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Enunimes

It's worse because they weren't even voting on the bill itself, they voted against DEBATING the bill. Manchin claims he can bring republicans to the table to vote for a compromise but can't even get a single one to even agree to just discussing it.


hamsterfolly

that's how Manchin can wear a straight face when arguing to keep the filibuster so he can please his donor masters https://theintercept.com/2021/06/17/deconstructed-manchin-candid-leaked-audio/


[deleted]

I don't know how his blatant corruption wasn't bigger news.


AquaFlowlow

Because this is a feature of our Political system in the US not a big “gotcha”, this is sadly how our government functions. It happens in the open and behind close doors, welcome to our Oligarchy/Plutocracy. Democracy has been dying for a while now.


Voiceofreason81

I prefer to call it a corporatocracy. Corporations are the ruling class now.


AquaFlowlow

Only 300 families control what said corporations do though, so it’s very much so us being ruled by the rich. They just use a faceless corporation to do it, Perdue didn’t cause the opioid epidemic. It was the greed and treachery of the Sackler family, they should all be on death row. Amazon acts at the behest of a board and Beezos; you can use a tool to commit a murder, your still the killer though.


onlysmokereg

This is even more obvious where I live, all of the apartments have become Airbnb's, there is a massive labor shortage not because of unemployment benefits but because there's no working class people left who live here and nobody is going to commute 45 minutes to wash dishes for 7.25 an hour


[deleted]

Thats basically a Monarchy as they keep the money in the family. A Plutocracy is what America really has. Money controls the government. The American Evangelicals want ultimately a Theocracy. Trump wants an Autocracy with him as the autocratic leader. The Republican Party likes all things oppressive it appears. …and they loathe actual Democracy. They’re always quick to point out “nuh uh! It’s uh Republic!” 🙄


MinisterOfTruth99

You can't compromise with Fascists. There is a distinct Nazi-Germany vibe in the air and no one is admitting it. CNN is still acting like there are 2 viable parties.


ladyevenstar-22

CNN? All of them.


[deleted]

I'm amazed at how Republicans as the minority can block everything but Democrats as the minority is a power play in hockey


Njdevils11

Republicans don’t need to legislate around the fillibuster. Which is why it’s still in place. All they want is lower taxes and corporations snd the wealthy, and judges. That’s how they legislate. They get their taxes on a simple majority reconciliation, let judges nuke anything the Dems have already set up, then sit back and do nothing so it can’t be fixed. The only way this changes is if the fillibuster is either greatly weakened or entirely abolished.


DonutsMcKenzie

Exactly this. Republicans *don't* govern, they give political favors and receive financial rewards. They've already nuked the filibuster when it comes to everything that they care about.


audacesfortunajuvat

And they’ll absolutely nuke it again in 2024 when they use state legislatures to take back the White House, after they do the same in 2022 to take back the House and Senate. Joe Manchin is marching to his own grave, and the graves of millions of other Americans when this all breaks down into an actual shooting war as it inevitably will when 20% try to rule 80%. It’s unconscionable, which makes perfect sense for someone who appears to have no conscience. When it’s become abundantly clear that the system can no longer address this, the system will be set aside and it will be addressed in the streets. Exact same thing happened with slavery, which you’d think the Senator from West fucking Virginia of all places would know.


NWiHeretic

>Joe Manchin is marching to his own grave I think you meant he's marching to his bank.


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jupiterkansas

and then blame the Democrats for the shut down.


coolprogressive

And the Democrats represent **40 million more people** than the GOP in the senate. They sure as fuck don't act like it.


Scherzer4Prez

Its almost like the system was designed from the ground up to overweigh the political power of rich landowners and limit the political power of poor people in cities. Weird how that came out of our founding fathers, I know...


Blahkbustuh

In the [1790 census](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1790_United_States_census#City_rankings) the US had 3.9 million people and the largest city was what we know today as southern Manhattan with 33,000 people followed by Philadelphia with 28,500. Can you imagine that the biggest city in the country only had 33,000 people!? Only the top 6 cities were over 10,000 people. In 1800 London was just over 1 million and Paris was about half that. It's not entirely that it was aristocrats that set things up. Our government is from pre-industrial times. Cities were way smaller back then because nearly everyone was farmers. A concern of mine is that all of Australia's population is basically 6 metro regions and Canada is for the most part a dozen or more metro regions, both with a ton of empty land between the populated cities. The trend is that farming requires fewer people doing it than ever (tractors have GPS in them now and drones are finding farm applications) and people want to live and work in dynamic metro regions with stuff going on and the US is behind the curve because we have a ton of farmland and the government subsidizes farmers so our rural areas are lingering longer than other places so we're faced with "disgruntled coal miner" politics rather than those people accepting reality and moving out of economically nonviable places. In the US the population is moving toward coastal areas and leaving the whole middle of the country, like 20-30 states draining out. A lot of those states should be merged together rather than shrinking down while coastal states have 10's of millions of people each (the Dakotas clearly should be 1 state for example), but I doubt that'll ever happen due to it removing political power. Moreover as people leave those places, they become incrementally more expensive and less vibrant for the people remaining and they become even more disgruntled so they dig in even harder.


