McConnell has finally managed to get the Democrats to understand they have nothing to lose

[DonViejo]

McConnell's filibuster threats are already backfiring: Biden signals support for major Senate reform

Mitch McConnell has finally managed to get the Democrats to understand they have nothing to lose

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
MARCH 17, 2021 1:45PM (UTC)

During the Trump years, there was an excessive amount of hand-wringing over the fact that he and his administration were exploding all the "norms" that had previously held our government institutions together. His insulting behavior and crude lack of decorum woke up many a pundit to the idea that much of our system was dependent upon a good faith adherence to the spirit of democracy as much as any formal rules, regulations and laws. He came to Washington without any serious understanding of how government worked and he didn't care when it was pointed out to him. Many were left shocked at how feeble our institutions had turned out to be in the face of someone who had no respect for them. But let's not kid ourselves. Those norms had always only been as strong as the people who were charged with upholding them and those agreements were unraveling long before Trump entered politics. So we should have seen it coming.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had been making a mockery of Senate norms for years as Majority Leader and he had made it quite clear those old-fashioned notions were no longer operative. There was a time when elected officials would express their support for a new president of the opposite party, wishing them success for the good of the country. McConnell broke that norm during Barack Obama's first term when he openly admitted that he considered it his top priority to deny Obama a second term. He didn't believe it was in his interest to accommodate or negotiate in good faith and instead began a campaign of total obstruction so that the president and his administration would fail and the Republicans would take back the White House.

While this sort of scorched-earth tactic wasn't unprecedented, it was unusual for a national political leader to flaunt his intentions so boldly. There used to be a penalty for being so openly ungracious but McConnell found that it didn't hurt him so he kept right on going, purposefully paralyzing the Obama administration, making it obvious that democratic norms were no longer functional. And left unable to confirm any members of the judiciary under McConnell's obstructive tactics, the Democrats had to eliminate the filibuster norm for everything but nominees to the Supreme Court. After he won the majority, McConnell brazenly blocked the nomination of Merrick Garland, Obama's choice for the high court, for months only to scrap the filibuster for the Supreme Court as well once Donald Trump won the White House and nominated a Republican to the seat. McConnell's excuse, which he made up out of whole cloth, was that in an election year the seat should stay empty because it should be up to the people to decide which president should choose the new justice.

It was an unprecedented abuse of Senate norms, signaling that McConnell had decided that anything goes. He used every trick in the book to keep Democrats from bringing any bills to the floor. He ignored all legislation that came from the House. And he spent virtually every minute confirming massive numbers of unqualified conservative judges to lifetime appointments on the federal bench. And when he was asked what he would do if a seat on the high court became vacant during the upcoming presidential election in 2020, he took a long drink of water and smugly said, "Oh, we'd fill it."

more
https://www.salon.com/2021/03/17/mcconnells-filibuster-threats-are-already-backfiring-biden-signals-support-for-major-senate-reform/

[JohnSJ]

1. Wonder if Manchin and Sinema understand this?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

4. Manchin has already signaled support for returning to the talking filibuster

[PoliticAverse]

6. Yeah it's the person that patted McConnell on the back (Sinema) that I wonder about

at this point.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

7. When did Sinema pat McConnell on the back?

Or is her voting no on Bernie's doomed amendment now cast as supporting McConnell?

ON edit: Never mind, I just saw the video of her saying hi to him on the way to vote.
So politeness means she's switching parties even though she votes with Democrats more than Manchin?

[helpisontheway]

9. She did look like she was trying to make sure Mitch saw her

Then she did her thumbs down with the ridiculous kicking her leg back. News fir her...it was not cute.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

12. I'll agree the McCain performance didn't look good

But I also think it should never have been an issue, because Bernie had no business putting up an amendment that would not pass, would damage Democrats and wouldn't have made it into the final bill even if it had passed.

I also think the McCain performance has been filtered through all sorts of opinions and has been given a lot more malice than I think it intended. Sinema voted exactly like she said she would - she would not support the minimum wage increase in the stimulus bill, but wanted it separate in regular order.

[PoliticAverse]

11. She has specifically spoken out against modification of the filibuster...

and seems aligned with McConnell on that specific issue. We shall see if she's willing to go along with bringing back the "talking filibuster" which is where Democrats seems to be header.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

13. She has said she doesn't want one party forcing their agenda and wants bipartisanship

Call that naive, but that's different than supporting McConnell in blocking the Democratic agenda. If that was her goal, she wouldn't have passed the stimulus.

