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Progressives perked up after hearing President BidenJoe BidenDemocrats reach deal on .5T price tag for infrastructure bill Texas family arrested for role in Capitol riot Key Senate Democrats undecided on Biden's ATF nominee MORE call passing sweeping voting rights legislation known as the For the People Act a national imperative in a speech from Philadelphia.

Now they say they are awaiting his next steps on Capitol Hill.

In an address from the National Constitution Center on Tuesday, Biden delivered what Democratic lawmakers and liberal activists had been pleading with him to give for weeks: a strongly worded warning of the fragility of voting rights in America.

I will sign it and let the whole world see it, Biden declared about the voting rights measure.

But a number of Democrats have been disappointed that Biden hasnt used his platform to pressure Democratic senators to end the legislative filibuster.

Without such a change, the For the People Act will not reach his desk.

Biden has not signaled an interest in pressuring Democrats such as Sens. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinDemocrats reach deal on .5T price tag for infrastructure bill Key Senate Democrats undecided on Biden's ATF nominee On The Money: Inflation spike puts Biden on defensive | Senate Democrats hit spending speed bumps | Larry Summers huddles with WH team MORE (W.Va.) and Kyrsten SinemaKyrsten SinemaDemocrats reach deal on .5T price tag for infrastructure bill Key Senate Democrats undecided on Biden's ATF nominee Democrats under new pressure to break voting rights stalemate MORE (Ariz.), who oppose ending the filibuster. Democrats would need all their members in the Senate to back ending the procedure to kill it.

He did not mention the filibuster, so thats a little disappointing, said Vicki Miller, group leader of the Philadelphia chapter of Indivisible. She marched outside the venue with members of her organization while listening to Biden speak from her cellphone.

If he came out strongly that the Senate needs to do filibuster reform, that would be so persuasive to Democratic senators. He knows them all, she said.

Im interested to see where he goes from here. This is just a start. It needs to get a lot stronger, Miller added.

Questions about how seriously the White House had been taking voting rights had been mounting for much of the spring and into the summer.

Gearing up for his speech, Biden had ground to make up with many on the left who had criticized the administration over what they view as insufficient attention on the issue.

One source briefed on a private discussion between White House officials and activists last week said there was an impression left on some progressives that the For the People Act had fallen to the back burner and that it was not an urgent matter for the administration ahead of the midterms.

Biden sought to tamp down such skepticism with his speech and warned that we have to prepare now for raw and sustained election subversion in 2022.

He also denounced false claims from former President TrumpDonald TrumpTexas family arrested for role in Capitol riot Poll: McAuliffe holds 2-point lead over Youngkin in Virginia governor's race On The Money: Inflation spike puts Biden on defensive | Senate Democrats hit spending speed bumps | Larry Summers huddles with WH team MORE and others that massive fraud took place in last years elections.

The 2020 election was the most scrutinized election ever in American history, Biden said. The big lie is just that: a big lie, he added to applause.

While progressive activists who spoke to The Hill were relieved that Biden delivered a call to action on the national stage, the presidents speech is unlikely to quash their angst.

While we appreciate the remarks and we applaud the efforts so far, we need to see the president and the vice president to use the full force of the presidential office to see the For the People Act across the finish line, said Jana Morgan, who directs the progressive network Declaration for American Democracy.

The Rev. Al Sharpton told The Associated Press that he and the president chatted after he spoke. I said to him I thought it was a good speech. I was very happy to hear him bring up race. But were still waiting on the filibuster, the civil rights leader told the outlet.

He told me: Were still working on our position on that. He was noncommittal, Sharpton added.

One of Biden closest confidants, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), told Politico over the weekend that the president could easily call Manchin and tell him, Hey, we should do a carveout, referencing a way to reform the rule.

Texas Democratic lawmakers who left their state for Washington, D.C., to prevent the state legislature from passing a restrictive voting measure echoed Clyburns message. They are expected to meet with Manchin directly as well as Vice President Harris.

We need to hear from the Oval Office, from the president, from the vice president, who hes assigned to work on this, that nothing can stand in the way, Morgan said.

Its great to hear him call it a national imperative, and now we want to see him turn those words into actions by working with Senate Democrats to do whatever is necessary to get this bill to his desk,Morgan added.

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Biden speech unlikely to quash progressive angst | TheHill - The Hill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is hearing from her left flank about climate spending they want in the Democratic reconciliation package.

Driving the news: 11 progressive House Democrats led by Rep. Cori Bush, in a new letter first obtained by CBS, call for various provisions, including "$250 billion in climate and environmental justice funding for local governments" and $1 trillion to "build public renewables with union labor."

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They also want $600 billion in various transit, rail, EV and other transportation finance and $132 billion for a "Civilian Climate Corps."

