Dems are upset that the GOP still has a modicum of power as the minority party. They seem to want complete control, which they almost do with a majority in both Houses and the White House. They are just upset that the GOP is against them passing their liberal bills. They want to streamline the process and remove a tool of the minority party, the filibuster. But Minority Senate Leader McConnell is not having and claims if Dems remove the filibuster they will do everything in their power to bring the Senate to a halt.
“None of us have served one minute in a Senate that was completely drained of comity and consent. This is an institution that requires unanimous consent to turn the lights on before noon, to proceed with a garden-variety floor speech.”
McConnell continued: “I want our colleagues to imagine a world where every single task, every one of them, requires a physical quorum. Which, by the way, the vice president does not count in determining a quorum. This chaos would not open up an express lane for liberal change … The Senate would be more like a 100-car pileup, nothing moving.”
But there is still hope that McConnell is just being proactive here as Dem Senator Manchin has still not signed off on any Filibuster reform and Dems need him to get things passed.
“Manchin rejects calls for lowering the 60-vote threshold. Also rejects calls for requiring 41 sens to sustain a filibuster. Also rejects calls for specific carveouts on legislation, like on voting I asked him if he’s drawing a line at 60 “I’m still at 60… I haven’t changed.”
So this is definitely a preemptive strike on McConnell’s part, but the Dems have been circling hoping to get rid of the filibuster. We are just lucky that Dem Senator Manchin has some scruples as opposed to most of the people in his party.