Democrats lack the 60-vote majority needed to overcome a Senate filibuster. They have maybe 53 votes counting the 50 in their caucus plus Romney, Collins, and Murkowski.
Democrats are worried.Q: "So you're not going to budge on the filibuster?"
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) June 2, 2021
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, standing next to GOP Sen. John Cornyn: "No." pic.twitter.com/GlDJzyYoD1
Geoff Bennett of NBC tweeted, "NAACP President Derrick Johnson to meet with Sen. Manchin next Tuesday to talk about voting legislation."
Robert Reich tweeted, "Joe Manchin says ending the filibuster will 'destroy our government.' Meanwhile, McConnell just used the filibuster to kill an independent investigation into an attempted overthrow of the U.S. government."
(Overthrow of the government? Reich really needs to lay off the hallucinogens.)
Reich also tweeted, "In 1963, when LBJ was advised against using his limited political capital on voting rights, he responded: 'What the hell’s the presidency for?'
"Biden, what the hell's the presidency for if not to stop our slide toward authoritarianism?
"Make Manchin and Sinema fall in line."
Making people fall in line is authoritarianism.
While Sinema is ticking them off, Democrats really hate Manchin right now.
The Washington Post reported, "In a rare show of public frustration with his own party on Tuesday, President Joe Biden appeared to lash out at Manchin when he accused a pair of unnamed senators of aligning too closely with Republicans and stalling efforts to pass sweeping voting standards.
"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., recently announced that his chamber would vote this month on a House-passed elections bill co-sponsored by every Democratic senator except Manchin -- a move that would force Manchin to pick a side in a fight that has taken on new urgency in recent weeks.
"Even some of Manchin's Democratic colleagues are beginning to prod him more aggressively to join their cause, while activists and civil rights leaders are loudly decrying his hesitation."
Biden said, "June should be a month of action on Capitol Hill. I hear all the folks on TV saying, ‘Why doesn’t Biden get this done?’ Well, because Biden only has a majority of, effectively, four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends."
Odd how the press praises Mitt, Liz, and Lisa when they cross party lines, but it is a no-no when Manchin or Sinema do.
Amanda Marcotte of Salon called Manchin and Sinema the Obstruction Twins.
Marcotte wrote, "Manchin keeps foolishly insisting that enough Republicans are decent people that they can be counted on to vote for everything from infrastructure investment to a commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection. He seemed genuinely shocked that the 10 Republican votes he believed would materialize to defeat the filibuster on the January 6 commission didn't appear, even though that was literally what most Democrats and progressive commentators told him over and over would happen."
Boo hoo hoo.
The Post story also had its sobby places.
The Post said, "The obstacle Manchin poses to his party's voting rights effort is twofold: He is also one of several Democrats who oppose changing Senate rules to advance legislation with a simple majority rather than a 60-vote supermajority. While Manchin is not alone in his party in opposing the elimination of the filibuster, he has emerged as one of its most prominent defenders, which has made him a lightning rod for frustrated Democrats in the early months of Biden's presidency.
"Some fear that he will enable Republicans to block Democrat plans to address climate change, gun violence and immigration, even though his party controls the White House and Congress. When it comes to voting laws, Manchin has struck the most sensitive nerve."
The nerve he struck was the fact that Democrats are not a majority in this country. Far from it. They claim they had 80 million votes for president, but actually lost seats in the House. Their congressional majorities are the slimmest in history, held by the slimiest of leaders.
And in 2022, if Republicans restore election integrity, there is a good chance they will take over both houses of Congress.
Which is why Democrats really, really, really hate Joe Manchin right now. He has moved up their hate list. He may soon be No. 1.
I see all this as theater, not unlike the studio wrestling I watched as a kid that was televised locally out of Pittsburgh. In the end, you know who's going to win. Manchin will cave. He just likes all the attention until that moment.
ReplyDeleteManchin won't cave. Trump won W Virginia 69-30 and won every single county.
DeleteAgree completely. Boob Bait for Bubba's...
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DeleteWhatever the Communists say, I don't think they really wanted a Commission or to end the filibuster.
ReplyDeleteSlimmest; slimiest. totally cool!!!
ReplyDeleteI trust Sinema to hold more than I do Manchin. I think with Manchin it's a matter of Quid, Schumer, and The DNC coming up with the right price. Hiring Mrs Manchin was only a down payment.
ReplyDeleteWhile Machin may hold out, don't trust Sinema. She WILL sell her vote for the right price. She always has. Schumer just needs the "right thing" to offer.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Perhaps Manchin and Sinema are truly acting in the best interests of our Nation. If so, they are doing the job they were elected to do. Which is more than can be said about any other Democrat. They also may have ethical standards that prevent them from participating in the lying, cheating and stealing central to the Democrat Party.
DeleteBeing number 1 may be what matters to Manchin. All press is good press. He stays number 1 as long as he defies Xiden.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP should offer either of these two any position they want in the Senate to switch parties...to include Majority Leader (yeah Mitch, I'm looking at you) and see what they say
ReplyDeletePreface 1 - Always keep in mind that, as someone has said, leftists don't have principles - only tactics; they just invent "principles" as a tactical ruse du jour for what they just want to do - plus they need that stuff to self-convince that they are sooooo morally perfect in all that they do...
ReplyDeletePreface 2 - One little-knowns sidelight of the "Cuban Missile Crisis" (TM) (not known for years for obvious reasons) was that Castro asked Khrushchev to launch an ICBM first strike on the US... and that this genuinely shocked and shook Khrushchev, who commented something along the lines of "He has no idea what the implications of that would be!"
These two senators may actually realize these sorts of things - that this leftist attempt to impose their own version of a "Thousand-Year Reich" will last even less-long than the original did, and will end in at least as much violence and bloodshed (and destruction of the "Reich" in DC).
Also, don't underestimate how much of this may be being driven by the leftist geezerocracy - which is what they are. These clowns weren't young even back when Lt. Columbo was a big deal, but as they are now superannuated this is their last chance to see their lifelong lurid fantasies become manifest. The idea of going to compost without seeing their lurid fantasies happen is more than they can handle...
As I read it, the U.S. Constitution says that the States run their own elections for U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators, but Congress has the ability to make or alter State election laws. However, for the Presidential election, the States chose their Electors and Congress' only say-so is when the Electors meet and cast their votes. So, changing the way Presidents are elected would require a Constitutional Amendment.
ReplyDeleteDon't expect RINO Roberts, the supreme injustice of the Court to take up any challenge to the donks running rough shod over the Constitution.
DeleteThe Dems are hanging on by a thread. They know it and will get worse for them
ReplyDeleteManchin could eliminate all the drama by simply taking the red pill - switch to the R column and switch control of the Senate, effectively emasculating Schumer and Biden (really Ron Klain) in the process. It would be a joy watching legacy media heads explode!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Manchin makes more $$$ by straddling the fence, and drama is a politician's calling (besides the $$$, that is). One reinforces the other.
DeleteThe Democrats do too good of a job of using the deep state, NSA data, FBI files etc to keep people in line, so Manchin will do what they want him to do (see Roberts, John as an example)
DeleteBuck the Left Wing Party and their Minions in the MSM and you are in for the Political / Ideology of Personal Destruction from the "Tolerant Left."
ReplyDeleteMunchkin will cave. He ALWAYS has in the past.
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