Merkley: Obama Spoke to Agenda We Need by Calling for Ending Filibuster – Saying McConnell’s Blocking Us ‘Not Acceptable’

On Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) stated that he hopes Democrats are “united behind a very strong, progressive agenda” and stated that President Obama spoke to this idea “when he said that we have to take on gerrymandering, voter suppression, dark money, voting rights of citizens in Puerto Rico and D.C., and if we have to change the filibuster to do it, so be it.” Merkley also stated that saying, “we want to do a lot, but too bad Mitch McConnell is blocking us, is not acceptable.”

While discussing the names on 2020 Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden’s vice presidential prospect list, Merkley said, “I want to see the Democrats united behind a very strong, progressive agenda. So, I hope the individual is someone who realizes that we have the least cost-effective healthcare system among developed nations. We have the most income inequality among developed nations. We have to act effectively on protecting the election machinery. And I think President Obama so much addressed this in his speech at John Lewis’ funeral, when he said that we have to take on gerrymandering, voter suppression, dark money, voting rights of citizens in Puerto Rico and D.C., and if we have to change the filibuster to do it, so be it. We need to have a voice in the vice presidency who understands that just doing a little, or saying, we want to do a lot, but too bad Mitch McConnell is blocking us, is not acceptable.”

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