Why I was arrested yesterday

People across the country are speaking out and raising their voices to demand that our White House and Senate—especially Senate Democrats, who hold the majority—take action now.

Dear MoveOn member,

This is Rahna Epting, MoveOn's executive director. Yesterday, I did something neither I nor any other executive director of MoveOn has ever done before: I got arrested. I joined nearly 100 fellow activists, as well as faith and civil rights leaders, at the Women's Moral March on Washington to participate in a season of nonviolent direct action to call out the immoral obstructionism of Congress and demand action to protect the fundamental right to vote.

People across the country are speaking out and raising their voices to demand that our White House and Senate—especially Senate Democrats, who hold the majority—take action now. If Democratic state lawmakers in Texas are willing to leave their families and risk arrest to stop Republicans in the state from passing voter suppression laws disenfranchising people of color, Democrats in Congress must honor the oath they took to protect our constitutional rights by passing the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and D.C. statehood without delay.

Will you fight alongside me by chipping in $8 a month to power MoveOn's effort to end the filibuster and pass federal legislation protecting the freedom to vote?

Yes, I'll chip in monthly.

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

I'll admit it. I'm growing increasingly alarmed by the GOP's tactics and a lack of bold action from Senate Democrats. Eighty-one million of us overcame a global pandemic, targeted voter suppression, massive disinformation, and more to usher Democrats into power to deliver for the people. And while Democrats are indeed fighting hard to pass a transformational economic investment package (President Biden's Build Back Better agenda), on the other side of the fence we've got a five-alarm fire on our democracy.

You've heard it before: The Senate's self-imposed arcane filibuster rule allows Mitch McConnell and the MAGA-hijacked Republican Party to obstruct the progress 81 million of us voted for in November. That's right: By requiring 60 votes for any major piece of legislation, the filibuster rule—a racist relic from the Jim Crow era that entrenches minority rule today—gives Senate Republicans the ability to stop the Democratic Senate majority from safeguarding our democracy, restoring our voting rights legislation, passing a $15 minimum living wage, aggressively tackling climate change, and so much more. And did I mention that Senate Democrats actually represent 41 million more Americans in this country than Senate Republicans, which makes it all even more maddening?

All of this led me to Washington, D.C. yesterday, and it's why I am emailing you now. We will and we must continue to amp up the pressure on the Senate to break through the gridlock and demand action, and we need your help to do it, Andra. Will you chip in $8 a month?

Yes, I'll chip in monthly.

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

Faith leaders and civil rights activists are putting their bodies on the line and risking arrest. Thousands of Americans turned out in droves to honor John Lewis this past weekend and demand that the Senate do more than offer lip service to his legacy.

But I'm going to level with you: The path to eliminating the filibuster to unlock our governing potential is not easy by any means. You no doubt have heard that there are Democratic senators who defend the filibuster. It may appear as if these senators have made up their minds, but here's the thing: Progress often seems impossible until the moment we break through. We've already seen cracks in the dam. Some of those Democrats have started to favor reforming the filibuster, and there are signs that even the White House is losing patience with the obstruction. We cannot let up now. We must continue to build pressure and demand that Democrats deliver by removing any obstacles in their way toward the progress we voted for.

I am so proud to say that MoveOn is funded by members like you, not billionaires and corporations. Will you chip in $8 a month to help us continue the fight to protect the right to vote?

Yes, I'll chip in monthly.

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

I believe we can win. That's why I protested—and why I ended up getting arrested—yesterday. That's why Texas lawmakers have come to D.C. That's why so many MoveOn members—and our friends and neighbors—are already calling, protesting, and organizing.

And that's why MoveOn will keep up this pressure in the weeks ahead, through the August recess, and until we pass bold legislation—that we voted for and we deserve.

Thanks for all of your work to bring us to this moment—and for all you are doing to escalate and advocate and build a better society.

Thanks for all you do.

–Rahna Epting, MoveOn Executive Director

Want to support MoveOn's work? The GOP is launching an all-out campaign to take down the Democratic majority in Congress and reinstall Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader in 2022. To defeat the GOP, MoveOn is going all-in with TV ads, a nationwide grassroots organizing campaign, and more.

Will you chip in to power our effort to defeat McConnell and the GOP in 2022?

Yes, I'll chip in $8 a month.

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

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