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Joe Biden’s Reported Position on Court-Packing and Filibuster Drives Left Into a Frenzy – Opinion

By Pluralist / June 25, 2022

Is Joe Biden admitting that he knows the Democrats are going to get shellacked in the midterms and he’s hedging his bets?

According to Karine Jean Pierre, White House Press Secretary, it could be.

Joe Biden was an outspoken defender of filibuster when he was serving in the Senate. But over the past couple of years, as the Democrats have been screaming their heads off to get rid of the filibuster–to be able to deal with the bare majority that they have in the Senate. Biden was a bit hesitant in the past about Court-packing or the filibuster. He wasn’t for sharing his position. Then, in January, the Democrats were hollering about Jim Crow and losing their minds over ‘voting rights’ (what happened to that?). Biden claimed he supported the elimination of filibuster.

On Saturday, when talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Jean-Pierre pushed the false claim that the Court/Republicans were going to go after people’s right to contraception and other ‘rights’

MS. JEAN-PIERRE : That is something we are worried about. If you look at what — what Justice Thomas said — he wrote expli- — explicitly that “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents.”

So make no mistake: Congressional — congressional Republicans have — have made it clear; Republican leaders — national Republican leaders have made it clear they are going to go after — they’re going to go after women’s reproductive healthcare across the country and beyond. That’s what we heard from them yesterday.

No, Republicans haven’t said any such thing, and the Court made it very clear such rights were not in jeopardy and that this decision only pertained to abortion. Democrats are deliberately miscasting what Justice Thomas said–but in any event, not the majority opinion of the Court.

Jean-Pierre then made an intriguing statement to reporters, which is infuriating for people on the Left.

Jean-Pierre stated that Biden was against calls for the expansion of the Court. When asked if Biden supported ending the filibuster, she hesitated and replied that it was not his intention.

So is it time, in the President’s view, to think about reforming the Court? If so, which changes would he prefer to see?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I know I’ve — I’ve been asked — I was asked this question yesterday, and I’ve been asked it before — and I think the President himself — about doing — about expanding the Court. This is something the President doesn’t agree with. He doesn’t want to do that. [….]

Q And on that, what is the President’s reform on — position on filibuster reform? He says, you know, “Elect more Democrats.” Let’s say he got two more Democrats in the Senate who would be okay with killing the filibuster on this issue so he had 50. He would then be willing to support this stance.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, if we got more — more members of Congress, more — more members of Congress who support Roe, then the thinking would be that we would be able to pass a law to get that done. I don’t think the — I don’t think the filibuster would play a role there.

But that’s what we have to do. We got to make sure that we elect more members, or we have more members come in to — come in to Congress that can actually make a difference here.

I’ve got to be careful, because I can’t talk about — (laughs) — elec- — as you know. So I’ve got to be careful of what I say.

But the point that I’m making is: I hear — I hear you — I hear your point about the filibuster. But I think if — if we’re able to — if Americans are able to use their voice at the ballot box, bring in more members into Congress that support this issue, then there is movement that we can make. Roe can be restored. That is what we should do.

Initial reports indicated that a CNN reporter reported that Biden was against abolishing the filibuster.

The transcript however didn’t quite say that about the filibuster, but it did indicate that she was being a bit cagey on it, that Biden wasn’t for saying now that he was for doing away with it.

So assuming this doesn’t get walked back — what does this mean?

It’s sort of a fascinating statement, given that Biden is usually ducking such statements and avoiding them whenever he’s asked. Why is he shifting (apparently) from the position he held even regarding ‘voting rights’? He’s not willing to go that far over abortion? Is he being too definitive on court-packing?

Biden (or the handlers) may finally be realizing they don’t have the votes to flip anything, and that they are going to get shellacked in the midterms — that not even this issue is going to save them. By removing the filibuster from the Court and packing it, they will be only hurting themselves if they lose power. He would find himself in serious trouble during his last two years. This was evident before but his handlers may finally be able to absorb it as we move on to the midterms.

KJP’s statements have angered some left-leaning people, who he must keep in support of the Democrats during the midterms. Perhaps Biden’s team thinks that such people will elect the Democrats. But I wouldn’t bet on it. There are a lot of people infuriated, saying that response is not enough and this is a demotivating move to rally the base to vote, if Democrats aren’t going to do anything anyway.

It is amazing to witness the fury. But that’s where they’re at now — in complete confusion.

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Pluralist

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