Biden tells activists to 'keep the faith' ahead of Atlanta voting rights speech

President Joe Biden declared on Tuesday he was 'tired of being quiet' on voting rights and demanded the Senate kill the filibuster in order to pass federal legislation.

In a fiery speech in Atlanta, given in the courtyard of four historically black colleges, Biden defended his past action on voting rights amid a boycott from local civil rights leaders who are frustrated with the lack of action from his administration. 

He attacked Donald Trump by name and called out Republicans for passing 'anti-voting' laws in states around the country. And he denounced the January 6th insurrection in the Capitol as a 'coup.'

'I have been having these quiet conversations with members of Congress for the last two months,' Biden said of his work on voting rights. And then he slammed the podium as the crowd cheered, declaring: 'I'm tired of being quiet!'

And he attacked the Senate, an institute he served in for 36 years.

'Sadly, the United States Senate designed to be the world's greatest deliberative body, has been rendered a shell of its former self,' he said.

He called on the Senate to change its rules to bypass the 60-vote threshold needed to advance two voting bills. Republicans are in opposition to such a move and two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, are also leery of doing so.

'I believe the threat to democracy is so great that we must find a way to pass these voting rights bills. Debate them, vote, let the majority prevail. And at that very minute it was blocked, we had no option but to change the Senate rules, including getting rid of the filibuster for this,' Biden said. 

The crowd of a few hundred burst into applause at his words. 

But Manchin on Tuesday dealt a blow to Biden when he said he was against making any changes to Senate rule without Republican support and reiterated his opposition to killing the filibuster. 

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has vowed to try and push a rules change but it's unclear how his move would succeed  without all 50 Democratic senators. 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has slammed Schumer's attempt to try and change how the chamber runs and Manchin's opposition could be a death blow. 

'We need some good rules changes to make the place work better. But getting rid of the filibuster doesn’t make it work better,' Manchin told reporters.

He has allowed he might be open to a formal rules change – based on two-thirds of those voting present to do so. He called that a case of 'Democrats, Republicans changing the rules to make the place work better. Getting rid of the filibuster doesn’t make it work better,' he underlined.

In his remarks, Biden also slammed Trump for inciting the January 6th insurrection, which he called a 'coup.' He slammed Trump and Republicans for their 'big lie' - referring Trump's false claim he won the election - and berated them for using it to pass what he called 'anti-voting laws.'

Biden tied much of his argument for voting rights to the January 6th riot, where Trump supporters marched on the Capitol to try and stop the certificaition of the 2020 presidential election. 

'The defeated former president and his supporters use the big lie about the 2020 election to fuel torrent and torment and anti-voting laws. New laws designed to suppress your vote, to subvert our elections,' the president said.

'The goal of the former president and his allies is to disenfranchise anyone who votes against them,' Biden charged. 

And he criticized Republican lawmakers for not doing more. 

'Not a single Republican has displayed the courage to stand up to a defeated president to protect America's right to vote. Not one. Not one,' he said. 

The president tried to rally lawmakers to his side by invoking history.

'There's one thing every senator, every American should remember -- history has never been kind to those who have sided with voter suppression over voters' rights. And it will be less kind for those that side with election subversion,' he said.

'Each one of the members of the senate is going to be judged by history on where they stood before the vote and where they stood after the vote. There's no escape,' Biden said.

'Let's get this done,' he said in conclusion. 

Before his remarks, he told supporters to 'keep the faith' after he and Vice President Kamala Harris laid a wreath at the tomb of Martin Luther King Jr.

Biden pulled down his face mask to make his message clear, speaking at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King and Rep. John Lewis had their funeral services. 

'Keep the faith,' he said when asked what he had to say to activists who are disappointed in him and whether he has the votes needed to pass voting legislation. 

The president and vice president held a private meeting with the King family for over an hour on Tuesday, ahead of what the White House is billing as a landmark speech on voting rights.

Afterward, Biden and Harris joined them at the crypt where Martin and Coretta Scott King are buried. Martin Luther King III placed the wreath before the large marble tomb, which sits on a stone stage in the middle of a fountain, with family members looking. Biden and Harris stood in silence in front of the graves, heads bowed. No one spoke.

But the president is facing growing frustration from some civil rights activists that his administration has not done more to boost voting access by overcoming a GOP blockade in the Senate and head off Republican efforts in the states.

Several local activists are boycotting his speech. 

Before he left the White House on Tuesday, the president told a reporter he was 'insulted' by a question asking why Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams isn't going to his Atlanta voting rights speech. He insisted it was a scheduling mix up and not a snub. 

Asked if he was insulted by the absence of Abrams – which Biden described as a scheduling conflict – he responded: 'I’m insulted that you asked the question,' before flashing a quick grin.

He explained: 'I spoke to Stacey this morning. We have a great relationship. We got our scheduling mixed up. I talked to her at length this morning. We're all on the same page, and everything's fine.'

Abrams' campaign said on Monday she would not be at the president's event because of 'conflict' but didn't detail what the conflict was. Several local civil rights activists are boycotting the president's speech because of what they call a lack of action on the part of the administration. 

Asked what he risked politically with the speech, given the fight in the Senate over the filibuster, Biden responded: 'I risk not saying what I believe. That’s what I risk. This is one of those defining moments. It really is.'

Said Biden: 'People are going to be judged, where were they before and where were they after the vote. History is going to judge this – it's that consequential. And so the risk is making sure people understand just how important this is,' he said. 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was confronted with questions about Abrams' absence en route to Georgia, where Biden has a full schedule of events planned.

'He understands scheduling conflicts and how they appear in your life,' she said. 'We have a full plane of congressional leaders and advocates for voting rights,' she added. 

In order for Senate rules to be changed, Biden needs all 50 of his Democratic senators on board. Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have raised concerns about eliminating the filibuster, which removes the 60-vote threshold to advance legislation.

Psaki wouldn't respond direct to a question from DailyMail.com about whether Manchin and Sinema had been invited. She said Biden shares the frustrations of activists.

'The Senate is not functioning how it should be functioning,' she said. She said lawmakers should be asking themselves 'Which side of history are you going to be on?' and said: 'It will be pretty clear that the president is speaking directly to the Senate and all members of the Senate.' 

Manchin once again said Tuesday that he is not keen with changes to the Senate's filibuster rules.

'We need some good rules changes to make the place work better. But getting rid of the filibuster doesn’t make it work better,' Manchin told reporters. 

He has allowed he might be open to a formal rules change – based on two-thirds of those voting present to do so. He called that 'Democrats, Republicans changing the rules to make the place work better. Getting rid of the filibuster doesn’t make it work better.'

But Democrats are discussing pushing through the change on a simple majority vote, amid an ongoing Republican filibuster of voting rights

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