[PoliticAverse]

14. Not a single republican voted for the relief bill, so she doesn't seem to care that much about

bipartisanship ultimately. It's specifically her position on the filibuster I am questioning here.

[Caliman73]

31. Naive would be the most generous thing to call it.

Sinema is not a neophyte. She has been in state politics since 2004 and National politics since 2012. While she is newer to the Senate, unless she has been completely asleep since President Obama's first term, she has to know that Republicans, especially under McConnell, are not engaging in "good faith" political debate.

I agree that Sinema isn't trying to push a Republican agenda, but this whole thought process that you have to have "bipartisan" support is ridiculous at best. Republicans do not even represent their own constituents. The bills that Democrats are passing ARE bipartisan, in the sense that they enjoy WIDE bipartisan support from the citizens of the country. Republicans do not support any legislation because they are only representing the demands of their donors and a small, but active wing of their party. Put an R behind any of the legislation proposed and it would get 90% Republican support.

Also, filibuster reform is not doing away with the tool. It just means that if you want to gum up the works, then you have to show your face, state your reasons, and actually debate the legislation. You can't just hide in a corner and anonymously block everything. The public has a right to know why bills are being held up and killed in the Senate. If and When Democrats become the minority party in the Senate, then they will (like Bernie Sanders and others have done) address the bill directly using a talking filibuster.

[KPN]

5. When it comes to "democracy"? Yes. We will get their vote on the most important stuff. Then in

2022, we will expand our majority by doing the hard work that will be needed to defeat voter suppression.

[asiliveandbreathe]

2. NO more waiting to see what the rep. are going to do..Mcconnell wants

"in your face"..as Biden said in 2020 before the election..“If in fact they are as obstreperous as is expected, we’d have to get rid of the filibuster, Biden said. “But the filibuster has also saved a lot of bad things from happening too.”

So, seems we have a President who knows his way around the senate..that is a BFD!!!!!!

Word of the day..OBSTREPEROUS...

[Harker]

17. Polysyllabism is making a comeback

after four years of incoherent babbling from the previous guy.

With it come reason and compassion, both also notably absent.

[aggiesal]

40. Pendejo45 is asking, "Is obstre..., obstet, ... Is that even a word? ...

Or does he mean Obstetrics? I know that word!"

[KPN]

3. Good read. Too bad this isn't published on the opinion pages of every newspaper across the nation.

That would mess with McConnell big time.

On the upside though -- and it's a huge upside -- our party isn't stupid and we have a leader, a President, who is very popular; not to mention tens, if not hundreds, of future great leaders in our fold as well. On top of that, we also have the support of a large majority of Americans. We are America's white hats. Time to rock and roll!

[Hekate]

8. Excellent. More...

Needless to say, the Democrats are no longer under any illusion that McConnell and the Republicans operate in good faith, as they have demonstrated over and over again that they don't. They pretend to negotiate in order to delay and then when they get Democrats to compromise they refuse to vote for the bill anyway. It's no longer worth it for Democrats to waste time playing their game. So, they are now seriously discussing reforming the filibuster in order to pass some of their important priorities. If they don't, the entire legislative agenda is dead in the water and they know it.
*****

[EleanorR]

10. Baffling that McConnell is held up as a sincere institutionalist

He torches the rules whenever it benefits his party, always has. Has the press forgotten Barrett was sworn in 8 days before an election?

And he held open the 7th circuit seat for 3,046 days.

Enough already.

Link to tweet

[AZSkiffyGeek]

15. Serious question here - how did he block it for that long

Reid eliminated the filibuster on non Supreme Court justices. McConnell couldn't block it after 2014 or so...

[Spazito]

18. The Dems eliminated the filibuster on lower court judges but not on the Supreme Court

Fact check: Republicans, not Democrats, eliminated the Senate filibuster on Supreme Court nominees
Camille Caldera
USA TODAY



In 2013, Reid and Democrats lowered vote threshold on most nominees, but not for Supreme Court picks
In 2013, Democrats held a majority in the Senate while President Barack Obama occupied the White House.

For four decades, a 60-vote supermajority had been required to advance all federal judicial nominees and executive-office appointments, per The Washington Post.

Then, Senate Republicans attempted to filibuster multiple Obama nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, his pick for Defense secretary, and his choices to lead the National Labor Relations Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In response, Reid orchestrated a move to lower the Senate vote threshold to 51 to confirm most presidential appointments — but not nominees to the Supreme Court.

Those nominees, and legislation, could still be filibustered.

