One year into the unmitigated disaster that is the Biden presidency, Democrats are well aware they need a miracle to hold back a red tsunami in the upcoming midterms. The passage of the well-known “For the People Act,” best known as H.R. 1, could provide just the miracle they’re looking for.
It should really be called the “For the Democrats Act,” because if this bill were to become law, America would be governed by one-party rule for generations to come. Among a host of provisions that would open U.S. elections to massive fraud, this legislation would federalize elections, end voter ID laws, force states to allow online registration, and legalize ballot harvesting.
Due to the filibuster, passage of this bill currently requires a 60-vote supermajority. Given that all 50 Republican senators are unanimously opposed to the measure, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s only chance to pass it is by creating a “carve-out”- an exception – for voting rights legislation. He needs to abolish the filibuster to pass the bill.
Ironically, ending the filibuster only requires 51 votes. All 50 Democratic senators must support this measure and Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the deciding vote.
However, two Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, are opposed to ending the filibuster.
Manchin is facing enormous pressure from his colleagues to cave, particularly from Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Angus King (I-ME). All three of these men once vehemently opposed ending the filibuster. According to Politico:
Tester, Kaine and King all signed a letter in 2017 vowing to “preserve existing rules” of the Senate, but they all say the Jan. 6 insurrection and other events have changed their minds.
“Joe’s a complex guy. We’re all complex people,” Tester said. “All three of us have been in a position where we didn’t want to change the filibuster. And I think if it wasn’t weaponized, I wouldn’t be talking about it now.”
Politico reported on Friday that talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, have joined the fray.
Manchin has told colleagues that his phone line has been lighting up with prominent names outside the Senate in recent days. He’s heard from former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and talk-show legend Oprah Winfrey, plus former staffers to both Manchin and former Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), according to a person familiar with the talks. Manchin’s office declined comment on those calls.
Manchin is crystal clear that he doesn’t want to change the 60-vote threshold required to pass most bills via a unilateral vote, which is currently the only option to gut the filibuster. At the same time, he has a hard time saying no to his pals.
…
He’s entertained modest adjustments, which many Democrats now see as the tiniest glimmer of hope that they could eventually succeed. But they aren’t there yet — not even close.
The effort is a long shot at best. At this point, Manchin and Sinema endorsing a weaker filibuster via the unilateral “nuclear option” would be one of the biggest reversals in modern political history.
Manchin has been unequivocal in his opposition to ending the filibuster. For that reason, I don’t understand why he is even engaging in discussions about ending it.
Asked why he is engaging in these discussions last week, the Senator said: “It’s very informational. My goodness, we’ve got a lot of historical background, learning how we got to where we are today as a body. How we’ve evolved and who we are and how we got here and the changes that have been made over a period of time. They’re all my friends … they know where I’m at.”
Sinema has been adamant in her refusal to ending the filibuster.
In January, one of Sinema’s representatives told The Washington Post’s White House reporter, Seung Min Kim, that “Kyrsten is against eliminating the filibuster, and she is not open to changing her mind about eliminating the filibuster.”
She sounds pretty clear about that, doesn’t she?
For all the focus on Manchin being anti-nuke on filibuster, this is what a spokes for @kyrstensinema tells me + @mikedebonis:
"Kyrsten is against eliminating the filibuster, and she is not open to changing her mind about eliminating the filibuster.”https://t.co/0wZD3dibEO
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 25, 2021
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