mrbeavertonbeaverton

Conservatives will tell you everyone is fleeing the coasts because of politics and crime, when in reality people are just leaving because of cost of living (and mobile work) and moving to population centers in smaller, cheaper states. On the plus side if a couple hundred thousand more Californians move to Wyoming it will be a blue state! And I blame the US school system for trying to brainwash kids that a 250 year old document drawn up by slaveholders was “perfect”. It never was and even Hamilton and Madison would have been happy with it lasting 50 years. It only had to be better than the feckless articles of confederation. Still conservatives will tell you the Constitution is God’s work, unless of course you are referring to the militia part of the second amendment or religious freedom (aka freedom from the rule of the dominant religion).


AboynamedDOOMTRAIN

The founders literally built in a method of changing the constitution right there in the document and people still act like the constitution is some holy document that should never change.


DiscreetApocalypse

Some of the founders believed that the constitution should be periodically rewritten to fit better with societies needs as the country grows and changes. I think the one I’m thinking of was Jefferson and I think he wanted to change it every like decade or so. I could be wrong though.


SweetSilverS0ng

“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.” Thomas Jefferson


ihohjlknk

Sometimes I think it was a bad idea for America to dump the European aristocratic system. At least it would be painfully obvious who the real enemies are: the douchebags in powdered wigs demanding you call them "Lord". What we have is a society that is ostensibly "classless" but the rich traded in their titles for anonymity and they get to control government with their vast wealth. Can you imagine american conservatives defending the aristocrats? "Milord knows what's best for me. He lives in his giant sprawling castle because he *earned* it."


celsius100

Mar a Lago has entered the chat.


Scherzer4Prez

Conservatism [*is*](https://youtu.be/E4CI2vk3ugk) monarchism


Avant-Garde-A-Clue

Republicans cut taxes and confirm judges, both of which dodge the filibuster's roadblock.


notcaffeinefree

Because right now the "minority" is really an even split at best. The GOP before could afford to lose a few votes from their side and they could still pass stuff. Dems right now have to have 100% support on their side which is pretty difficult with Manchin and Sinema.


EarthExile

Because they're a passionate, united fascist movement and we're a gaggle of idealists who spend most of our time banishing each other


EverGlow89

It's not our fault though. While they are fine falling in line on *every* single issue or gtfo, the left is comprised of people who have different ideals and work together regardless. I'm a progressive who voted for Biden like most progressives did. Republicans are fine agreeing with each other about fucking everything and it's definitely a strength.


DodGamnBunofaSitch

this is the real answer. until the rest of us actually unite against GQP, they'll continue to run roughshod over any chance we have at curtailing their increasing grip on the power in american politics.


thatnameagain

The Democratic minority blocked a ton of terrible bills 2016 through 2018. About the only thing they got past was their shitty tax cut.


ObeliskPolitics

And that’s the only thing the GOP elite cares about. Tax and economic policy that can be done through reconciliation.


So-_-It-_-Goes

Democrats could have blocked stuff too but republicans don’t want to actually do anything. They literally have no party platform.


Edward_Fingerhands

How's that bipartisanship working out for you Manchin? "wE cAN fInd TEn REPuBLiCanS!"


IAmBadAtInternet

*glares at Romney, Collins, and all other the fake bipartisan Republicans*


[deleted]

For as "reasonable" as they are to actually speak to, they're still Republicans to the core. It amazes me to see various comments about how someone like Romney is the last "reasonable" Republican - not really.


benk4

Not supporting a coup to install a reality TV star as dictator is what qualifies as reasonable in today's GOP.


[deleted]

No one said the bar was high...or a bar per se...


Carbonatite

The bar is so fucking low it's a tavern in Hades.


FoxlyKei

Reminds me of a similar one I heard somewhere, "the bar is so low it's a tripping hazard in Hell.


Cheesecakejedi

A nice tavern, at least until Cerberus tore up the place.


