Dear Senator Manchin:
I respect your allegiance to Senate traditions and your concern that doing away with the filibuster rule as currently exists could lead to unintended consequences should Senate Republicans gain majority status in the future.
However, we are witnessing state after state under Republican control enact or plan to enact laws that will cripple the ability of all voters to easily cast their votes in future elections. Minority communities and the elderly, especially, will be adversely affected by these laws.
It is imperative that H.R. 1 (the For the People Act) be passed by the Senate to protect their votes. Sadly, Republican senators will not join in this patriotic endeavor. It is up to Democrats to keep our nation an example of good for the rest of the world and not be an example of how democratic ideals can be legislated away by a disenchanted, vindictive party that falsely claims voter fraud in the last election.
By agreeing to return the Senate to its founding practice of majority rule you will not be reducing your importance. Your vote will continue to be critical on all legislation that Republicans choose not to support. Experience has shown Republicans consistently have chosen party politics over country.
Without your vote to change the filibuster rule President Biden’s plans to rebuild America will be thwarted. Americans will lose their right to free and fair elections.
Your legacy as a senator of the United States, not just as a senator from West Virginia, will be determined by how you respond to the peril our legislative and electoral processes face.
While I am not a constituent of yours I am an American citizen who looks to U.S. senators to act in the best interests of the country and not just in the narrow interests of their respective states.
I hope and implore you to recognize the challenge and your opportunity. Announce your willingness to cast your vote to change the Senate filibuster rule so America can move forward and be confident our elections will be unencumbered and open to all legal voters.
Respectfully,
Murray Forseter
