It’s impossible to comprehend just how insulting Chuck Schumer’s threat of nuking the filibuster actually was when he initially made it on Monday afternoon.
He was already doubling down by Tuesday. If Republicans weren’t on board with the voting rights act, he was totally going to do it. He was also encouraging his own members to put pressure on…his own members – Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. He needed party unity in order to force the Republicans’ hand on the issue.
But… by Tuesday afternoon, he was walking it all back.
Schumer was asked what changes might be made to the Senate rules on filibuster. He simply stated that there are many options and his caucus has been discussing them. Schumer admits, however that Democrats are not in agreement. pic.twitter.com/qCfeeNLutS
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) January 4, 2022
Schumer’s fiery rhetoric does not even remotely match the reality all around him. He can’t threaten the Republicans with something when he doesn’t even have all the Democratic votes to make it happen. But this isn’t new, either. This is what we do. KnowIt was clear that Sinema and Manchin were opposed to the initiative. There are also reports that other Democrats oppose it. It’s not news. It’s been the case since the 2020 election.
But Schumer believes two things: The first is that Americans are really, really stupid and will buy into the idea that it’s Republicans holding this up. Any brief amount of research shows you that is absolutely not the case, and the Americans who are paying any sort of attention have seen enough news reports to know that Manchin and Sinema are holding things up for the Democrats and President Joe Biden’s agenda.
Schumer is second-fisted in believing that he holds any power at the Senate. The Democrats are in panic mode ahead of this year’s midterm elections, and it’s really every member for themselves as election day draws nearer and nearer.
I mentioned yesterday that if anyone is trying to help the Democrats here, it isn’t Schumer but Manchin instead.
That’s where Manchin could end up saving the Democrats in the Senate. However, he could not keep Congress divided if the Democratic Party doesn’t pursue the Biden agenda.
If those Senate Democrats who are at risk don’t have to take a vote on a very progressive, very expensive bill, then there is less ammo to use against them. They could be benefited in the end. It’s not a guarantee, but they would be much better off than the moderate Democrats who were forced to vote for the Biden agenda in the House before it got (predictably) shelved in the Senate. These House Democrats now have a burden on their shoulders that could and will bring them down.
[…]
What I can confidently affirm is that Manchin has done more to ensure Democratic seats remain in Democratic hands, than Schumer, Pelosi and the Squad. This is despite the fact that the Squad is trying to push the party to the left. Manchin is more aware than many in his party that Biden was elected in 2020 by the voters because they chose a moderate candidate. Biden turned on all those voters and now is risking his entire legacy for a progressive legacy, which could be easily reversed.
Manchin is still keen to think strategically about this. Manchin wants to be in his own seat. He also wants his party moving the ball around the field and not throwing Hail Marys each play. They just won’t listen. The hero can’t be a hero when no one wants to be saved.
Manchin, and to a lesser degree, Sinema have basically guaranteed that the Democratic agenda has been dead. Schumer almost admits defeat when he states that Democrats don’t have a deal. And the White House remains silent.
It is a desperate situation. Democrats see a likely wipeout, with Republicans gaining control of either one or both houses of Congress. It’s a problem that none of the vocal progressives care to acknowledge. So they will continue pushing the country towards the left, and want the power of passing any bill by a majority. They give themselves permission to pass any legislation by a bare majority, but they also allow the reverse to occur when Republicans take power.
If Republicans take control of the White House and have Congress, then they can do the exact same thing the Democrats want to do now, and they’ll be doing so with the Democrats’ blessing. The Republicans will be able to pass any agenda item they wish with the minimum of fuss, and it will happily be signed into law in Washington by a Republican president.
That is an inconvenient truth and one that Schumer and the gang don’t want to acknowledge. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure any of this out. However, he is determined to pass Build Back Better as well as the (alleged?) voting rights bill immediately. He’ll lie to the American public to make it happen. The only problem is, he has no real power or clout among his colleagues, and the American public isn’t so stupid as to fall for any of it.
About Post Author