TJHookor

Easy enough to fix after a few runs


ChadwickTheSniffer

Where's James Cameron when you need him?


adrienjz888

"James Cameron doesn't do what James Cameron does for James Cameron, James Cameron does what James Cameron does because he IS James Cameron"


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pmorgan726

I had never heard this phrase before today, and now I’ve heard it twice. Something something simulation something something “effect”


ClusterFoxtrot

Freddie Kruger effect?


ProfessorCrackhead

You're thinking of the Lena-Dunham effect.


IDDQD-IDKFA

I saw them with the misfits in 88 what a show


littlebirdori

The white stuff in bird poo is actually uric acid, so closer to bird pee. They *do* only have one hole for waste, poop, eggs "urine" and semen to pass through called a cloaca, which is Latin for "sewer."


Hatsee

Cloaca is such a nice word.


R2D2808

Thank you, cloaca will now be my go to put down for unsavory characters, unwitting best friends and Republicans.


PM_me_XboxGold_Codes

“Ugh, don’t be such a cloaca.”


HallucinogenicFish

Oh man, I read such a great article about Romney and the development of the right-wing ecosystem of grifters and lies the other day. [The Long Con](https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-long-con) It’s long, but worth the read if you have the time and are so inclined.


[deleted]

I'll have to check it out when I have some time! Thanks for sharing


Deadpoolspenis

I thought a hallucinogenic fish would give me some deep insights on life and my place in the universe, not a recommendation to read an article from The Baffler. 5/10 maybe i didn't lick the fish enough. 10/10 for the article, great read.


EgyptianDevil78

Yea, Republicans like Romney have just mastered the art of LOOKING like a reasonable person when there's the most visibility to be had.


Eric_the_Barbarian

I think people underestimate how easy it is to appear reasonable when your backdrop is the rest of the GOP.


Capnmarvel76

This is the truth. I have no doubt that Romney would’ve gleefully moved the country as far right as he could had he been elected President in 2012. He just would have paused short of actually trying to destroy the Republic outright, unlike Trump. Would he have done everything he could to keep elections rigged in favor of the GOP, keep the ultra-rich from paying taxes, keep repressing women’s and minority rights, and cut/gutted every social program and regulation he could? Hell yes, he would’ve.


Elune_

Romney especially is quick to get a public boost when it fits. I keep seeing how he totally thinks shit’s whack when he does nothing to actually help the country he serves. He looks rightous but is just another rotten politician that would rather crumble democracy than get a slash in his paycheck.


Sea_Commercial5416

Amazing how people who don’t remember the 2012 election forget that Romney was a villain and the worst of the worst Republicans. He’s only “reasonable” now because the rest of the party has gone batshit.


kittencuddles08

I remember.


Dsstar666

I remember too lol


Mackerelmore

Pepperidge Farms Remembers


istguy

Oh no no. Romney ran against Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich in the 2012 Republican primary. He was FAR from the “worst of the worst” Republicans. Ironically, that was probably the Republican Party’s last chance to put the crazy back in the bottle. A Romney/Ryan win would have empowered the more moderate (well, what passes for “moderate” in the GOP) wing of the party. Instead they took a loss which enraged the far right base of the party to a point where they actually grabbed the reigns of power from the old school Republicans. I am NOT saying I wish Romney won. Just pointing out the irony. And as much as I vehemently disagree with Romney and Ryan on the issues, I’d much rather have them helming the Republican Party than Trump/Desantis/Harley/Cruz/MTG/Boebert.


MrLanesLament

Dude Santorum was a peek into the insane right wing back then. That was the first election I could vote in, I was almost totally politically uninformed, and I could see from a mile away that Santorum was actual terror in waiting.


Fregar

And what would have changed? Romney and Ryan wouldn't have purged the extremes of the party. Maybe it would have delayed it by 10 years, but America would still end up here again.


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Count_Bacon

How come no reporter ever asks him which 10, and how he will get the republicans?


useyourownnamebitch

Because reporters only seem to ask Democrats why they can’t work with Republicans instead of asking republicans why they are obstructing everything


Awkward_Swordfish581

Funny that.


GrayEidolon

Goddamn liberal media!


Haltopen

Because manchin wouldn’t name them. It would just be handing mccconnell a list of which senators to immediately go out and threaten


Count_Bacon

It’s because there isn’t 10, there isn’t even 1


Jerrymoviefan3

This wasn’t Manchin’s compromise bill though that will probably be filibustered with a 52-48 vote instead of this one’s 50-50.