The Democrat-controlled Senate voted 52-48 in favor of the change, which was dubbed the "nuclear option."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/10/01/fact-check-gop-ended-senate-filibuster-supreme-court-nominees/3573369001/

[AZSkiffyGeek]

19. Exactly - this was for an Appellate Court seat

They shouldn't have been able to block it.

[Spazito]

21. That vacancy came about in 2010, before the Dems did away with the filibuster...

on the lower court judges in 2013. McConnell would not schedule a hearing on this vacancy during President Obama's time and only dealt with the vacancy when trump was elected.

McConnell's refusal to schedule a hearing is different than filibustering the candidate.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

24. Dems controlled the Senate until 2014

Why wasn't it scheduled between 2010 and 2014? McConnell shouldn't have been able to stop it after the filibuster was eliminated. And there were recess appointments as well. This seems like an oversimplification to say McConnell held the seat empty for 8 years.

[Spazito]

28. The republicans could still filibuster a nomination from 2010 to 2013...

so there really is only one year in question which is from 2013 to 2014 when the Dems lost control of the Senate. I am still assuming there was no hearing scheduled for that specific vacancy during that one year time span but it is an assumption as more research would be needed to determine whether that is, in fact, the case.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

33. Yeah, I'm not trying to excuse McConnell on anything

But the Tweet's assertion doesn't make sense on it's face if there was a time when McConnell couldn't block the nomination.

[Spazito]

34. I think you and I are in agreement over all..

I didn't think the tweet made sense either given the time frame, the changes in the filibuster among other things.

I didn't take your post as excusing him at all, I read it as asking a valid question given the tweet.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

35. I just tend to get argumentative here lol

Thanks!

[Spazito]

36. LOL, I've been known to do the same at times...

[C Moon]

16. The way the Turtle and the GOP are getting angry about this...

makes it obvious they were planning on using it heavily.
So go to hell, McConnell!

[EndlessWire]

22. I agree.

And I think they are desperate and scared.

[bucolic_frolic]

20. Merrick Garland 2016 wasn't Scorched Earth McConnell Style?????

I mean, Mitch, you're a scoundrel lacking self-awareness OR the biggest hypocrite in 200 years.

[Wounded Bear]

23. K&R...nt

[Warpy]

25. I think they might get Sinema and Manchin on board

if they propose to suspend the filibuster instead of abolishing it, even though its abolition wouldn't have to be permanent. You know the GOP would bring it back to abuse the next time they're in power, probably after an election that tips the balance back to us.

A 2 year suspension would probably outlive McConnell, who obviously hears the approach of the Grim Reaper, or he wouldn't be so frantic to eliminate Beshear''s ability to appoint his successor. A six year suspension would be better.

Whatever happens, tyranny under some old geezer from KY can't be allowed to persist. Manchin and Sinema need to be made to understand that.

[Harker]

26. What do you suppose the Grim Reaper sounds like

to one who took the name to himself?

[Warpy]

27. Probably "hey PUNK!"

I'm sure the real Grim Reaper has a few lessons left to teach the old bastard. For instance, he's got to leave everything behind.

[Harker]

29. I think you nailed it.

He'd best say, "sir."

[murielm99]

30. Could Beshear refuse to fill the seat,

if it becomes necessary?

[The Wizard]

32. Any Democrat could switch parties to R just to get the appointment.

Once sworn in that senator could switch back. When dealing with McConnell all thoughts of ethics and morals must be ignored. Liars like McConnell expect all others to be honest.

[Warpy]

39. Gov. Beshear is a Democrat and wouldf appoint a Democrat

and that prospect has the evil tortoise waking up in a cold sweat on a nightly basis. Good. I honestly think the only reason he ran for reelection was to prevent "his" seat going to a Democrat. He was hoping to outlast Beshear, in the hope that the hated Bevin or someone just like him would be back.

[Warpy]

38. I don't know why he would

A special election would follow and if it was anything like KY's last election,McConnell's hand picked successor would most likely "win," but the interim appointment would be a Democrat and that could be very useful.

Remember, the evil tortoise has another 5 3/4 years to creep through his term. Someone will have to fill the seat.

[DSandra]

37. No wonder why McConnell supported Trump. They are fundamentally alike

Both blow up norms for unfettered selfish gain. Both are cruel sociopaths causing incalculable suffering and death. Both have gravely harmed America and would burn down everything else for their own gain. Bush, Cheney, McConnell, and Trump have seriously stunted America within the past 20 years, with McConnell preventing America from healing from the damage that the former two did.

[Blue Owl]

41. Mitch is gonna wreck everything he can on his way down