“Senate Democrats forced Senate Republicans on Wednesday to filibuster the Freedom to Vote Act, which is sort of the light version of the comprehensive For the People Act that Senate Democrats forced Senate Republicans to filibuster last month. Chuck Schumer also made it known that, as soon as next week, Senate Democrats plan to force Senate Republicans to filibuster the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, an effort to restore portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the U.S. Supreme Court gutted in 2013. The idea is to show how committed Democrats are to voting rights – and how determined Republicans are to let states get away with voter-suppression legislation that turns back the clock on voting rights. But at some point, you have to wonder if the message Democrats are really sending to constituencies worried about voting rights is a bit different: We can’t get this done, and part of the reason we can’t get this done is that some in our own ranks care more about preserving the filibuster than about voting rights.”

“Perhaps party leaders should think about that as they examine disturbing signs of Democratic-base discouragement and disillusionment that could produce an electoral disaster in 2022… Democrats can loudly blame this on Republicans or more quietly blame it on Manchin and Sinema. They would be right to do either or both. But perhaps the lack of results speaks more loudly than any words on the Senate floor. ‘Messaging’ votes that aren’t really designed to accomplish anything have become extremely common in Washington these days. But it’s important to remember that legislative offerings promising bold action on strongly felt needs and grievances can gradually and then rapidly undermine confidence anything will change. On voting rights in particular, Dems should beware drawing too much attention to their own futility” – New York Magazine.