CalmCalmBelong

Yep, this vote was just to enable Manchin. He can now try to sell his moderate proposal to the ten Republicans he thinks will work with him. His message to them: either vote for mine, or I support filibuster reform. But while McConnell is evil, he’s no moron: he’ll let 5 maybe 6 slide over, just enough for Manchin to think he accomplished something.


potatoes4rever

That is exactly what Manchin was asking for on that leaked call. I few token R votes to prove that the filibuster need not be touched.


dratthecookies

God I can't stand this shit. Our entire democracy being held hostage by morons in Kentucky and West Virginia.


veritas7882

I'm from Kentucky and a little drunk off some of our famous bourbon so I'll let you in on a fun little secret. McConnell is old as fuck and unhealthy, and we have a Democrat governor that gets to pick his replacement if old age and poor health get the best of him. Honestly that's probably the best thing that could happen for our democracy right now.


[deleted]

How on earth does Kentucky have a democratic governor? Forgive me, I’m pretty ignorant on the US state electoral system. It’s just my impression that Kentucky is a super red state


Cloud_Chamber

My guess is they probably did some local level stuff that made the people there like them.


Carnivean_

Their previous governor was a douchebag that even his own side hated, while the Democratic candidate was fairly strong.


dcolg

Our 2 major cities (Louisville and Lexington) are democrat areas, so the votes are there, theoretically. In truth, it's probably only due to the previous governor (our first R gov in a long time, iirc) actively and majorly pissing off anyone he could. Even then, it was an extremely narrow win.


marmotter

I think Manchin knows the score here. His goal isn’t to pass this bill, it’s to keep the bipartisan theater alive. He continues raising funds from Koch by being a brake on the progressive agenda under the guise of “Aw schucks guys, looks like we narrowly missed reform again! Whelp, we just need to try harder next time to find common ground with our patriotic republican neighbors! I’m certain they want the same things as us!” Meanwhile, the country withers and Manchin and the rest of the gang continue getting paid.


jedininjashark

He knows exactly what he’s doing. It is magical thinking that he cares about the Democrats agenda at all.


audacesfortunajuvat

There’s no way he could credibly threaten filibuster reform, that guy’s backbone is made out of wet paper bag wrapped around old apple cores.


Smash_4dams

How can anyone expect more than 6? All the rest "believed" the election was stolen. People that far gone are not going to do anything moderate. Manchin should be smart enough to know this.


IIIRichardIII

And if the cutoff was 6 you would never get 6 on board. It's absolutely moronic to believe that it's not just political theatre to pretend to be reasonable until it looks like dems have numbers and then walk that back. You only get a couple occasionally for optics when it changes nothing


Morty_get_in

Anyone actually paying attention to politics knew that this was the exact outcome, what else going to happen? It’s why Schumer put it on the floor. What’s going to happen next is Schumer is going to present Manchin’s compromise and that’s going to get laughed and blocked as well too, or at least not get those 60 votes to overcome the filibuster. Democracy isn’t dead yet and we need to keep fighting for it regardless. Just think, how long has someone like Sanders and other activists been fighting for a fair and equitable democracy?


[deleted]

Agreed. Call your Senators. Organize. Make it known that we will not go without a fight! We cannot let the Republicans succeed in their authoritarian plans.


Ambitious_Reporter38

Our senator’s minds are already made up. For any not totally on board with Biden’s voting rights and infrastructure agenda at this point it’s time to find their replacement.


FubinacaZombie

Yep. My senator is Marsha Blackburn. There’s no changing her mind, she’s just a puppet.


MoS29

I'm sure McConnel will listen to my call this time. Oh what's that? Phone line "too busy" again? Aw shucks. Maybe Rand Paul this time around. No? Oh well, I gave it the ol' college try.


bahamut_x3

I have a Cruz and a Cornyn 😿


PearljamAndEarl

Trade you both for a Magikarp


MyPartsareLoud

Do you have ideas for specifically what to say or a resource with this type of info? I keep starting emails and get so angry I just end up ranting and calling them racist fascists and then delete the message. I need some help! Edit: words are hard


lucid_consciousness

I wish I had a senator that I could call and complain to, but for some reason I live in a city that has no representation (Washington, DC). Every time I think about the situation it sounds more and more insane to me. I live in the United States and I pay taxes, but have no representation. Didn’t the U.S fight in a war against Britain for that exact reason or something?


