I’m surprised . . . they have noting to lose, as the Dems won’t get the Senate in 2018, sorry to day. one caveat, only if Trump implodes.
“Republicans seem less willing to go there.”
Bull. They just have to wait until they’ve forced Dems to use it on a SCOTUS nominee so they have their “excuse” and can blame it all on the other guys…i.e., so the MSM can go along with them and blame the Dems too. If they just do it right off the bat, then the MSM would have more trouble backing them up. You can expect the first one they nominate to make Bork look like fucking Marx.
I say do their worst! Dems have always been worse at using the filibuster than Repubs anyway. So let them nuke the filibuster and have their fun for a couple years, and then when we get back in power, BOOM single payer, and and endless list of other things that are FAR more popular than their awful ideas.
“I think we should assume there won’t be any funny business,” Blunt said.
That’s rich. You guys owe us the SCT pick that you stole. It is like you picked my pocket, and then warn me not to pull any “funny business” to get my wallet back… except we are talking about something far more important than my wallet.
This is one of my Senators, what an ass. What a craven duplicitous pain in the ass.
Keeping the filibuster gives a lot of power to anti trumpers, so it make sense for them to want to keep it.
“BOOM single payer”. Look how long it took to get ACA up and running. There’s nothing “BOOM” about it. Not that it would be a bad thing. And then of course the R’s could dismantle it when they got back into power…
I was hoping Kander would pull it off. He did better than Hillary, but looks like she dragged him down. At least they will not be able to blame Dems for the mess they will create, though they certainly will try.
The Democrats would be insane to not use the filibuster. They should filibuster every bill not supportive of Democratic ideals. In contrast to Yertle the Turtle and his GOP confederates, this means the Democrats will work with anything they can live with – if any such bill may exist.
It also gives political cover to GOP senators. McConnell knows there will be a lot of deplorable legislation coming out of the House. If he kills the filibuster then the GOP senators will have to either go on record as voting against their GOP counterparts in the House or maintain party purity and repeal every bit of progressive legislation since the New Deal. If he keeps the filibuster he can count on the Democrats to block the absurd and then blame them for thwarting the will of the people.
Hey thanks, I know the shitstorm that is coming. I just for the life of me can’t figure out how Blunt can keep lying to veterans but now with Medicare I hope they pull out the pitch forks and torches.
Hmmm, he’s from the southwestern part of the state where there are caves, lots of caves with deep dark passages and water.
Exactly, and McConnell and the establishment Republicans DO NOT want to be in the position where they can pass some of the legislation that will almost certainly come out of the House. These people aren’t stupid. They know that Paul Ryan’s plan to kill Medicare is a massive loser for them in the short and long run. Mitch knows damn well that he’s got to be able to protect some of his blue and purple state members by allowing them to vote for things that will never come to pass in order to protect their right flank and their left in a general election.
Well, shucks, I should’ve just read your post instead of wasting my time typing the same thoughts.
Exactly, don’t just block everything. They should block all but the things they can live with. If I were in the Senate I’d be trying to work with Trump on infrastructure and try to get the biggest package possible, one that would no doubt lose many Republican votes.
Keep it in perspective. The article lists two GOP senators showing reluctance, Graham and Hatch. Both, particularly Hatch, will cave once McConnell starts putting on the pressure. And even if they don’t. McConnell still has the votes. (The republicans will most likely be at 52 after the run off in LA, so losing 2 still gives them 50 + VP).
For this sort of story to work, they need to conduct a survey of all 51 republicans, and find a good solid half a dozen republicans willing to keep a filibuster in place.
There will be no infrastructure bill. Ryan doesn’t want it, and McConnell doesn’t want it, and Trump has zero reach into Congress to drive something that Leadership is against.
Quite frankly, Trump doesn’t need an infrastructure package. Unemployment and interest rates are low, wages are rising as is consumer confidence. That’s really not the time to advocate for a big economic stimulus package. He only needs to pass a tax cut package and then he can claim that the cuts are responsible for turning the entire economy around and everything is great in America.
And tax cuts is something that Ryan and McConnell are TOTALLY on board with.
Not sure I follow your point. I think some people have a good point that they may want to keep the filibuster for purposes of face-saving and cover when something too odious to pass arises from the swamps of the Teatroll House, but I think that’s ultimately going to be overridden by not just their glee at having control back, but their desperation over never having to relinquish it again, particularly to the you-know-whos.
Overall I think there has to be recognition of a VERY important fact here: they voted and are acting like a minority because they see this as a last stand and feel cornered. Their goal in the next 4 years is to so utterly override the past 60 years and the systems and institutions that force them to accept sharing the country and its governance with brown people and liberals that they never have to worry about doing so again…or at least for the long-term foreseeable future. Thus, why worry that the filibuster will be lost to you as a minority in the Senate down the road? You shouldn’t ever have to worry about that situation arising ever again if you get rid of it now and enact all the “right” things and get all the “right” judges so that you can make sure it never happens again.
Sorry, House, but we can’t pass that bill you sent us because the mean old Democrats are filibustering. Better luck next time!
Translated : we’d be insane to pass this crazy bill you sent us, and it would be political suicide if we did, so we’re going to punt on it and blame the Democrats so we don’t have to take the heat.
You and I shared our agreement on this issue in another thread yesterday(?). Great minds 
I think we are in agreement. McConnell is looking at being Majority Leader for a good solid 4 years, with a very good possibility of 6 years(assuming he runs again in 2020). But his lead is very narrow, and he isn’t going to risk packing the Courts on a filibuster he can kill. He will have the votes in January, is my point.
The only reason he wouldn’t have the votes is if there are some republicans that have the weird “Senate nostaglia” thing and not want to give up the tradition entirely. Senators tend to be much more independent and territorial than House members generally speaking, so that is a possibility.
However, this article doesn’t touch on enough of those people to back up a claim that republicans aren’t ready to kill the filibuster. The strategy, tactics and current environment for McConnell clearly point to him doing away with it.
Holding on to the notion that GOP Senators will be weighing the options of wanting to let Democrats stop House bills or some insane Trump nominee is ludicrous.