Writers of the letter include Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and the rest of "The Squad," as well as House Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal.

The big picture: The proposed spending would go beyond even what the White House first proposed in March, let alone the much smaller sums for clean energy and climate in the bipartisan infrastructure framework.

Quick take: The letter signals how Democrats will face big hurdles crafting a reconciliation measure that can unite their caucus, which has razor-thin margins in both chambers.

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House progressives reveal the climate spending they want in Democratic reconciliation package - Yahoo News

Andrew Trunsky

Eric Adams became the latest moderate Democrat to triumph among a field of far more liberal candidates, pointing to a recent trend of the partys most reliable voters bucking progressives for those holding more centrist views despite their lower profile.

Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President and a former NYPD officer, centered his campaign around lowering the citys rising crime rate and improving not defunding its police department. His message led him to win every borough except Manhattan, the wealthiest of the citys five, even as he had exponentially fewer Twitter followers than some of his rivals and the prominent progressives who endorsed them.

Adamswon the Democratic primarywith just over 50% of the vote after the ranked-choice voting process concluded, but was ranked third on over 30% of ballots among the eight-candidate field. Maya Wiley, the leading progressive candidate in New York Citys mayoral race, ultimately finished third.

His win follows moderate victories in Democratic congressional and gubernatorial primaries across the country. Special elections inLouisianaandNew Mexicosaw low-profile, pragmatic moderates prevail over progressive challengers and Republicans alike, despite the districts encompassing New Orleans and Albuquerque, each states largest city, respectively.

In Virginia, former establishment Gov. Terry McAuliffesailedthrough his Democratic primary in June, winning over 60% of the vote across the five-candidate field.

The wins come less than a year after President Joe Biden defeated more liberal opponents in the Democratic primaries, ultimately winning Novembers election with a constituencydisproportionately relianton married men and veteran households both moderate to conservative groups as well as progressive voters.

Many moderate Democrats in Congress attributed Republicansunexpected gainsin the House tounpopular progressive policiesthat mobilized swing constituencies in competitive districts.

We almost lost races we shouldnt have lost. Defund the police almost cost me my race because of an attack ad. Dont ever say socialism ever again, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, whose district extends rural and exurban Virginia to Richmond, the state capital,reportedly saidin November. If we run this race again we will get fucking torn apart again in 2022.

Some progressives already holding citywide offices have faced pushback as well, especially in cities facing rising crime. Progressive district attorneys in both San Francisco and Los Angeles are facing recall efforts, joined by none other than California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom over a dozen Republicans arevying to unseatdespite the state being one of the most liberal in the country.

California voters last November alsorejectedan effort to reinstate affirmative action, shooting down Proposition 16 by over 10 points as it voted for Biden by nearly 30. Voters in Washington, another liberal state, opted torepeal four separate tax increasesas Biden beat former President Donald Trump by 20.

Progressives have not come up short in every recent election. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman all ousted high-profile, veteran moderates in 2018 and 2020. In May, Philadelphias progressive district attorney, Larry Krasner,cruised to all but certain reelectionafter beating his police-backed challenger, while across the state in Pittsburgh progressive state Rep. Ed Gainey ousted Bill Peduto, the citys incumbent Democratic mayor.

Late last month, self-described socialist India Waltonousted incumbent Mayor Byron Brown, though Brown did not help himself by continuously discounting her campaign andrefusingto debate her in the weeks before the election.

Adams ultimately credited his win in Americas largest city not to his refusal to adopt sweeping points like defund the police or Medicare-for-All, but to his on-the-ground, kitchen table campaign that ultimately secured votes from progressives, moderates and conservatives alike.

Social media does not pick a candidate, Adams said after the election kicked off on June 22. People on social security pick a candidate. I dont care about what people tweet. I care about the people I meet on the street.

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Eric Adams Shows Yet Again That Progressives Dominate The Dialogue, Only To Lose Elections - The Free Press

(Isaac Hale | Special to The Tribune) Attendees wave American flags during Stadium of Fire held at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, July 3, 2021.

| July 13, 2021, 12:30 p.m.

I say BS to the Black Lives Matter Utah comment that people who display American flags are racist.

Yes, there are a number of people who are racist who hide behind the American flag. That is too bad.

I have displayed an American flag at my home since 1999 when we moved here. The flag, to me, stands for many good things and sacrifices made for our freedoms. I love my flag and my country, and even with the things that need changing, like racism, it is my flag.

I was a huge supporter and donor to Barack Obama both times. If you look at pictures of him, he most often chose to have one pin on his chest. That pin was the American flag.

Nothing prevents progressives from honoring the flag of our nation.

