FILE – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, speaks to the media after Senate Democrats met privately with President Joe Biden, Jan. 13, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
SRDTF News
UPDATED 8:01 AM PT – Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Democrat lawmakers seem to be sharpening their tongues at dissenters of killing the Senate filibuster. While invoking the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, top party leaders attempted to gaslight Senate Republicans and Democrat Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
Senate Majority Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stressed the only way Democrats can pass their controversial election laws is to rid the upper chamber of its longstanding practice. This would allow the slim majority to jam through their legislation and circumvent negotiations with the GOP.
Far-left lawmaker Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) has also been trying to pressure both moderate Democrat senators to drop their firm opposition to changing the filibuster. On Monday, the independent tweeted that the only vote that matters when voting rights comes to the floor is that of overriding the longstanding Senate rule.
As the voting rights bill finally comes to the floor of the Senate, there is only one vote which will really matter. Will 50 Democrats vote to override the filibuster, protect American democracy and pass the bill, or will Manchin and Sinema vote with the GOP and let the bill die?
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 17, 2022
Sanders specifically took aim at Manchin and Sinema by insinuating they would be failing to protect democracy if they don’t vote to change the rule.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) went as far as to say those who don’t conform to the Democrat agenda are dishonoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“If you really truly want to honor Dr. King, don’t dishonor him by using a congressional custom as an excuse for protecting our democracy,” she stated.
Vice President Kamala Harris added to the attacks while vowing to not absolve lawmakers that step out of line. Harris claimed America’s democracy is under attack as states like Georgia and Texas have passed laws promoting election integrity.
Meanwhile, reports suggest these states promote better access to the ballot box than several Democrat-led states despite their comparisons to the Jim Crow South.
“Now Georgia has two days of Sunday voting that is optional, that you can do it,” explained Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). “And by the way, there are no drop boxes before the pandemic. There were none and now we still have drop boxes, so an accommodation made for a pandemic are going to continue in the future when theoretically the pandemic is over. And shall I point out that Georgia has more early voting days than does Delaware or New York by far?”
However, these attempts to bully Manchin and Sinema into towing the party line seem to be fruitless. Last week, both moderate Democrats reiterated their support for the filibuster after hammering home their support since calls to kill the filibuster began.
Additionally, Republicans in the minority, led by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have warned ending the practice would forever diminish the voices of whichever party ends up in the minority.
“The smallest majority we’ve ever seen in our politics is trying to change the rules for how people get elected in every single state,” said the Kentucky lawmaker. “That’s just about the best argument for the the filibuster you could possibly imagine.”
McConnell has pointed out in past criticisms that Democrats have been quick to abuse the filibuster when they are in the minority. Other GOP critics have revealed Democrats who now decry the practice were at one point in time ardent supporters of it.
In the meantime, Schumer is expected to bring the so-called voting rights bills to debate on Tuesday. However, critics continue to point out with only 48 senators in support of the bills, two dissenting party members and universal Republican opposition, the bills will likely be dead on arrival.