Some Senators Want to 'Go Nuclear' to Pass Democratic Priorities

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON—Democrats’ improved prospects for winning both chambers of Congress and the White House in November have reignited calls within the party to end the Senate filibuster, lowering the bar for passing all legislation to a simple majority.

Lawmakers of both parties have resisted throwing out the current three-fifths threshold—60 votes when the Senate has no vacancies—even as they changed the rules for federal judicial and executive-branch nominees, and most recently Supreme Court picks, to require just 51 votes when all senators are present. But a growing number of Democrats see eliminating the filibuster as the only way to pass legislation on health care, policing and other priorities if they win the Senate, even if it means they will have less power when they are in the minority again.

“I decided the only way I could justify spending more years of my life in this broken institution was to do everything I possibly can to restore it to being a functioning legislative body,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) said in an interview Wednesday, adding that he had wrestled with whether to run for re-election this year.

Mr. Merkley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) are leading the push among Democrats to change the chamber’s rules if the party wins the Senate and presidency this fall. During her presidential run, Ms. Warren highlighted gun control as one issue Democrats could pass if they eliminated the filibuster.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/some-senators-want-to-go-nuclear-to-pass-democratic-priorities/ar-BB16ileu?li=BBnb7Kz

[Bettie]

1. I can see both negative and positive aspects to getting rid of it

but, Republicans seem to be MUCH better at using it to obstruct even when they are in the minority.

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. Those were the old rules, but since Republicans have created multiple precedents in abusing their

powers, it's time for Democrats to abuse theirs to get the following accomplished.

Protection of all Americans right to vote.

Restructuring our economy to address pollution/climate change and promote labor-intense, denentralized renewable energy grids.

Stop using the US Armed Forces (taxpayer money) to protect Big Oil's product distribution. Let them price their product and profit security into the cost of a gallon of gas.

Rescind the Republican taxcuts for the past 20 years and go after inheritance taxes. Nor more Don Trump,Jr./Eric/Ivanka golden pacifiers.

We can do spectacular things at Federal/State levels if we stamp out the Republican virus.

No more incrementalism and forgiving Republicans their immediate past transgressions.

[Bettie]

8. I agree completely

Every one of those things should happen.

I'd add one thing: Reinstate the Voting Rights Act and make it applicable to all states and include an affirmative RIGHT to vote.

[OAITW r.2.0]

10. The 1st order of business, Bettie!

[I_UndergroundPanther]

14. I would add save the post office

[volstork]

12. Please say more about this:

Stop using the US Armed Forces (taxpayer money) to protect Big Oil's product distribution. Let them price their product and profit security into the cost of a gallon of gas.

I did not realize that this was happening.

[OAITW r.2.0]

13. Really?

We spend 700+ BB/year on our defense budget. How much of that is spent directly on US naval/air support and total military operations in the Gulf of Arabia and ME? 250BB? More?

[volstork]

15. I misunderstood what you were describing.

No need to be snarky. Sorry if I wasted your time.

[dsc]

2. It should go for lots of reasons

1) It is the very antithesis of democracy. When we vote for a party we should get that party's programs. If that party goes too far we can vote for the other party and so on. This notion that we should have to win ridiculous majorities of the vote to get basic stuff done is absurd. Honestly, the only part of the filibuster that had any justification (approving life tenure judges) is already gone. Most everything else can be undone by a future Congress.

2) It has become a very one sided weapon due to the priorities of the parties. The GOP cares about three things, and only three things. One, appointing people (filibuster eliminated for that), two, cutting taxes (filibuster eliminated for that), and three, increasing defense spending (broad enough popularity filibuster proof). In comparison, Democrats care about passing legislation and thus actually wind up needing filibuster proof majorities despite having won the Senate with more votes than the GOP (heck even now our 47 Senators represent considerably more people than their 53 do). Other than appointees and increasing taxes nothing Democrats want can be done if we either don't get rid of the filibuster or get GOP Senators to vote for it (and we all know that won't happen).

[OnDoutside]

3. If it was to go then Democrats need to up their game, in every race,

over the long term, to not only reform the country but ensure that there's no way back

[Zorro]

5. Something has to be done

For the past 40 years Republicans have demonstrated over and over that they cannot be trusted to negotiate either in good faith or in the spirit of bipartisanship on important legislation.

They were perfectly OK with using parliamentary trickery to pass the last crippling tax legislation by a simple majority vote; so they have shown they really don't mind using simple majorities to push their legislative agenda forward -- they just object if Democrats consider doing the same thing.

I'm really tired of politicians who run on a platform that the government they have been elected to serve is the real problem, and do their utmost to make it not function for the benefit of the majority of its citizens.

[dalton99a]

6. Kill the filibuster, or live under Republican rule forever.

[bullimiami]

9. Pass DC statehood.

[Amishman]

18. No, a city should not be a state.

The solution to DC's lack of representation is to restore it to MD, as was done previously with the VA portion.

[Goodheart]

11. I would throw it out and say "Merrick Garland" and

"if you think it's so great you can reinstate it when you get back into power."

[pecosbob]

16. The Senate and the filibuster were created to prevent what the founders saw as 'mob-rule'

What we now consider to be Democracy with a big D. We don't have to chain ourselves to a wheel created by long-dead racist, imperialist one-percenters.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213680625

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/close-racial-wealth-gap-baby-bonds/613525/

[dansolo]

17. Just change the requirements for the filibuster

Don't eliminate it. Just make it more difficult to do, like it used to be.

[Amishman]

19. This, make the assholes actually stand up there to do it

They won't have the strength of conviction or intestinal fortitude.

Far less potential political backlash this way as well

[GulfCoast66]

20. How about we actually win the Senate first?

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We could still lose the whole thing.