McConnell vows 'scorched earth' if Senate ends filibuster

McConnell vows 'scorched earth' if Senate ends filibuster

Is McConnell just blowing smoke? Is it time to do away with filibusters?

What do you think?

 

I don't care if they get rid of it or not, but there should be a rule that all legislation MUST be at least voted on in some finite time frame, so that not one or a few can hold up the entire congress from getting things done. If an issue doesn't have the votes, it doesn't make it. If they have the votes, it will pass. Too many Congressional actions have been essentially tabled by one person even when it seemed there were enough votes to pass it. At least there should be a vote and let the chips fall where they may.

 

Like him or hate him, I don't think McConnell blows a lot of smoke. He refused to end filibusters when Trump and and a lot of Trump supporters wanted him to when the GOP had the majority, so it doesn't surprise me that he wouldn't want to see it happen now. The minority protections exist in the Senate for very good reasons. He warned what the GOP would do if Reed and the Dems dropped from 60 to 51 for confirming judges, and he followed through. He would never have done that if the Dems hadn't made the opening salvo. If he's saying this now, I'd suggest they believe him. Those who complain about the difficulty of passing legislation due to Senate polarization are missing the bigger picture -- the ELECTORATE is highly polarized almost right down the middle, and the Senators reflect this. This will continue until some Senators on BOTH sides of the aisle decide to be Statesmen or Stateswomen and lead by example. I really hoped this was one area where Biden, with 40 years of legislative experience, most in the Senate, would be able to have some effect and help steer the Congress back to more bipartisan ways.

Biden pledged bipartisanship, but when a group of 10 GOP senators came to him to wanting to have input and discussion on the covid relief bill to try to reach a bipartisan agreement, it was thanks but no thanks. If that's the way it's going to be, fine, but then don't run on the "we all need to come together" crap. If the Dems are going to keep trying to enact an agenda via reconciliation, etc just because they can, rather than negotiating in good faith to try and reach some compromises that would allow bipartisan support in certain areas, then don't expect the opposition to just say "ok fine, do whatever you want". Expect the opposition to be united and use every tool they have to stop it if they are not given any input, compromise, or even thrown a bone.

 

I think that McConnell is garbage. What scorched earth policy is he talking about? They tried that with Obama. Blocked everything they could, even when it hurt their own voters. Obama was too nice of a guy to play their gutter politics. Biden learned the lessons from Obama’s presidency. That the Republicans are not honest brokers. Why try to negotiate a bill with them, when they are never going to vote for it anyways. I think that is what Biden told them, when he met with Republican congressional leaders, that they could either get on board, or be left out in the cold.

McConnell has lost his power. His threats are mostly just bluster.

 

I'm with Biden and Manchin on this one. Keep the filibuster, but make it so that a person has to actively speak in order for it to work.

 

The ten Senators went to Biden and essentially told him that if the bill was reduced to the point where it would be ineffective, they would vote for it. Apparently Biden told them to go pound sand, and for good reason.

 

Not what I heard. They went with an opening offer for negotiation and discussion and were shut down completely. But spin away.

 

It's my understanding the Republicans didn't want to compromise in a way that was mutually acceptable.

 

They had a plan that mostly gutted the bill.

I have been reading Obama’s book, A Promised Land. In it he talks of the frustrations of dealing with a Republican bloc intent on trying to make him look bad. Democratic states like Colorado, Oregon, and Washington thrived throughout the Obama years, as those states readily embraced the stimulus efforts and the Affordable Care Act. Whereas Republican states throughout the country fell behind, refusing the help, in an effort to make Obama look bad.

Biden seems to have learned very well, the lessons of Obama’s struggles. At first I had my reservations about Biden. But he is turning out to be a whole lot more LBJ like than I would have ever thought. But then, he did threaten to take the Trump out back and knock the stuffing out of him. And got away with it. He stood on the stage with the Trump, looked it the eyes and told it, that it was the worst president in the history of the United States, and told it, it had to go. Biden so unnerved the Trump, that the Trump had a breakdown, on national television. Unable to debate any further.

 

"Scorched earth" is McConnell's move!!! Who is he kidding!!

 

From who? Hannity? Carlson?

 

And who told him, I wonder?

 

It's my understanding that discussions and negotiations never got that far. Negotiation and compromise generally involves both sides having a starting point and making several incremental moves towards each other, not "I didn't like your initial offer, so we're done". Look, I get it. There was a lot of talk of bipartisanship, but in the end, what mattered more to Biden and the Dems was the optics of doing something fast, not taking the time for back and forth bi-partisan negotiation. I get "politics". I hate that the bill is loaded with a lot of stuff that isn't covid-related and costs a fortune, but that's the breaks and most people don't care because they're getting a payment. I don't blame them for going for their "win" while the iron is hot. But truly, if they continue to disregard campaign promises and don't take the time to attempt to negotiate for a reasonable amount of time in good faith on things like immigration and infrastructure, then everyone will know it was all just lip service and they won't have a leg to stand on to criticize the other side of the aisle.

 

Kind of like saying we need to wait a year to hear from the will of the people on a SCOTUS nomination?

There is no reason to negotiate with an entire party that has no goal but the destruction of government.

Nuke the filibuster. Pass HR1. End gerrymandering

 

The chinless maggot already scorched the earth when he refused to do his duty with Merrick Garland,
so he can stuff his lying hypocrisy.

 

Go right ahead Democrats, nuke the filibuster.... but first verify the signature on that contract you must have with God that the Republicans will never hold the Senate again. What goes around comes around.

 

Can Republicans win without gerrymandering?
Can they win with national absentee voting?

And remember, you need the house, senate and presidency to do anything. The house could be completely removed from Republicans with a single rule change editing representation back to it’s intended levels.

Maybe then the right can move from voter disenfranchisement to backing a third party so we can actually get some sane representation.

 

Warnock and Ossoff say the Senate was yours. What happened? As far as the presidency goes, good luck with that. The country will be much different the next time a Republican has a shot at the White House. 16 years, minimum.

 

Trump calls for end to filibuster, says Senate Republicans "look like fools" - CBS News

The very outdated filibuster rule must go. Budget reconciliation is killing R's in Senate. Mitch M, go to 51 Votes NOW and WIN. IT'S TIME!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017

 

Getting rid of the filibuster will lead us to extremism, whether it be socialism or ultra-conservatism. I am for neither!

 

Biden isn't a socialist. Neither is Joe Manchin nor most of the Democratic caucus.

 

No, McConnell isn't just blowing smoke, and in private at least he can be meaner than a junk yard dog. No, there is no good reason to eliminate the filibuster and do away with the appellation "the most deliberative body in the world." The only reason all options are on Schumer's table is he smells the sweet odor of Democrat totalitarianism, and that is far more appealing to him the anything akin to a constitutional republic.

 

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing, but it is an odd post. Your first phrase states you do not care one way or another, and the rest of your post explains why the filibuster must end.

 

Totalitarianism? Get real. Republicans got voted out by the people. Tough cookies. Trump should have stayed out of Georgia. That's where McConnell's anger should be directed.

The Constitution allows the Senate to change the rules. It's because we're a constitutional republic that the filibuster is being challenged. It's being abused. Changing it is to prevent the tyranny of the minority. Read some history of South Africa if that's your thing. Majority rules in this country.