Today is #FilibusterFriday! Call your senators!

Tell them WE EXPECT THEM to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enact bold structural reform on every issue we care about.

This is a great filibuster explainer:

We have less than 2 years before the next election and we have a lot to fix NOW! Mitch McConnell isn’t blocking every Democratic-sponsored bill from reaching the Senate floor, so we should be able to make progress, right? No. The GOP will use the 60-vote minimum of the filibuster to block progressive legislation from advancing in the Senate, keeping that chamber’s reputation as “the most powerful force for structural racism in American life.” While both parties have used the filibuster, it has been weaponized to a greater extent than ever before by Republicans in order to kill landmark pieces of legislation that the majority of Americans want, from civil rights bill like voting access, to gun violence prevention, the Dream Act, Medicare-for-all and more.

Washington DC statehood is another victim. The GOP is so fearful that a new minority-majority state would create two Democratic senators, this blatant vestige of systemic racism in the heart of our nation will remain until we get 60 Democratic senators or the filibuster is dropped. (Call scripts for legislators and postcard campaign information here.)

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Senator [___] to remove the filibuster and get on with passing the bills the majority of Americans want. Civil rights bills like H.R.1 – For the People, H.R. 5 – the Equality Act and H.R. 51- Washington DC Admision Act. Commonsense gun legislation. Legislation to address climate change, childcare, immigration and healthcare. Yes, I understand the risks you think we are taking, but we see greater risks to democracy in never getting these bills passed. We will NOT accept [him/her] coming back to us in two years saying there was nothing [he/she] could do to advance issues important to us because of an self-mandated procedural relic of the Jim Crow era. We know better now, and so does [he/she].

Contacts – Call/EMail

It’s not just Manchin and Sinema who are problematic. Senator Feinstein has stated that she doesn’t want to get rid of the rule. CALL HER!!!

• Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
• and Senator Padilla: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884 (Updated local office contacts still in-progress.)
• Who is my representative/senator?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com

Send a letter to the Editor:

(Indivisible) Letters to the editor might not seem like the flashiest way to get your Member of Congress’s attention. But there’s something about a sharp letter to the editor in a hometown paper that can really get under the skin of the most powerful lawmaker. Use our tool below to get a sample letter to the editor template as well as contact information for your local papers.

• Letter to the Editor: Demand the Senate Eliminate the Filibuster to Save Our Democracy. – Click here for template.
• Letter to the Editor: Make Democracy Reform a Priority with DC Statehood. – Click here for template.
• Letter to the Editor: Making Democracy Reform a Priority: The For the People Act. Click here for template.

Join our Washington DC Statehood postcard campaign

Washington DC statehood call scripts for legislators and postcard campaign information here.

Twitter Scripts! Add/Substitute in our own legislators (@SenFeinstein, @SenAlexPadilla) where appropriate.

• Random Act of Kindness Week: Hey @SenSchumer for Random Act of Kindness Week, repeal the filibuster for the ultimate act of kindness. Then give the People healthcare, jobs, and justice.  #RandomActsofKindnessWeek. There’s no such thing as a small act of kindness.
• Black History Month: On Feb  22, 1956 in Montgomery, AL, 80 Black people were arrested after an ultimatum from white city leaders. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were among them.  Honor #blackhistorymonth @SenSchumer @sengillibrand #EndTheFilibuster and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act! 
• George Washington Birthday: It’s George Washington’s Birthday. Give the country a gift we can all enjoy. #EndTheFilibuster @senschumer @sengillibrand #FilibusterFriday @indivisibleteam
• Save our democracy: 
  • Acquittal shows democracy is in trouble. We can’t count on Republicans to help us fix it. We need to repeal the filibuster. @SenSchumer @SenGillibrand #EndTheFilibuster #FilibusterFriday
  • Condoning white supremacist violence and boycotting progressive legislation by 43 Senators demands we #EndTheFilibuster @SenSchumer @SenGillibrand #FilibusterFriday
  • Restoring democracy demands passing For the People Act; the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act; and the Protecting Our Democracy Act @SenSchumer @SenGillibrand #EndTheFilibuster #FilibusterFriday
  • Now more than ever, fixing our democracy requires allowing fellow Americans full access to our democracy. @SenSchumer @SenGillibrand that’s DC statehood and self-determination for Puerto Rico. #EndTheFilibuster #FilibusterFriday 
  • Don’t let the GOP make a mockery of democracy. #EndTheFilibuster @senschumer @sengillibrand so we can fix voter rights. wapo.st/3jXKovz #FilibusterFriday @indivisibleteam
• Progressive Legislation:
  • The majority of Americans want progressive legislation, it’s time to move forward @SenSchumer @SenGillibrand and get the senate working again. #EndTheFilibuster #FilibusterFriday
  • Republicans are all talk. #EndTheFilibuster @senschumer @sengillibrand so we can stop talking and start fighting COVID, facing climate change, and paying workers fair wages. #FilibusterFriday @indivisibleteam
• Why Repeal the Filibuster:
  • Why must we repeal the filibuster? 👀 the video. The filibuster is a sinister threat to our nation by blocking progress favored by most Americans.  #EndTheFilibuster #FilibusterFriday https://twitter.com/IndivisibleTeam/status/1352360225051992064?s=20

