WaPo: Fight over the filibuster grinds the Senate to a halt, imperiling Biden’s legislative agenda (UP: McConnell caves, standoff over)

[Baji Boxer]

I'm going to give the unpopular opinion and say it would be a bad idea to nuke the filibuster. Stripping minority control over the legislative levers seems like a good idea now, but you will all be ruing the day when there is a Republican controlled Senate fast tracking regressive bills with no way for the Democratic minority to do anything about it.

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No we won't be "ruing the day" as we're fully aware of what the Republican Party will do. The question has been asked over and over and over. Republicans though are likely to do it themselves should the oppourtunity arrive. They already did it for judicial appointments after Democrats refused to back when they had complete control. Not nuking the filibuster will just lead to more Democratic failure and more regression with no legislative progress to show for anything.

 

[Volimar]

Does the DNC have any pull with this Senator? Can they tell her that she won't be backed by them, or get any funding for her next campaign. Her phone should be blowing up with calls from anyone with pull within the party.

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People like her and Manchin are weathervanes. Give them the right amount of pork and they'll budge.

 

[Lord Fanny]

Does the DNC have any pull with this Senator? Can they tell her that she won't be backed by them, or get any funding for her next campaign. Her phone should be blowing up with calls from anyone with pull within the party.

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No, DNC focuses on Presidental. The DSCC is the equal to that for Senators. And I highly doubt it, or that she would care. She ran on a moderate platform and, by most accounts, has really not given much of a shit one way or the other about anything since she was elected in 2018.

 

[Volimar]

No we won't be "ruing the day" as we're fully aware of what the Republican Party will do. The question has been asked over and over and over. Republicans though are likely to do it themselves should the oppourtunity arrive. They already did it for judicial appointments after Democrats refused to back when they had complete control. Not nuking the filibuster will just lead to more Democratic failure and more regression with no legislative progress to show for anything.

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IIRC it was dems that nuked it for judicial appointments, and then republicans took it to the next level with SCOTUS picks.

 

[Captain_Vyse]

God damn, fucking McConnell is pure fucking evil. Dems need to put pressure on asshats like Sinema.

 

[Captain_Vyse]

IIRC it was dems that nuked it for judicial appointments, and then republicans took it to the next level with SCOTUS picks.

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Dems nuked it for Judicial appointments becuase McConnell and GOP were using it on virtually every nominee.

 

[ChippyTurtle]

now is the time for as much pressure be placed on dems by the public to break the filibuster.

 

[flamingo]

Manchin already said no on removing fillibuster, weird hill to die on for dems.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

Honestly, if they let Mitch obstruct for the next two years, I'm going to become an accelerationist and start voting for the worst possible dirtbag I can find.

 

[samoyed]

Disgusting. Time to break out those EOs and give up the fool's gold of bipartisanship.

 

[latex]

Time to cyber bully Sinema into being in support of nuking the filibuster then.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

Manchin already said no on removing fillibuster, weird hill to die on for dems.

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Yeah, because why should the Majority be able to get anything accomplished?

From the OP:
"Without an organizing accord, Republicans remain in the majority of most Senate committees — veteran GOP lawmakers such as Sens. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), Richard C. Shelby (Ala.) and James M. Inhofe (Okla.) continue as chairs of key panels, while veteran Democrats eager to seize the gavels and advance their long dormant agendas can only wait and wonder. "

 

[Baji Boxer]

IIRC it was dems that nuked it for judicial appointments, and then republicans took it to the next level with SCOTUS picks.

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Yes you're right, I misremembered. So the precedent is already set regardless.

 

[antonz]

Democrats should rewrite the Byrd rule that was established in the 80s. It limited Reconciliation from a very broad procedure down to what it tis today. Would only take 50 votes to rewrite the rule as well. Would then allow them to do minimum wage etc. through reconciliation

 

[flamingo]

Yeah, because why should the Majority be able to get anything accomplished?

From the OP:
"Without an organizing accord, Republicans remain in the majority of most Senate committees — veteran GOP lawmakers such as Sens. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), Richard C. Shelby (Ala.) and James M. Inhofe (Okla.) continue as chairs of key panels, while veteran Democrats eager to seize the gavels and advance their long dormant agendas can only wait and wonder. "

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The committee chairs do not rely on removing fillibuster, they rely on senate leaders reaching a deal.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

This Congress and Administration should try to affect as much change through budget reconciliation and EO as possible.

