The Filibuster Protects Republicans...From Themselves

[Celerity]

With the filibuster in place, Republicans never have to worry about getting anything done. Which is useful because they can’t actually get anything done.

https://thebanter.substack.com/p/the-filibuster-protects-republicansfrom



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“Scream While I’m Stabbing You And I’ll Stab You”

The specific threat here is that if Democrats reform or eliminate the filibuster, Republicans will do everything in their power to slow the Senate down. They’ll use procedural manoeuvres to drag out everything to the maximum amount of time possible. But they’re already doing that: “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a staunch Trump ally and fiscal conservative, has told colleagues that he plans to force the Senate clerks to read aloud the entire $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on the Senate floor, which could slow it down by as much as 10 hours.” And lest you think this is retaliation for Democrats moving the American Recovery Plan through without allowing Republicans to drag out the process, they did exactly the same thing back in 2010. After lying to Democrats for almost two years about how they would cooperate on the Affordable Care Act, not a single Republican voted for it and then they forced the bill to be read out loud “in protest.”

So, when Democrats do not have the votes to get around the filibuster, Republicans use it and go scorched earth. When Democrats have the votes to get around the filibuster, Republicans go scorched earth anyway. McConnell’s threat is like a serial killer promising to kill you if you’re not quiet while he’s stabbing you to death. It’s not exactly an incentive to cooperate. That’s not to say there are not severe repercussions for the GOP in the Democrat’s agenda. The most obvious is the elimination of many of the voter suppression methods Republicans use to steal elections. The For the People Act would be an absolute disaster for the Republican Party. It would take years for the Republican-stacked courts to overturn the provisions of the law, and doing so would risk sparking a massive backlash against a clearly corrupted judiciary. Meanwhile, Democratic programs put into place to alleviate poverty would become entrenched, something Republicans despise. They’ve been trying to destroy Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for decades. They’ve been unable to destroy Obamacare for over 10 years now. Without the filibuster, though, should Republicans regain power, they would be free to refashion America in their own image. Why wouldn’t they want the opportunity to fully enact their agenda without those pesky liberals getting in their way? Well, about that...

The Republican Agenda Is Toxic

Mitch McConnell spelled out what kind of terrible future he has in store for America should Republicans be allowed to pass whatever they wanted without interference from the Democrats: "We wouldn't just erase every liberal change that hurt the country -- we'd strengthen America with all kinds of conservative policies with zero, zero input from the other side," he said pointing to how the GOP would move swiftly to defund sanctuary cities and Planned Parenthood, add new protections for the right to life of the unborn, work on concealed carry laws, and a new era of domestic energy production." That all sounds just awful but there’s two problems: First, it would be very unpopular with the public and, second, it would be easily reversed when Democrats gain power again. Neither can be said of the Democratic agenda. If Republicans could “just erase every liberal change”, Medicare would be toast and Social Security would be privatized (ask George W. Bush how that went when he tried it). Republicans say their voters want abortion banned and more guns on the streets, but polling says the public wants the exact opposite. Trump spent four years enacting white nationalist immigration policies and it cost Republicans the House, the Senate, and the White House while exposing the white nationalist rot at the core of right wing politics. There’s a reason Republicans took 12 months to pass their $1.9 trillion tax cut for the rich and failed to repeal Obamacare during the 2 years they had control of Congress and the White House: It’s really hard to enact the GOP’s agenda out in the open and Republicans know it. It’s easy for House Republicans to pass the craziest nonsense imaginable because they mostly come from heavily gerrymandered districts.

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No Way Out

It’s not at all clear how Republicans escape this death spiral they’ve put themselves in and that’s why the filibuster is so vital to their continued existence. They’ve turned their base into a stew of rabidly xenophobic fascists, making it all but impossible for the GOP to attract new voters or moderate their message. At the same time, their voters are growing tired of broken government. Sure, they still want the cruel anti-immigrant policies but they also want the economic populism they’ve been promised for decades, not more tax cuts for billionaires. Since Republicans are manifestly incapable of doing anything constructive, being put in a position where they can’t hide their inability to govern is the last thing they want. The closer Democrats get to killing the filibuster or even modifying it so it becomes worthless as a shield, the more frantic Republicans will become. The future is already bleak for the GOP. They’ve committed themselves to a total war against democracy and the rule of law. Having their own corruption and incompetence forced onto the centre stage will be devastating. That, alone, is enough of a reason for Democrats to nuke the filibuster tomorrow.

[uponit7771]

1. AMEN !!! "GOP.... committed themselves to a total war against democracy and the rule of law!"

Once people process this statement of fact bullshit winger talking points can stop being repeated by M$M..

Democrats have been keeping the kGQP from destroying the country and therefore themselves

[brush]

2. Republicans are always the roadblock of everything that the country needs...

infrastructure, alternate energy development, voting rights, sensible gun laws/assault weapons bans, civil right/anti-racism, getting rid of antiquated vestiges of slavery like the filibuster and the Electoral College. You name it and if it's good for the nation, republicans are against it.

[Oldem]

3. The turtle's threat to dismantle all dem reforms and govern

with zero is the reason I fear that dem reforms, now, will be dismantled when and if repugs regain power. The Great Society was dismantled. Much of the New Deal was. I love what this administration and congress are doing and proposing to do. But I don't have any confidence that it will permanently change America. If anybody can convince me I'm wrong, I'll appreciate it.

[crickets]

4. K&R for visibility.