Gordon Johnston, West Valley City

Submit a letter to the editor

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Letter: Progressives should honor the flag, too - Salt Lake Tribune

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

JUAN GONZLEZ: Representative, I wanted to ask you about in the infrastructure and the developing agreement between Democrats and Republicans on infrastructure, the concerns of you and other members of the Progressive Caucus about what is going to happen to efforts to combat climate change in these battles over infrastructure?

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I believe that the Progressive Caucus is rather united in the fact that we will not support bipartisan legislation without a reconciliation bill, and one that takes bold and large action on climate, drawing down carbon emissions, but also job creation and increasing equity and resilience for impacted communities, particularly frontline communities. And so, weve made that very clear and that a bipartisan agreement will not pass unless we have a reconciliation bill that also passes. And so, that is where weve drawn a strong line. And I believe that Speaker Pelosi, the White House and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have taken that threat quite seriously. They know that we fully intend on acting out on that if a reconciliation bill does not come to the floor of the House.

And, you know, we have many theres many, many different actions that we need in a climate bill for reconciliation, whether its a Civilian Climate Corps, whether it is increased infrastructure and investment in rail, in mass transit, and whether its also centering frontline, Indigenous, Black and Brown and low-income communities that are polluted on and often experience the greatest brunt, and will be experiencing the greatest brunt, of climate change-related infrastructure failures.

AMY GOODMAN: So, this issue of trying to get a massive Green New Deal proposed I mean, Bernie Sanders, of course, head of the Budget Committee, said $3 trillion is simply not enough to deal with what must be dealt with in this country also involves this filibuster. And there are many right now, in the voting rights community, for example and this all overlaps who are saying just President Biden is simply not expending his political capital to get this dealt with, because he has a very limited amount of time, possibly, when the Democrats are in power in the Senate and hes the president and Democrats control the House, to get some of this groundbreaking legislation through. Tomorrow hell be giving a voting rights speech in Philadelphia. What does he have to do? What are you saying behind the scenes? What is Schumer saying? What is your relationship like with Schumer? What are you demanding they do that theyre failing to do right now?

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, I do believe that there is a sense, particularly among members of Congress, that believe that the White House is leaving some of its leverage on the table in terms of really pushing on voting rights and the passage of H.R. 1, and particularly in its conversations with those in the Senate, whether it is Senator Manchin, Sinema or, frankly, there are others. Its not just Manchin and Sinema that have been hesitant on the filibuster, but I believe that there are other members of the Senate that are essentially hiding behind them in their hesitations, as well. And, you know, the White House has been stepping up slightly in that campaign, and I think thats evidenced by their decision to make a speech tomorrow.

But I do believe that all of these conversations are quite interlinked, and I believe that it should be coming up in every conversation and every negotiation, whether it is infrastructure, whether it is voting rights and so on, that, you know, the White House needs to be making explicit, frankly, to members of Congress the way that it is what they are doing, particularly within our own party, to make sure that this gets done, because the last thing that we want to see is a lot of wonderful speeches and public-facing statements but no actual passage of critical voting rights legislation.

And I think that this is it cannot be stated enough that the United States is in a very fragile and delicate precipice of democracy in our own right. And if we do not get H.R. 1 passed, if we do not pass it in this term, I think I and many other individuals, frankly, are quite fearful for the state and future of our democracy. It is that simple. We have state Republican parties that are setting up the infrastructure and, frankly, the practice to overturn the results of an election. And that includes the presidential election.

JUAN GONZLEZ: And speaking of presidential elections, former President Trump delivered the keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, in Dallas, Texas, over the weekend. He captured over 70% of the 2024 GOP presidential nomination poll at CPAC. Should Democrats be concerned about his continued popularity?

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: I mean, I think the whole country should be concerned. You know, I think that there are two minds of this. One is that I do believe that whether he intends to run or not, former President Trump will be indicating and will continue to essentially tease the possibility. So, what that is to say is to not discount the ability and the popularity that he may have and the possibility of him running again. But it is also to say that he may not, but wants to continue his essentially, his vise grip over the Republican Party. And so there are two distinct possibilities here. But I do believe that the Democratic Party should be worried.

And that cuts straight to the voting rights provisions. And I do want to state that even Senator Manchin and some others have indicated that H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights, is what they would support instead. And I think while H.R. 4 is critical for passage, it does not solve this problem. And it is not a substitute for passing the For the People Act. One main and enormous provision is that H.R. 1, it is essentially retroactive, in that it will overturn and it will supersede many of these anti-democracy laws that are being passed in states across the country. And the Voting Rights Act doesnt I mean, the John Lewis the John Lewis Voting Rights Act does not do that. It restores key provisions of the Civil Rights Act, but H.R. 1 is what will actually institute and reverse some of these very corrosive and very frightening, frankly, anti-democracy laws that are being passed in state governments across the country.

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Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: Progressives May Sink Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Without Reconciliation Deal - Democracy Now!