Filibuster splits Democrats

A civil war is taking place. It is Democrats versus Democrats. The party senses doom in the midterms.

Democrats hold the House now and have only half of the Senate. They must rely on the Mattress Girl vice president to cast any tie-breaking vote.

This has divided Democrats into two camps. 

You have heard of the blue dog Democrats and the yellow dog Democrats. Today, Pelosi leads the rabid dog Democrats who want to get everything they can get now, no matter what damage it does to Congress and the Constitution.

They are secure in the knowledge that Republicans cannot undo the damage for at least 3 -- maybe 7 -- years. FDR, LBJ and Obama knew they could pass laws that Republicans refused to repeal when they took over Congress and the White House.

It is not that Republicans had many chances to repeal laws.

Since 1930, Republicans have controlled both three times: 1953-1954, 2003-2004, and 2017-2018. Oh, there also were about 5 months in 2001 when Republicans controlled them but only in a 50/50 Senate. Democrats flipped a Republican and that was that.

The second camp are the realists who realize the only way Democrats can get their way is to destroy the filibuster, an institution that predates the Constitution itself. At the constitutional convention in 1787, Virginians would talk and talk until it was too late to vote.

A growing number of Democrat senators are publicly against the nuking of the filibuster.

Politico reported that Mark Kelly, Jon Tester and Jeanne Shaheen have joined Sinema and Manchin in balking at killing the filibuster.

Manchin said, "The tradition of the Senate here in 232 years now. We need to be very cautious what we do. That's what we've always had for 232 years. That's what makes us different than any place else in the world."

Schumer wants to federalize elections, which is of itself unconstitutional. Congress lacks the authority. That is why it took constitutional amendments to end the poll tax and to lower the voting age to 18.

Fox reported, "Schumer says Senate would vote on change to filibuster if elections bill not passed by Jan. 17."

I hope Schumer puts it to a vote and Republicans filibuster it until the end of the year.