MTP Daily host Chuck Todd memory-holed former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday as he accused Sen. Mitch McConnell of hypocritically getting rid of the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees while decrying Democratic attempts to eliminate the legislative filibuster.
Addressing Capitol Hill correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell, a flustered Todd wondered how Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema can justify their decisions to not get rid of the filibuster:
I got to ask one more question, though, about this. Senator McConnell already changed the filibuster rules, right, to — for, for Supreme Court justices. So, I, you know, part of this is always, you know, either, how is it that, that Sinema and Manchin think that ‘oh, we’re, we can’t get rid of something we’ve had here for years’ when actually they keep moving the line all the time, right?
I true partisan fashion, Todd rooted for McConnell to pay a political price: “Over the last ten years we’ve changed the rules of the filibuster a bunch of times, and, and I don’t understand how Senator McConnell thinks they don’t look like hypocrites here. They changed the rules for issues they care about like the Supreme Court. How dare a political party go the other way?”
Democrats under Reid eliminated the filibuster for Obama nominees on lower courts, but retained it for Supreme Court nominations in case they had to filibuster an appointee of the Republican party. McConnell wouldn’t let them have it all, and that led to Caldwell’s additional accusation of hypocrisy: “Right. That’s exactly right, and that’s part of the argument the Democrats are making to Senators Manchin and Sinema.”
Caldwell said that Republicans have been passing voter suppression bills, despite claims by media outlets that they are. This is because Republicans do not have a large legislative agenda.
…you hit the nail on the head and I’m so happy you brought this up, Chuck, because of course Republicans want to keep in a 60-vote threshold for legislation. Republicans usually don’t have big legislative plans like Democrats do. Historically, they want to roll back government, they want to cut taxes, which you can do in the Senate with a simple majority. So all of the things that Republicans care about, they already have a simple majority like judges and nominations.
Todd wrapped up the segment with a plea to the audience: “Well, as everybody listens to senators tonight making the case they’ve got these firm beliefs, remember nothing about that Senate and those rules have been firm at all in the last 20 years.”
Because Democrats continue to try to modify the rules whenever they see them as being disadvantageous, it’s Republicans Todd and MSNBC accuse of hypocrisy.
Sponsored by Downy.
Below is the transcript from January 19, 2009:
MTP Daily
1/19/2022
1.26 PM ET
CHUCK TODD: Leigh Ann, I got to ask one more question, though, about this. Senator McConnell already changed the filibuster rules, right, to, for, for Supreme Court justices. So, I, you know, part of this is always, you know, either, how is it that, that Sinema and Manchin think that
“oh, we’re, we can’t get rid of something we’ve had here for years” when actually they keep moving the line all the time, right? Over the last ten years we’ve changed the rules of the filibuster a bunch of times, and, and I don’t understand how Senator McConnell thinks they don’t look like hypocrites here. They changed the rules for issues they care about like the Supreme Court. How dare a political party go the other way?LEIGH ANN CALDWELL : Correct. That’s exactly right, and that’s part of the argument the Democrats are making to Senators Manchin and Sinema. And you, you hit the nail on the head and I’m so happy you brought this up, Chuck, because of course Republicans want to keep in a 60-vote threshold for legislation. Republicans usually don’t have big legislative plans like Democrats do. Historically, they want to roll back government, they want to cut taxes, which…
TODD:
CALDWELL: … you can do in the Senate with a simple majority. So all of the things that Republicans care about, they already have a simple majority like judges and nominations.
TODD:
CALDWELL: And so, but it wasn’t enough to convince Senators Manchin and Sinema. And we know that Senator McConnell has been talking to them as well.
TODD: Well, as everybody listens to senators tonight making the case they’ve got these firm beliefs, remember nothing about that Senate and those rules have been firm at all in the last 20 years.
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