海角大神

President Joe Biden has gotten the same troubling questions from worried world leaders, ones that he never thought he would hear.

鈥淚s America going to be all right?鈥� they ask. 鈥淲hat about democracy in America?鈥�

While Mr. Biden has tried to offer America鈥檚 allies assurances, he has only occasionally emphasized the gravity of the threat to democracy from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the repeated lie from the man he defeated, Donald Trump, that the 2020 election was stolen. And he鈥檚 not discussed the very real concerns about a growing collection of insurrection sympathizers installed in local election posts and changes by Republicans to election laws in several states.

Now, as the anniversary of that deadly day nears, the Democratic president is being urged to reorder priorities and use the powers of his office to push voting rights legislation that its adherents say could be the only effective way to counter the rapidly emerging threats to the democratic process.

The tension in Mr. Biden鈥檚 approach reflects his balancing of the urgent needs of Americans to make progress on the highly visible issues of the coronavirus pandemic and the economy and the less visible, but equally vital, issue of preserving trust in elections and government.

The president plans to deliver a speech on Jan. 6 focused on sustaining democracy聽鈥� voting rights won鈥檛 be part of the remarks but will be the topic of another speech soon, White House aides said.

In his recent commencement address at South Carolina State University, Mr. Biden鈥檚 tone on the need for voting rights legislation took on added urgency.

鈥淚鈥檝e never seen anything like the unrelenting assault on the right to vote. Never,鈥� Mr. Biden said, adding, 鈥淭his new sinister combination of voter suppression and election subversion, it鈥檚 un-American, it鈥檚 undemocratic, and sadly, it is unprecedented since Reconstruction.鈥�

And the world is taking notice. Mr. Biden鈥檚 national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, also has said that the riot at the Capitol has altered the view many countries have of the United States.

鈥淛an. 6 has had a material impact on the view of the United States from the rest of the world, I believe from allies and adversaries alike,鈥� Mr. Sullivan said recently at the Council on Foreign Relations. 鈥淎llies look at it with concern and worry about the future of American democracy. Adversaries look at it, you know, more sort of rubbing their hands together and thinking, How do we take advantage of this in one way or another?鈥�

In contrast, Republicans in numerous states are promoting efforts to influence future elections by installing sympathetic leaders in local election posts and backing for elective office some of those who participated in the insurrection.

White House officials insist Mr. Biden鈥檚 relative reticence should not be interpreted as complacency with the growing movement to rewrite history surrounding the Jan. 6 riot. Rather, they say, the president believes the most effective way to combat Mr. Trump, election denialism, and domestic extremism is to prove to the rest of the country聽鈥� and to the world聽鈥� that government can work.

鈥淚 know progress does not come fast enough. It never has,鈥� Mr. Biden said last fall. 鈥淭he process of governing is frustrating and sometimes dispiriting. But I also know what鈥檚 possible if we keep the pressure up, if we never give up, we keep the faith.鈥�

In Mr. Biden鈥檚 view, many of Mr. Trump鈥檚 voters didn鈥檛 wholly embrace Trumpism. Instead, Mr. Trump exploited long-standing dissatisfaction with the nation鈥檚 political, economic, and social systems to build his coalition.

So Mr. Biden tailored his first-year domestic agenda to combating what he believed to be the root causes of the unease聽鈥� the shaky economy and the pandemic鈥檚 drag on it聽鈥� essentially to prove that government can work effectively.

He has directed federal law enforcement to shore up security at national institutions and improve communication systems and procedures that were in part to blame for U.S. Capitol Police being left overwhelmed for hours during the mob assault.

The Justice Department has undertaken the largest prosecution in its history, charging more than 700 defendants and still looking for more.

But it is voting rights that many Democrats and activists concerned about what may happen in 2022 and beyond are urging the president to make a key priority.

鈥淭he insurrection was part of a larger movement to suppress elections and overthrow our democracy,鈥� said Christina Baal-Owens, a longtime organizer and the executive director of Public Wise, a group that researches and publishes information on candidates running for office who support the election lies.

Ms. Baal-Owens said efforts to discredit election integrity not only galvanize Trump supporters, they also make other voters less likely to vote. 鈥淲e know聽鈥� we鈥檝e done some research on trust in the system聽鈥� if voters don鈥檛 trust elections, they may not vote. This is part of a larger movement of voter suppression and why it鈥檚 so necessary for Biden to speak out.鈥�

The House has approved far-reaching voting rights legislation, but Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have been impediments, saying they oppose changing Senate rules to get around a GOP filibuster of the bill.

That legislation would restore the Justice Department鈥檚 ability to review changes to election laws in states with a history of discrimination, a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. According to the Brennan Center, 19 states have recently passed laws making it harder to vote.

Mr. Manchin and Ms. Sinema have helped draft separate voting rights legislation, but it lacks enough Republican support to overcome the filibuster.

鈥淧eople are taking sides as opposed to looking at what the institutional threats are to maintaining our democracy,鈥� said Democratic Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont, a candidate to replace Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who announced his retirement.

Mr. Welch was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and the violence that day is etched in his memory.

鈥淭he norms that have been the bedrock of our democracy, the free and peaceful transition of power and the renunciation of violence, they鈥檝e been shattered,鈥� he said.

After Mr. Biden鈥檚 speech in South Carolina, Senate Democrats renewed their push to pass voting rights legislation early in 2022. And the president said in an interview with ABC that he supported creating an exception to the Senate filibuster if that鈥檚 what it takes to pass voting rights legislation.

For Mr. Biden, who served four decades in the Senate, it was a remarkable concession and underscored the gravity of the threat. And, he acknowledged, he knows the world is watching to see how the nation responds聽鈥� and wondering if the country鈥檚 democracy will survive.

鈥淒id you ever think you鈥檇 be asked that question by another leader?鈥� Mr. Biden said.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.