Senator Manchin

Thoughts about the need for retaining some form of the filibuster are appreciated.  True democracy requires that all political extremes have a voice in crafting legislation.  As a rule, one-sided political rule is not very beneficial to Americans. And, for the past two decades, going back to the “Hassert Rule” America has paid a very hefty price for one-sided political governance.  But, today when only one side has intentions of providing solutions to problems and one side only has intentions of blocking any attempt to solve problems facing the country the choice has to favor the side offering solutions.  For the past 10 years America has had to live with the situation where the only solutions to problems of voting rights, immigration, citizenship for the Dreamers who know no country other than the United States, raising the minimum wage, increasing in taxes for corporations and the addition of more brackets with higher marginal rates at the top end of the tax brackets, better, less expensive healthcare, expanding coverage for Medicaid, the crumbling infrastructure, or the years-long measures to close loopholes in gun legislation.  Yes, in the past, Republicans have claimed to be concerned about these problems and even talked about solutions, but the reality is not a single measure has been offered in a Republican majority House or Senate that might offer a solution to any of these problems.  Bipartisanship is very much desired but only when the goal of bipartisanship is the actual solutions to Americas problems.  Allowing Republicans to continue the part of obstruction should not be a political strategy of you or any other follow Democrats choose to follow.  You, of all people, should be very aware that promises of solutions are no longer a winning election strategy.  Today, more than ever, the winning strategy is enacting solutions to the problems facing your constituents.  Republicans have chosen the path of obstructing viable solutions and have failed completely to offer an alternative to solutions that are part of the Biden offerings.  In fact, the only legislative solution recently enacted by Republicans seems to be finding ways to make it harder for people to vote.  What could be more un-democratic that the Republican attempts to restrict voting and make it harder for citizens to go to the polls, all in the name of non-existent voting fraud.