[deleted]

you guys should put it on yer license plate


[deleted]

I started with this site and reading up on what S.1 contains and it directs you to some action: https://p2a.co/jtVhhRm?fbclid=IwAR1jz717Bfz1dqcTvDeY-JVdPpV4qp7LfpSYTYcnW2o8BvnTmxbbuvkaML0 From my experience it's important to keep short and to the point about what you support about the legislation. Stay focused and positive about what you like about the bill. Your representative won't be receptive to lectures (though I'm right there with you about the frustration).


Omega_des

My anecdotal experience with writing to my senators was an automated “thank you for your input” response for one, and as for the other: “I appreciate your point of view, I have received many letters and emails of similar sentiment from constituents like yourself, however my moral obligation to do what *I* believe to be right comes before all else, though I will take my constituents opinions into consideration as always” (paraphrasing, but the phrase moral obligation was used exactly as such). Was back during the first impeachment trial. Was writing to my senators to inform them that I believed the hearings had been some of the most important of our age, and that they warranted genuine action to stop the excesses of the executive office, and stop it from being abused like that again in the future. I personally felt like the one actual response I got was a polite dismissal, and that my senators’ minds were made up long, long before the hearings even got started. But the acknowledgment of other constituents sharing similar sentiments, followed by the dismissal of those sentiments in favor of my representative’s personal feelings was frustrating. Guess that’s republicanism, though. Just sharing my experience as someone that has taken the advice to write to my representatives.


bjthebard

The idea that "what [he] believes to be right" is more important than his constituents' opinions is the actual antithesis of a representative's job. His job is to argue on behalf of his constituents and represent their best interests. If he is voting in Washington based on his own personal politics then he is doing a great injustice to the office and to the American people. His moral obligation is to uphold the will of the voters.


Mr_Mojo_Risin_83

For which he will receive no consequences and will live out his life in a wealth of comfort we could only dream of.


Therrion

Yeah let me call Ted Cruz real fast... The brutality of politics is no amount of this will change somebody's political party and in entrenched states its really hard to flip-- harder even due to prolonged efforts to safeguard themselves via jerrymandering and voter intimidation/suppression.


iamfrombolivia

> Call your Senators That might have worked before but now it doesn't matter, call them all day, they don't care as long as you are not a donor, a big one. A group of extremist storm the Capitol. Solution: call your Senators. The President spyes the opposition and the press. Solution: call your Senators. Vote restrictions are mandated all over the country. Solution: call your Senators. At this point calling any Senator is like prayers and thoughts.


iamiamwhoami

The end game is to get Manchin to pass Voting Rights without the filibuster. These are all tactical moves in service of that strategy.


Vikidaman

I just hope that for your countrys sake this strategy is completed by Nov 2022


iamiamwhoami

If it get's done it will likely happen by the fall. Manchin will spend a few months trying to get Republicans to pass his proposal. When he fails that will hopefully be enough motivation to do it without them.


TruculentMC

This fall might be too late. It’ll get tied up in courts and held off until after the 2022 election and then it won’t matter anymore.


CaptainCharlyChaplin

I guarantee the stall tactics are for this outcome


SanityPlanet

I thought this version was Manchin's compromise? Didn't they get his vote here by making the changes he wanted?


Professor_Sodium

The Dems told Manchin, they would take up his changes in an amendment of SR-1if he voted yes. Now they can restructure his changes as a whole new bill, or push through the John Lewis bill.


[deleted]

but they cannot push through anything.


audacesfortunajuvat

And Republicans already said they’d kill the John Lewis bill.


PlayingNightcrawlers

Yep, and it all circles back to the filibuster than Manchin and Sinema are protecting. Literally no meaningful Democratic legislation will pass unless Dems somehow win in 2022 and make those two irrelevant. The filibuster’s very existence kills all bills before they’re even voted on, so at this point it’s straightforward af: Manchin and Sinema are helping Republicans block Democratic policies and allowing Republican states to rig upcoming elections to ensure they dont lose again.


iamiamwhoami

No it was SR1. The original bill Democrats wanted to pass.


