Joe Manchin's filibuster demands might end up making Republican obstruction even worse

[marmar]

(Salon) Senate Democrats are pushing to reform the filibuster in response to years of partisan gridlock — but Republicans don't seem overly concerned about the prospect after centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., ruled out key changes that could help advance President Joe Biden's agenda.

Biden for the first time this week supported bringing back a "talking filibuster," which would require senators to continuously speak on the Senate floor to block a vote on a bill. Under current rules, Democrats face a seemingly insurmountable 60-vote threshold in their efforts to pass voting protections and other measures they've long campaigned on.

"I don't think that you have to eliminate the filibuster, you have to do it what it used to be when I first got to the Senate back in the old days. You had to stand up and command the floor, you had to keep talking," Biden told ABC News, adding that Senate obstruction is getting to the point where "democracy is having a hard time functioning."

....(snip)....

There are a number of ways a "talking filibuster" could work in practice and it's unclear which path Senate Democrats will choose. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who has led the fight to reform the filibuster for over a decade, introduced legislation in 2011 that would require senators to actually hold the floor by talking, as in Frank Capra's famous film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," rather than simply threatening to do so. More recently, he has proposed requiring 41 opposing senators to remain on the floor to sustain a filibuster rather than putting the onus on the majority party to break the filibuster. Others have proposed lowering the threshold to break a filibuster, the same way the Senate lowered it from 67 to the current 60.

But Manchin shot down any lower thresholds or 41-senator requirements on Wednesday, telling CNN that he still supports requiring 60 votes to end debate. ............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/03/20/joe-manchins-filibuster-demands-might-end-up-making-republican-obstruction-even-worse/

[Miguelito Loveless]

1. Could we stop describing Manchin as any kind of "centrist"?

He is a right wing conservative. Worse, he is a gross opportunist who is thrilled to wield the power he wields.

[OnDoutside]

3. He's a Democrat. Cheap shots like that are silly when he voted for the Covid Bill. Give him

space to do the dance.

[Miguelito Loveless]

5. The guy is tight with the NRA

opposes a livable minimum wage, supports McConnell's constant stonewalling, opposes Biden's cabinet picks while supporting Trump's. He is NOT a "centrist".

[OnDoutside]

7. And yet if he had voted with the GOP, the American Rescue Plan would have been defeated. He's

in a deep Red State, having won by just 19,000 votes in 2018. That's the reality, and he's there when Democrats need him most. It's easy for the likes of AOC, Tlaib etc to give you all the progressive soothing you demand, but Manchin is in an R+39 State !!! Some perspective is warranted.

[Politicub]

8. He's not a right-wing conservative. He is a conservative democrat. There's a big

delta between right wingers and Manchin.

Look, I don't love the guy. He gets on my nerves, tbh. But, I'm also pragmatic enough to know that we need his vote. It does no good for me to join some kind of pile-on. Maybe it makes you feel better to vent or something -- otherwise, what's the point?

[bullimiami]

2. dont blame republican intransigence and obstructive behavior on manchin. its all on them.

it preceded manchin.

the manchin problem is our problem. needing his vote is our problem to deal with.

[Etherealoc1]

4. Add WV and Arizona

to President Biden’s itinerary and

talk to the constituents. Let them

know more has to get done like the

relief they received, but the filibuster

stands in the way of further progress.

Make the connection, folks out there

are hurting.

[bluestarone]

6. Personally, i just wish he wouldn't discuss this at all.

WHY does he have to even discuss how he feels? Just gives the QTHUGS and MSM ammunition to continue discussions. Would like to see the leaders tell him to cool it!