MAGA Republicans. We can’t do that if we keep the spotlight on the incalcitrant Senate Democrats.

*snip*

[PortTack]

1. Good article...we cannot give up!! VOLUNTEER DONATE VOTE!!!

[Alexander Of Assyria]

2. Don't give up because Biden/Harris won't give up and the persuasion of two of our own

party members on what is ok to approve and want is not is still very possible.

Optimism because there is still plenty of time before the mid term votes are cast and a lifetime before the presidential.

The mass media can’t hide the calendar or the noon and the sun.

[Moebym]

4. I'd like someone to explain to me

Just what Pfeiffer meant by "Democratic leaders who played a weak hand very poorly". I haven't read his Substack before, so I don't know his reasoning, although I have listened to him on Crooked Media podcasts before and respect his views a great deal.

Not criticizing - I just want to be more informed.