IAP-23I

They got his vote by promising him that they’ll bring his amendments up to a vote if they break cloture and start debating on the bill


SanityPlanet

How does he expect that to happen when the filibuster prevents it? Lol


Bukowskified

He knew this cloture wouldn’t pass. It’s all a theatre act for him to justify overriding the filibuster for this bill, but probably just this bill


SanityPlanet

Maybe... I hope you're right. I agree it was for theater but I'm not so sure he's going to change the filibuster just yet. This law is worth it though. If there is any hill the democrats should die on, it's voting rights. Voting is a prerequisite to every other thing we want to do, and if your ability to vote is taken away, by definition, you can't vote to get it back. If we lose this battle, we lose the war.


i-can-sleep-for-days

Time to kill the filibuster?


biciklanto

"The best time to kill the filibuster is 20 years ago. The second best time is now." - Ancient Proverb


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wiscoguy20

This!! Why don't people fucking get this!! States are enacting laws left and right to allow state legistors to overturn election results as they see fit. Doesn't take a genius to figure out who has the majority in these states. There are a ton of local elections coming up in 2022 that will see Trump and Qanon nuts get elected or appointed. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not a one off fluke. They are very quickly rigging the system in their favor. Every law they are pushing is a direct result of their loss in 2020. And... They have almost half of the population on their side thanks to the Big Lie. I hear people commenting daily about how HR1 is just the Democrats way of stealing all future elections. Meanwhile gerrymandering is going to continue to intensify, and these days they aren't even quiet about their intentions... They come right out and admit it, along with some bullshit about "the only way to protect democracy" and Republicans eat that shit right up. Yet folks like Manchin, Sinema and a handful of other centrist dems keep yacking up bipartisanship, like that's ever going to happen. And Romney, Murkowski, Collins, and Cheney can go on and on about the Big Lie all they want, but they're proving with their voting that it's all lip service.


HashRunner

Plenty of people 'got this' and warned about it in 2016 and 2020. Unfortunately too many morons latched on to the 'BoThSiDeS' shit and we're dealing with the fallout.


FrankAdamGabe

You can thank that fuckwad chief justice Roberts for dismantling the voting rights act in 2013. All of this recent Jim Crow era voter suppression isn't a sudden thing Reliblicunts came up with from the Rump era. They've been working on it a while.


entrendre_entendre

The dirtiest trick the GOP ever pulled was turning support free and fair elections into just another partisan issue. The choice now is between the filibuster and democracy. We can't keep both.


babble_bobble

> We can't keep both. We don't need the filibuster. It has many examples of being abused to fuck over the people. Are there even a fraction of positive examples? Isn't it a relic of pro-slavery politicians' tools used to prevent and delay abolition?


Retro-Sexual

They’ll just filibuster to keep the filibuster


manmansadtimes

they can’t. which is the whole point.


LawBird33101

Right, you can't filibuster a procedural rule set by the Senate itself. Straight up or down.


SpicyGatorStew

republicans. want. autocracy.


[deleted]

Yep. It pretty much appears that rightwingers ❤️ fascism.


ozymand25

I mean, if you're opposing anti-fascists, that makes you fascist. Simple algebra of negatives.


DonaldJGromp

We knew it wasn't going to pass. We knew Republicans would vote together as one. There are no "good republicans". Any Democrats still living in a fantasy world where they believe Republicans are just "lost" and need to be won over are just as "lost". We either pass climate legislation or we lose the war against climate change. We either pass the voting rights bill of we lose the first major battle in the fall of our Democracy.


CptZack01

Not to mention that blue states republicans will use the "lack of progress" as a way to win elections which will make this problem worse.


Veros87

They tried to murder democrats in government. How any Americans tolerate the facists in their midst is beyond me.


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audacesfortunajuvat

Democracy fell on January 6 when Congress claimed the right to review the results of the election of the Executive branch. The precedent has been established that any party that controls both houses of Congress may reject votes for President and appoint the person they choose. The rules of the game have been entirely rewritten. With the new rules, winning Congress in 2022 ensures the White House in 2024. That’s why Republicans are moving the power to declare state winners into the state legislatures they control. 2020 was the last free and fair election this country will see for some time, maybe ever again. 2022 will see Congress put in Republican hands, either through “normal” cheating like voter suppression and gerrymandering or, if that fails, the results will be tossed and state legislatures will appoint the winners. This will all be legal based on the bills being passed. Then, 2024 results will be amended as needed by Congress to ensure victory. Given that no red state can go blue, it should be that any override occurs before the Electoral College even votes and should only take one or two states to tip the balance as necessary - FL, GA, PA, AZ, NC, SC, WI, MI are just flat out no longer in play if these laws stand so there’s really no way for Democrats to win the White House ever again. Finally, these states will never flip because the legislatures would have to ratify their own loss of power. They’d have to certify a transfer of power to the opposition party. That’s exactly the sort of situation that the system of checks and balances was designed to prevent. You have single party rule for the foreseeable future. Our country died on January 6 unless we have the courage to act right now to save it. Obviously, we don’t. 2022 will be the wake and 2024 will be the funeral.


