Democrats Signal They Won't Allow Republicans To Waste Time And Obstruct Biden

[ffr]

Congressional Democrats are signaling that they learned their lesson from the Obama years and won’t allow Republicans to waste time and obstruct Biden.

E.J. Dionne wrote in The Washington Post:

The 2009-2010 example comes up again and again in conversations with Democrats. “We have to learn from that experience in an even more urgent crisis,” said Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.), the assistant House speaker, in an interview.

This means being willing to move quickly to what is known as the reconciliation process, which would allow passage of economic relief on a simple Senate majority.

“We should give Senate Republicans a very short amount of time to signal if they want to be partners in moving the country forward, or if they intend to be obstructionists,” Van Hollen said. “And the early signaling is that they [republicans] are reverting to their obstructionist mode.”

Democrats aren’t going to allow the Republican Party to waste precious time by stalling and obstructing Joe Biden. Senate Majority Leader Schumer’s threat to nuke or weaken the filibuster is real. There are many ways besides one big vote to get rid of the filibuster. There is a death by a thousand obstructions strategy that is especially appealing.

Each time that McConnell uses the filibuster to block a bill, Democrats respond by weakening the filibuster. The more that McConnell obstructs, the weaker the filibuster becomes overall.
-snip-

The brilliance of this strategy is that it keeps Democrats on board while directly punishing Mitch McConnel for each abuse of power. - PoliticusUSA

A giant two-finger solute to you, Moscow Mitch, you fucking traitor and traitor enabler!

[still_one]

1. The question is what can they do until a power sharing agreement is agreed to?

[LiberalFighter]

3. What I don't understand is why there needs to be an agreement.

Doesn't the Senate President break ties?

[still_one]

5. Hopefully someone can address this and what can or cannot be done with the Senate rules

[wryter2000]

7. If they're filibustering the rule change

It would take 60 votes to end the filibuster on that.

[Rstrstx]

23. Are you sure?

McConnell changed the SCOTUS confirmation rules using a simple majority vote (the “nuclear option”).

[wryter2000]

25. Correct

I meant without using the nuclear option, which I hope they do.

[euphorb]

8. The power sharing agreement has to do with committee assignments

In a 50-50 split, the ability of the vice president to break a tie has no effect on committees. Until a new agreement is in place, Republicans continue to chair and control committees (since the old rules are still in place). McConnell is saying he won't enter into a new agreement unless the Dems agree not to abolish the filibuster. That's what it's all about. The Dems control the floor, true, but until the new agreement is in place, they won't control the committees.

[Alpeduez21]

12. I promise to hold onto the filibuster

as much as you promise to not appoint judges during an election year you asshole.

[euphorb]

15. The problem is . . .

. . . that while McConnell’s “promise” not to approve judges in an election year was oral, the promise he is trying to get from Schumer about the filibuster would be in writing because it would be in the power sharing agreement.

[Raven123]

9. Not sure. The Senate sets it's own rules. Perhaps there is something previously written on this

The other thought is Schumer is trying to demonstrate reasonableness.

[Demsrule86]

21. Can't for rules....it affects committees...need rules but you can use the reconciliation process.

[Blue_true]

18. Simple, use one vote to change Senate rule so that the

Party with the tie-breaking vote lead committees and that a tie vote in committees sends legislation to the Senate floor for a full vote.

We have to use the up to two years that we have to get stuff done. Screw Mitch McConnell. Our Reps need to use the power that they have while they have it. Manchin and Simena are solid Democrats, both had several chances to switch parties to make things easier for them, they stayed Democrats. Schumer just has to show that he gave Mitch a chance to do something but just obstruct.

[Skittles]

2. it's about fucking time

excellent

[lunatica]

4. Agreed! They can go to hell!

[wryter2000]

6. Interesting

I wonder how you weaken it without getting rid of it completely.

If they were filibustering a bill to help people, I'd say make them do it the old fashioned way by holding the floor 24/7, but I don't think the American people would be impressed by making them do that for a rule change.

[Raven123]

10. I agree with you. People don't want that nonsense, especially now

Dems need to make their case. The people need help. The President has a plan. Congress needs to consider that plan.

[thesquanderer]

14. I can think of two ways to weaken it...

One would be to prevent only certain categories of legislation from being fillibustered, much as budget reconcilliation is immune from it, and as of recently, some judge confirmations.

Another could be to reduce the number of votes it takes to prevent a fillibuster. Right now, it's 60. But it's only a rule, why couldn't it be 58? 55? 52?

[wryter2000]

24. Thanks

[0rganism]

26. I'd like to see a reduction in cloture requirements for each vote on a bill

Say a bill gets held up or filibustered and referred back to committee and resubmitted for floor vote

Let first time cloture remain at 60 votes
Second time around reduce the requirement to 55 votes
Third time? Simple majority, 51 votes

this gives some leeway to the minority for reconsideration and delay without the ability to permanently shitcan legislation

[judesedit]

11. Good. Time's a wastin'. Get rid of the traitors while you're at it, will ya

[Mabel]

13. Just steam roll them in anyway possible

I don't want to consider their feelings, play nice or be unified with them. I want progressive policies now without listening to a lot of whining.

[Cha]

16. Yeah Fuck the Fascist Time WASTERS!

& TAX PAY ERS' MONEY!

[Amaryllis]

17. I dont get how this works:

Each time that McConnell uses the filibuster to block a bill, Democrats respond by weakening the filibuster. The more that McConnell obstructs, the weaker the filibuster becomes overall. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and a couple of others want to keep the filibuster, but they have no opposition to weakening it.

How do "democrats respond by weakening the filibuster?"

[BumRushDaShow]

22. Originally it was for everything (a motion to proceed) - including confirmations (required 2/3rds)

Then by agreement, the number was dropped to 60 (3/5ths). Then Harry Reid invoked the nuclear option in 2013 to change the filibuster rule to allow confirmations to proceed without needing cloture (3/5ths), but it remained for everything else except Reconciliation and certain legislation that have rules that already define the debate - for example when they did those seditious Electoral College vote "objections" which had rules predetermined that deprecated a need for a cloture vote to initiate the objections debate.

The other way - which actually happens a lot - is to do "unanimous consent" and if no one is there to object, then boom! Something is automatically passed without debate.

The demand is to remove the 3/5ths requirement for everything still requiring it, in order to move a piece of business forward for consideration by a simple majority vote (including if a unanimous consent fails).

(ETA - one way to "weaken" but not kill is to keep cloture for very specific legislation and remove the requirement for other things)

[BumRushDaShow]

19. "This means being willing to move quickly to what is known as the reconciliation process"

The one thing to keep in mind with using Reconciliation is that (either via the Rules or a law) "Reconciliation" can only be used 3 times within a (either fiscal or calendar) year - and on only one of 3 specific topics, where one of them - budget-related - is applicable to the relief bill that is being referenced.

In this instance, given the push-back on additional stimulus, it would make sense to use Reconciliation for it.

[roamer65]

20. I agree. Weaken it each time then finally kill it off.