(Sen. Gillibrand is still in the decision phase” regarding ending the filibuster.)

• Sen. Gillibrand Specific Tweets Ready To Fly! (She is still in the decision phase” regarding ending the filibuster.
  • We’re hearing Senator Gillibrand is “still in the decision phase” regarding ending the filibuster. Here’s a special campaign for her this week and we’ll begin including her in the regular campaigns going forward. 
  • #Hashtags to use with Sen. Gillibrand
    • #FAMILYAct #PaidLeave #FMLA #FilibusterFriday #EndTheFilibuste
• Random Act of Kindness Week (#FAMILYAct):
  • Hey @SenGillibrand for Random Act of Kindness Week, repeal the filibuster for the ultimate act of kindness. Then give the People the #FAMILYAct.  #RandomActsofKindnessWeek. There’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. #FilibusterFriday
• Made from Sen. Gillibrand’s Tweets:
  • .@PattyMurray knows how hard working moms have to fight to care for their families, does she also know passing the #FAMILYAct requires you to #EndTheFilibuster? FamilyAct can’t wait, are you with us @SenGillibrand? #FilibusterFriday
    • Graphic for Murray
  • The United States is the only industrialized country that doesn’t guarantee #PaidLeave. It’s because of the filibuster @SenGillibrand and @BernieSanders; are you fighting to change that? It’s time to #EndTheFilibuster #FilibusterFriday
    • Graphic for Sanders
  • .@AyannaPressley is right – there has never been a more urgent time to #EndTheFilibuster and ensure that every family in America has access to paid leave. Families deserve freedom @SenGillibrand. It’s time to repeal the filibuster and pass the #FAMILYAct. #FilibusterFriday
    • Graphic for Pressley
  • Jessica’s story is heartbreaking. #EndTheFilibuster and we can prevent these stories @SenGillibrand and provide paid leave to care for sick loved ones without worrying about your job or your paycheck. This is why we need the #FAMILYAct. #FilibusterFriday
    • Graphic for Jessica
  • It’s not just about whether families can care for their loved ones. It’s about whether they can financially survive and thrive while they do. #EndTheFilibuster @SenGillibrand & @CoryBooker then fighting to pass the #FAMILYAct will be easier. #FilibusterFriday
    • Graphic for Booker
  • With #PaidLeave, @MondaireJones mom and hardworking moms like her could care for their families without worrying about how they would put food on the table. #EndTheFilibuster @SenGillibrand to support all moms. #FilibusterFriday
    • Graphic for Jones

Good filibuster reads/resources

• (Indivisible) Filibuster FAQ’s
• (Brennan Center for Justice) The Case Against the Filibuster.
• (Vox) The definitive case for ending the filibuster: Every argument for the filibuster, considered and debunked.
• (Heather Cox Richardson) Letters from an American, Jan. 21st.
• (Indivisible) Eliminating the Filibuster
• (WaPo) Opinion | Stacey Abrams: Our democracy faced a near-death experience. Here’s how to revive it.
• (WaPo) Opinion: Democrats are faced with a choice. Protect the filibuster or protect democracy.
• (ChicagoSunTimes) End the Senate filibuster and force the GOP and Dems to govern instead of blame
• (NYTimes) The Filibuster That Saved the Electoral College – Like other Senate blockades of the civil rights era, it was about preserving white supremacy.
• (Vox) Four ways to reform the filibuster

Robert Reich