Discussion · Senate
Bernie Moreno Republican
“Democrats were wrong when they attacked Georgia's voting laws. Those laws worked well and led to record voter turnout. I want Democrats to come to the Senate floor and actually debate us on voting laws instead of avoiding the issue.”
“That would be the Democrat Party. And what is even more interesting about that is that phrase, Jim Crow 2.0--you know how sometimes you are like: Haven’t I heard that before? And we have heard that before. When Georgia reformed its elections laws, I think 2021--I don’t know the exact date--the Democrats called it Jim Crow 2.0. In fact, the Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta because they said they couldn’t support these kinds of racist actions in Georgia. Companies boycotted Georgia because of this. Georgia was persona non grata as a State. But they went forward with their elections reforms. And what was the result? Record voter turnout. Zero issue with anybody having voter ID. In fact, the Senators from Georgia--one of them is running right now under the very laws that he called Jim Crow 2.0, and he hasn’t given one speech in which he says that Georgia’s voter laws are anything other than common sense. Now, you remember even celebrities went out and did videos bemoaning Georgia. If that is not hypocrisy, what is? But here is how I will end for my colleagues: I think the American people deserve a debate. By the way, not just on this issue. I have been here for 18 months. Mr. President, you have been here for exactly the same period of time. This is exactly the number of debates I have seen in this Chamber: zero--zero debates. I think most Americans--I think you and I are probably shocked by that. Because when you and I were running for office, we are like: We are going to get ready. We are going in to debate. We don’t do debates. We do things like this: empty floor, not a single Democrat hearing the argument. I am bringing up: Hey, how about this? There is nobody to respond. Let’s have a debate. When 80-plus percent of the American people support a piece of legislation, it boggles the imagination of how the U.S. Senate can’t, at a minimum, debate the issue. So to my colleagues, my Democrat side, we don’t need to get rid of the filibuster--just like you wanted to, by the way. The Democrats wanted to get rid of the filibuster to pass the For the People Act, by the way. Thanks to Manchin and Sinema, that didn’t happen. But we don’t have to do that. Let’s have a debate. Come out here point by point and explain to the American people why you feel the way you do. I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but I can tell you the Republicans are ready for that debate. We look forward to that debate. The American people deserve that debate. Let’s do it.”
That would be the Democrat Party. And what is even more interesting about that is that phrase, Jim Crow 2.0--you know how sometimes you are like: Haven’t I heard that before? And we have heard that before. When Georgia reformed its elections laws, I think 2021--I don’t know the exact date--the Democrats called it Jim Crow 2.0. In fact, the Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta because they said they couldn’t support these kinds of racist actions in Georgia. Companies boycotted Georgia because of this. Georgia was persona non grata as a State. But they went forward with their elections reforms. And what was the result? Record voter turnout. Zero issue with anybody having voter ID. In fact, the Senators from Georgia--one of them is running right now under the very laws that he called Jim Crow 2.0, and he hasn’t given one speech in which he says that Georgia’s voter laws are anything other than common sense. Now, you remember even celebrities went out and did videos bemoaning Georgia. If that is not hypocrisy, what is? But here is how I will end for my colleagues: I think the American people deserve a debate. By the way, not just on this issue. I have been here for 18 months. Mr. President, you have been here for exactly the same period of time. This is exactly the number of debates I have seen in this Chamber: zero--zero debates. I think most Americans--I think you and I are probably shocked by that. Because when you and I were running for office, we are like: We are going to get ready. We are going in to debate. We don’t do debates. We do things like this: empty floor, not a single Democrat hearing the argument. I am bringing up: Hey, how about this? There is nobody to respond. Let’s have a debate. When 80-plus percent of the American people support a piece of legislation, it boggles the imagination of how the U.S. Senate can’t, at a minimum, debate the issue. So to my colleagues, my Democrat side, we don’t need to get rid of the filibuster--just like you wanted to, by the way. The Democrats wanted to get rid of the filibuster to pass the For the People Act, by the way. Thanks to Manchin and Sinema, that didn’t happen. But we don’t have to do that. Let’s have a debate. Come out here point by point and explain to the American people why you feel the way you do. I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but I can tell you the Republicans are ready for that debate. We look forward to that debate. The American people deserve that debate. Let’s do it.