Vice President Kamala Harris called voting rights the right that leads to all other rights as she put pressure on Congress to get legislation done.
Video:
Vice President Kamala Harris on voting rights, " I believe voting rights is one of the most significant issues that is facing us as individuals and leaders today. There is no question. Voting rights lead to every other right. We need to prioritize it as a nation." pic.twitter.com/Ebwb56JnpB
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 26, 2021
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Transcript via CBS’s Face The Nation:
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I am and- and but I’m talking about that, and I’m talking about what’s not happening in this Capitol in Washington, D.C., which is the passing of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We have to- we have to agree- and this is not about saying you should vote for me or you should vote for Democrats. This is about everyone having unfettered access to their right to vote and- and agreeing that this is bigger than one election cycle. This is literally about our standing in the world, it’s about the integrity of our democracy. And I do believe of all the things that are on the headline news tonight, tomorrow, for the next week or months, when our kids look back five- ten years from now, at this moment it will be on our watch that we either stood for and fought for our democracy or not. And that I think that is all at stake right now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you still have the reality of a 50-50 Senate–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Correct.
MARGARET BRENNAN: –and you have two senators who say they’re not on board for changing the filibuster in order to try to push this through. So how do you overcome that democratic reality of not having the votes and not having a clear path forward?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: And you’re right to talk about the- the structure and the rules of the Senate, and that is real. And we will do, and look at whatever is necessary to push for Congress to take this issue on. And we have to, we have to.
MARGARET BRENNAN: A carve out to the filibuster?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is that we are going to urge the United States Congress, and we have been, to examine the tools they have available to do what is necessary to fight for and retain the integrity of our voting system in America.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It sounds like you’re open, though, to a carve out to the filibuster to get there.–
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I –
MARGARET BRENNAN: –You were when you ran for president on the issue of climate. Are voting rights as important to you?
VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I believe that voting rights is one of the most significant issues that is facing us as individuals and as leaders today, there’s no question, no question. Voting rights lead to every other right, every other right. And so we need to prioritize it as a nation, all of us and understand why voting rights are important and- and- and insist that our elected leaders preserve these rights.Â
Outside of Republicans buying into Trump’s big lie, and a few Democrats putting their own self-interest ahead of the country, there is no reason why voting rights legislation hasn’t been passed and signed into law already.
Democracy is being killed by the politics of self in the Senate.
There is no policy reason why voting rights legislation has not passed yet. All 50 Democrats agree on and support the voting rights bills in the Senate.
Vice President Harris was right about the critical importance of voting rights. A couple of Senate Democrats are treating the right to vote as just another issue, and the consequences could be disastrous for the future of US democracy.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