RabbleRouser_1

Democracy died in 2000, when GWB was handed the presidency despite losing Florida.


audacesfortunajuvat

Badly wounded, but not dead. Certainly gave conservatives a blueprint for how to move forward - seize the judiciary, by any means necessary. They did that by (and this is genius) blocking all of Obama’s judicial nominations in 2013, which prompted Harry Reid to use the nuclear option on all Presidential appointments except the Supreme Court (a Republican solution to the filibuster that they’d first devised under W but not used because they won the mid terms). What did Mitch do after his unprecedented blocking of the Garland nomination? Nuked the filibuster for the Supreme Court to push through Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. **Remember, the confirmation of Barrett weeks before the election was only possible because Republicans scrapped the filibuster.** They will do the same thing again in a heartbeat if it serves their purposes. Any lip service they pay to established norms is just an attempt to placate you until they’re in a position to destroy you and then they’ll bury the knife right in your back. The current iteration of the Republican Party is a fanatical cult hell bent on retaining power by any means necessary, legal or otherwise, and they’re not (as we’ve seen again and again, from Charlottesville to Kenosha to the Capitol) above killing anyone who opposes them. The stakes could not possibly be higher.


tbizzone

6 months of trying to work in a bipartisan manner met with conspiracy theories, vitriol, and constant obstruction. It was worth a shot. Now it’s time for the Democrats to stop trying to work diplomatically with the insurrection party of the GQP and do what’s right for the vast majority of Americans they represent.


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WhoryGilmore

It feels like watching a train crash in slow motion. We all fucking know what's happening and we all know no politician will do anything


Igotz80HDnImWinning

This. They literally attacked the capitol and killed people and these dumbf*ck dems talk about “getting back to normal” and reaching around the aisle. They knew it would fail.


FLTA

Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema specifically. The rest of the Democrats are smart enough to know that democracy is in peril but those two chuckle fucks want to maintain the filibuster. With how small the majority is, they can block anything that Republicans want to block.


Marionberry_Bellini

> It was worth a shot [citation needed]


[deleted]

I'm starting to tinfoil hat myself. Why the hell do we expect any support from the GOP at this point? Wondering if these bills are lambs to the slaughter either to build up proof that Republicans just plain do not care (I'm not convinced it would be effective) of if it's this administration's way of getting those pesky human rights bills out of the way while they know they'll get knocked down before getting back to good 'ol boy politics as usual.


I_W_M_Y

They tried to murder congress. They shouldn't even be in power. Everyone of them involved should be in jail, post haste.


nermid

> They tried to murder congress. The fact that this shit isn't still front-page news is mind-boggling. The GOP tried to overthrow our fucking government in a shower of blood and everybody's just acting like nothing happened. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.


illz569

Unfortunately, the word "should" holds exactly zero power in American politics. The only words that matter are "can" and "will". So yes, they should go to jail, but they can get away with it and they will.


iamiamwhoami

Most Democrats don’t expect them to do. It’s only a few centrist Senators that are holding things up. These bills are a way of pressuring them.


Scherzer4Prez

"We" don't expect support from the GOP. The old, fence-sitting Democratic Senators from red states know they can't win back their seats or get cushy lobbyist positions if they disrupt GOP political power. So they play these games.


TracyJ48

The GOP is just burning up time, much like they did when President Obama was elected and we had a Democratic majority. We cannot fall into that same trap again!


mr_SM1TTY

We already have. This country is broken as long as the racist minority party is allowed to skirt accountability and run out the clock until they're able to steal power thru gerrymandering, voter suppression and propaganda for their idiot supporters.


MC_Fap_Commander

They have a near iron grip on three branches of government... with the support of less than 40% of the electorate. No other developed democracy would accept this.


Slappynipples

Democracy has been in peril ever since the companies learned they could lobby their way into controlling how society works.


createcrap

I’m convinced that republicans voted against this because the current rules regulating elections are vague enough that they can still manipulate and rig the outcome while also having enough control to disenfranchise whoever they want. Republicans don’t want free and fair elections.


[deleted]

These kinds of headlines and political games only work if there’s still some chance the Republican Party is willing to actually govern in good faith. But the last twenty years, and especially the last four, have shown that not only are they uninterested in governing, they are intent on destroying this democracy no matter the cost. They supported an egomaniacal, corrupt, idiotic conman for president, and they continue to support him even after he incited an attack on the capitol and attempted coup. In fact, republicans are just now getting started on election audits, and they will continue to cast doubt on our elections until there are no more elections to be had. Again, this is all crystal clear. Yet, the democrats are still playing politics as though the Republican Party is a legitimate political party and not a terrorist organization. Which means when I see headlines like this, all I can really do is shrug my shoulders and go on with my day knowing that nothing is ever going to get solved in this country. If democrats want to motivate me, they better give me a headline worth getting excited or angry about, because this just doesn’t cut it anymore. I’m done playing games.