Hoping to kill the filibuster or pass something with 60 votes just seems like a stretch.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

IIRC it was dems that nuked it for judicial appointments, and then republicans took it to the next level with SCOTUS picks.

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Yes, because Mitch blocked all of Obama's appointments and that resulted in Trump getting hundreds of extra appointments. It would have been more if they didn't get rid of it. Mitch didn't kill it for SC appointments because the Dems were obstructing moderate SC picks, it was because he wanted the most radical picks he could find. It's not even a both sides thing.

 

[Dunlop]

As an outsider, I don't understand how any progress is ever made

Trump undoes everything Obama created
Biden undoes everything Trump created
Next ROP president undoes everything Biden created
.
.
.

Filibuster is just icing on the cake of dysfunction

 

[PrivateWHudson]

The committee chairs do not rely on removing fillibuster, they rely on senate leaders reaching a deal.

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Really? Can't 50 Senators and the VP vote to install the committee chairs? Why does a tie go to the Republicans?

 

[Cerulean_skylark]

As an outsider, I don't understand how any progress is ever made

Trump undoes everything Obama created
Biden undoes everything Trump created
Next ROP president undoes everything Biden created
.
.
.

Filibuster is just icing on the cake of dysfunction

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Not true. Dems can pass things people actually like and need. Just watch some of the republican town halls on obamacare repeal. they were getting eaten alive by their own people and never got to repeal it before losing the house.

 

[LegendofJoe]

As an outsider, I don't understand how any progress is ever made

Trump undoes everything Obama created
Biden undoes everything Trump created
Next ROP president undoes everything Biden created
.
.
.

Filibuster is just icing on the cake of dysfunction

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Yeah, our federal government is broken. The best way to enact change is at the state level.

 

[Lord Fanny]

Someone (or more than someone) on the Republican side can be bought. The retiring Senators like Burr, Toomey, and Portman wouldn't turn down a nest egg boost. Murkowski is also receptive to voting with Dems if she can secure something for Alaska in exchange. And maybe the super old Republicans like Grassley can also be bought.

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Highly doubtful. We saw through the Obama-era that the GOP have really stuck together in their Obstructionists viewpoint and have been rewarded for it long-term. There's zero reason for any of them to jump ship in an instance where their vote will really make a deciding difference, especially not in the vote that would effectively kill their parties Congressional power for at least 2 years. So not happening.

 

[Richietto]

So what's to be done about the senate committees if Mitch won't budge? Is it that big of a deal? If they nuke the filibuster would that even do anything to move the deal along? I imagine Mitch wouldn't be happy about that and just not come to a deal at all regardless. So what's next?

 

[Loan Wolf]

Begun, the doomposts have

 

[HammerOfThor]

Dumb question, how does the filibuster work? Didn't the GOP nuke it like 4 years ago? I swear this comes up every new session. Does it renew every 2 years?

 

[Powdered Egg]

Biden should be disrespected by his party and shoved into a closet if he keeps entertaining this bipartisanship fetish.

 

[maxxpower]

Yeah, our federal government is broken. The best way to enact change is at the state level.

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Even then, a president can decide not to give any money to states and then nothing can be done at the state level. This country is a joke.

 

[mikeys_legendary]

The Democrats know they typically can't hold the Senate for very long, why would they even entertain nuking the filibuster?

Also, why is this being done before a COVID-19 relief package again?

 

[pargonta]

im thinking this mandatory organizing resolution agreement should be reviewed, considering it's weaponization by the minority leader.

obviously need rules and guidelines, but clearly there's a gap somewhere

 

[metalslimer]

Anyone against killing the filibuster is delusional at this point. If we don't kill it there will be no big action taken on climate change and the planet will be ruined anyway.

 

[LegendofJoe]

Even then, a president can decide not to give any money to states and then nothing can be done at the state level. This country is a joke.

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A lot of blue states have plenty of money, that isn't a good excuse.

 

[Captain_Vyse]

Anyone here who lives in Arizona, please call Senator Sinema and pressure her to end the filibuster.

 

[Baji Boxer]

With the filibuster we're doomed to more Republican victories, more Democratic failure, and a continuation of the death spiral the nation has been on for quite awhile now. Odds are even lower we'll recover.

And in the short term thousands more will die, lots of people will suffer hunger and financial ruin, and our "recovery" will favor corporations as much as can be gotten away with.

 

[Beignet]

Give these Blue Dogs whatever the fuck they want and nuke the goddamn filibuster already.

 

[Captain_Vyse]

The Democrats know they typically can't hold the Senate for very long, why would they even entertain nuking the filibuster?

