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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMcConnell Is About to Block a Voting-Rights Bill. It's All Part of Democrats' Plan
WASHINGTON Its not often the leader of the United States Senate holds a vote knowing it will fail. Its even less often the Senate leader calls a doomed vote for one of the most important bills in his partys legislative agenda.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is about to do just that. The Senate will vote Wednesday on the Freedom to Vote Act, a once-in-a-generation bill to safeguard the right to vote, disclose dark money, and stop the partisan operatives who tried to steal the last election from stealing the next one. The vote is almost certainly going to fail. Democrats hold 50 seats, they need 60 votes to beat a Republican filibuster, and theres no indication that even one GOP senator, let alone 10, plans to break ranks and support the bill.
But for the Democratic lawmakers and outside activists pushing the bill, failure on Wednesdays vote isnt just expected its part of the plan. They say its one of the final steps in a years-long, carefully choreographed strategy, one more proof point that Republicans wont support even the most popular voting-rights and clean-government reforms.
And if not a single Republican will vote for those reforms, then Democrats have no choice but to negotiate a change to the filibuster rules that will allow them to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and try to shore up Americas battered democratic system in time for the 2022 elections.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mcconnell-block-voting-rights-bill-143224857.html
Celerity
(43,545 posts)JohnSJ
(92,421 posts)Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)If Manchin won't budge on the filibuster to avoid a default, I don't know that he can be relied upon to budge for voting rights.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Anybody that corrupt has a whole warehouse full of "skeletons" he'd prefer not to show off.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)I don't think Manchin has a future in the Senate regardless of what happens here. It's not likely he'll survive another election cycle. He's probably just going to serve out the rest of his turn before turning lobbyist, and I don't know that kompromat will interrupt those plans significantly.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Pay them to convert to renewables or capture carbon. He'll take his cut, of course.
BonnieJW
(2,272 posts)Allows Manchin to chair the Energy Committee when he has a clear conflict of interest being a part owner of a coal company
rickyhall
(4,889 posts)Fuck 'em if they can't see they ARE the joke.
markpkessinger
(8,401 posts)The problem with your approach is that without reform of the filibuster, whicbh Manchin and Sinema have clearly said they will not support, even if all Democrats support a piece of legislation, it will require at least 10 Republican votes to pass anything (except for a limited scope and number of things that can be passed via budget reconciliation). Neither all the happy talk in the world, nor all the "fuck-em" attitude in the world, changes that calculus one iota.
Mister Ed
(5,944 posts)I wonder, though: why on earth did Yahoo News put it in the "Entertainment" section?
BComplex
(8,067 posts)This disintegration of democracy is just theater to the media. It's going to be nasty for the next 200+ years.
nilram
(2,894 posts)the Reich-wingers could use for cover.
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,794 posts)If people turn out to vote, they lose.
We need to be making calls, registering people to vote, knock on doors, be talking up Voting Rights everywhere.
We can all be a Stacey Abrams in our own way.
Silent3
(15,280 posts)I see not a shred of evidence for that.
ShazzieB
(16,539 posts)Fucking dinos.
moniss
(4,274 posts)anybody seriously think that this won't automatically head to court if passed? They will ask for an injunction until it's finally decided by the SC which could be well after 2022 or even 2024. I know that is pessimistic but it's also realistic. Democrats and Progressives need to realize that the GOP/Conservatives/Koch Network/Mercer Network are out to destroy them completely and permanently and they began that strategy long ago. We are not in a debate. We are in a war for the democracy.
kairos12
(12,875 posts)KG
(28,753 posts)berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)Removing or even reforming the filibuster
NullTuples
(6,017 posts)The only workable plan necessitates eradicating the filibuster and pushing these bills throught.
Anything less is just a pause in the GOP's relentless ratcheting tighter and tighter control.
DownriverDem
(6,232 posts)part of the plan means building more support for ending the filibuster. Hard to imagine more support would be needed, I know.
NullTuples
(6,017 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,310 posts)Maybe not break the filibuster, but make an exception to it?
Or at least have that debate. Expose the GOP Senate for what it is.
Raine
(30,540 posts)both sides play.
uponit7771
(90,364 posts)... equitable districts in states like Texas that is blue but voter denied, text book 50 on access to vote for PoC.
That's not democracy, this "chess play" allows that lack of democracy to continue in that state