Kyrsten Sinema Tells Chuck Schumer to Pound Sand and Leaves Democrats With Nowhere to Go – Opinion

Chuck Schumer is doing what? That’s the big question that’s emerged in light of his push to hold a vote on blowing up the filibuster. Ostensibly, he’s doing so in order to pass “voting rights” and save our “democracy” by having the federal government rig the 2022 election. Is that his real plan?

I ask that because it’s been obvious since his “dear colleagues” letter was released that he doesn’t have the votes. Last night, Joe Manchin said he’s not on board. Now, Kyrsten Sinema has weighed in, letting it be known that her position hasn’t changed. She’s still against any maneuver that would eliminate the 60-vote threshold to pass any type of legislation.

Kyrsten Sinema reiterated during yesterday’s virtual Democratic caucus lunch she will not support any effort to get rid of the 60-vote threshold, according to two sources familiar with the callhttps://t.co/ZgZ1y7clkU

— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) January 5, 2022

As I suggested in my last piece on Schumer’s gambit, putting “pressure” on Sinema and Manchin was never going to work. Even worse, their resistance to the changes in filibuster rules is being made harder by the public shame.

For the moment, though, it doesn’t appear Schumer has the votes, and I’m highly skeptical that Manchin and Sinema are going to move an inch. They haven’t responded well to public pressure in the past, and they will likely be driven into further opposition if their own colleagues continue to attack them.

Again, the question is: What’s the plan? Is Schumer really going to put several of his “moderate” senators that are up for reelection in red states on record supporting the destruction of the filibuster? What does this do for Democrats to retain the Senate in November. This seems to be a self-destructive and pointless move. If you don’t have the votes, you shouldn’t hold a vote.

Schumer has never been accused of being the most sharp tool in the shed. Perhaps he really believes Sinema or Manchin are lying? I think that’s an incredibly dumb calculation on the Majority Leader’s part, but it wouldn’t shock me if he buys into it.

This entire situation smells more like desperate attempts to save face and a bid for survival. Schumer likely understands he doesn’t have the votes, and more importantly, that he will never have the votes. To appease his rabid and deluded party members who believe that Republicans winning the 2022 midterm elections under normal voting procedures will lead us into fascism, it is necessary to record everyone.

Schumer’s gambit is going to backfire, though. All he’s going to do is knee-cap his vulnerable members while doing nothing to actually advance the Democrats’ attempted takeover of the 2022 election. He’s also opening the door for Republicans to blow up the filibuster in the future because now every Democrat leader has expressed their support for eliminating it. It’s hard to imagine how he could have miscalculated this entire situation any worse.

Every Republican ought to send Sinema an appreciation card. She’s quite literally standing in the gap and saving the nation from absolute the calamity that legalized ballot harvesting, outlawed voter ID, and the rest of the For the People Act would cause.