Also, why is this being done before a COVID-19 relief package again?

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Because the Republicans are guaranteed to get rid of it if they want to. They will not hesitate.

 

[maxxpower]

A lot of blue states have plenty of money, that isn't a good excuse.

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Yeah but look at what happened with covid. States can go bankrupt pretty quickly.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

The Democrats know they typically can't hold the Senate for very long, why would they even entertain nuking the filibuster?

Also, why is this being done before a COVID-19 relief package again?

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Because it's the only way to get anything done, and Mitch will do it the second he has the power to, and the need. It's being talked about now, because Mitch is using the filibuster to not even allow committee heads to be assigned, and to hold up the relief package.

McConnell Just Wants to Make Democrats Sweat

The Republican Senate leader’s gambit to keep a grip on committee chairs can’t succeed, but he can put opponents in a squeeze.

www.bloomberg.com

"It's also possible, if the impasse remains, that all 50 Democrats will at some point solve the problem by going nuclear — that is, changing Senate practice by a simple majority vote so that organizing resolutions cannot be filibustered. That would allow Democrats to pass their version of the organizing resolution (or, for that matter, an alterative that would leave Republicans worse off). They could even use it, if they all agreed, to go fully nuclear, ending the filibuster entirely. "

 

[Baji Boxer]

As an outsider, I don't understand how any progress is ever made

Trump undoes everything Obama created
Biden undoes everything Trump created
Next ROP president undoes everything Biden created
.
.
.

Filibuster is just icing on the cake of dysfunction

Click to shrink...

There probably won't be any long term progress.

 

[julian]

Biden should be disrespected by his party and shoved into a closet if he keeps entertaining this bipartisanship fetish.

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This isn't really up to Biden. He's busy signing EOs to get rid of what he can. The Senate is an independent body. The holdup here are some Dem Senators (and obviously the awful GOP), not Biden.

 

[LegendofJoe]

Yeah but look at what happened with covid. States can go bankrupt pretty quickly.

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They can if they aren't willing to increase taxes on those that can afford it (hello Illinois, NY, and California).

 

[maxxpower]

They can if they aren't willing to increase taxes on those that can afford it (hello Illinois, NY, and California).

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Agree.

 

[Squarehard]

Biden should be disrespected by his party and shoved into a closet if he keeps entertaining this bipartisanship fetish.

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What do you want him to do here exactly? Just curious if you had an idea, not in an antagonizing way.

 

[Dekuman]

I think the Dems can sometimes be outplayed but this 'roadblock' is so obvious I am more inclined to believe they've gamed it out already.
Maybe I'm wrong, but this is not a sucker punch from Mitch.

 

[Richietto]

I think the Dems can sometimes be outplayed but this 'roadblock' is so obvious I am more inclined to believe they've gamed it out already.
Maybe I'm wrong, but this is not a sucker punch from Mitch.

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Yeah it doesn't seem like something they weren't expecting at all. Man I fucking hate the Republican Party though.

 

[maximumzero]

Since it can't ever be said enough, fuck Mitch McConnell.

 

[Doukou]

The Democrats know they typically can't hold the Senate for very long, why would they even entertain nuking the filibuster?

Also, why is this being done before a COVID-19 relief package again?

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Mitch literally won't let anything be done in the Senate, probably to make the Dems look worse than Trump in handling covid including any sort of relief. If the filibuster isn't nuked than there is really no hope for any significant change.

If Dems decide to be tactical and unified they'll nuke the filibuster and work on granting Statehood for territories/DC in order to be more competitive in the Senate

 

[stefanomusilli96]

What happens now? They use reconciliation?

 

[Maxim726x]

Again, not gonna bring out the pitchforks until the Sinema/Manchins of the world actually vote against ending the filibuster.

All of these people can be swayed. Until they prove otherwise.

 

[Geode]

Oh boy, here we go, another two years without getting anything done. Say what you want about Republicans, but at least they usually stay united with their party. Dems have a chance to make a real difference and they have at least two senators fucking around making their party ineffective. I guess it's easier to just sit there and do nothing for 6 years and get paid.

 

[moblin]

Again, not gonna bring out the pitchforks until the Sinema/Manchins of the world actually vote against ending the filibuster.

All of these people can be swayed. Until they prove otherwise.

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The point is it won't be brought to a vote by the leadership if it will fail.

All the "Manchin/Sinema vote with us anyway stop the doomposting" stuff is a tautology, of course they vote with Dems when things are brought to a vote because their vote has been assured.