On the recordJanuary 7, 2022
I am pleased to be here with my colleagues today to emphasize the incredible importance of voting rights as the foundation for our democratic Republic: Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota, who spoke with the perspective of the chair of our Rules Committee and her experience in her State of Minnesota; Senator Durbin, who so understands the challenges from his decades of public service and service in this Chamber; Senator Kaine of Virginia, who brought forth some of the challenges over time that have existed targeting Black Americans; and Senator Schumer, who just took us on a tour through history, bringing us to that point of saying: Let's make sure that our democratic Republic does not perish, that it endures; that that responsibility sits on our shoulders. Mr. President, there are more than 4,500 words in the Constitution, but the three that matter most are the first three: ``We the People.'' Our Founders printed those words in supersize font, saying this is what it is all about, that we do not take our government's power and authority in America as descended from Kings or the elite or the powerful; that our government takes its authority and power from the people up. And that is accomplished through the ballot box. We are a nation with a government, as President Lincoln so eloquently said, ``of the people, by the people, and for the people.'' That is why the ballot box is the beating heart of our democracy.…