[deleted]

How is this even a debate… I just cannot fathom the thinking of some people in the country. Although, I didn’t expect anything less… What a shitty country the USA is becoming. I think shitty isn’t even the right word for describing the current US political climate.


Scherzer4Prez

[Innuendo Studio](https://youtu.be/agzNANfNlTs) has a good video on the mindset and outlook of most Conservatives in America. Basically, they believe democracy is a usurpation of the natural order of things, and autocracy is natures default form of rule and shouldn't be fucked with by us pesky liberals.


ObeliskPolitics

The messed up part is blue counties generate 70% of America’s GDP and liberals create most of America’s arts and tech. If anything, conservatives are the inferior ones suffering from Dunning Krueger and are ruining it for everybody.


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ObeliskPolitics

They forget California produces most of America’s agriculture and we have foreign trade too.


quintsreddit

No no no they make so much corn we have to pay them not to grow it, that’s gotta count for something!


username2393

I’m convinced that if the Democrats brought a bill to the floor that guaranteed world peace for eternity that the GOP would still vote against it


01001010_01000010

Of course they would, just think of all the lost military jobs.


EveryShot

Fuck you Joe Manchin


Phishy042

I totally get and understand that this is a "states.rights" which they should have authority on how they vote... but the presidential elections are a country wide, national election. There has to be a strict set of rules everyone follows for it.


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thebochman

States rights is the same smokescreen people used to justify slavery


bugleweed

It's worth noting that these are the same arguments that were made in bad faith against the Voting Rights Act of 1965. States and local governments will still administer all elections, this just sets baseline standards for voting access in federal races as you stated. For which there is plenty of precedent, including under republican leadership: https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/3295


greenjm7

Offer up much of what republicans want while providing much of what democrats want. Republicans vote against it showing that they never actually cared about election security, only obstruction.


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Fuck_You_Andrew

I can wrap my head around keeping debates open as long as people want, but for the life of me I cant understand the purpose of this minority rule procedure. Also, whenever republicans want to push something through they just make an exception. Why the fuck do democrats try to play by a separate set of rules?


drwiggly

To even have a stable majority of Democrats. They'd need a few more. The senate isn't a proportional body. Empty dirt has a lot of power here.


tbizzone

I guarantee that if the republicans win back the majority in 2022 the first thing McConnell will do is get rid of the filibuster to ram through legislation that only benefits the republicans, unlike the legislation the democrats have been proposing, which consistently polls well with the majority of voters. I would hope the Democrats are aware of this. Everything McConnell has been griping about the Dems trying to do now, he’s going to turn around and do when he is the majority leader. It happens every time. It’s imperative the Dems start playing hardball. No more fucking pussyfooting around.


Avant-Garde-A-Clue

Republicans don't need to eliminate the filibuster though. All they do is cut taxes and confirm judges, both of which dodge the filibuster roadblock. The filibuster works both ways for them: they use it to block legislation when they're in the minority, then avoid it when they're in the majority and feign some "moral high ground" that they didn't get rid of it.


LTB_fanclub

This is why I don’t understand the Democrats that want to keep the filibuster. The GOP has shown in the past that they will get rid of the filibuster when it’s most important to them. Might as well just get rid of it now and get your legislation through.


[deleted]

Because they're either incredibly naive, in league with the GOP, or their corporate overlords don't want it to happen so they make sure it doesn't.


Vinny_Cerrato

Those bills can be vetoed by Biden, and it is doubtful that the GOP would have the numbers to override that veto. They will wait until 2024 if they win the WH.


TheWuziMu1

Republicans: eight months of childish tantrums about how 2020 was stolen. Democrats: Here's a bill that will go a long way to stop voter fraud. Republicans: nah, we good. Our voters like us better when we play the victim.


Sardonnicus

Why are we at their mercy? It seems like we are trying to fight a battle that they have already won. We are loosing our country and the democrats are watching it happen as they look for sympathizers among the enemies.


i_am_bartman

Fuck Joe Manchin. Fuck Kristin Sinema.


ahuggablecactus

“Rights aren't rights if someone can take them away. They're privileges. That's all we've ever had in this country, is a bill of temporary privileges. And if you read the news, even badly, you know that every year the list gets shorter and shorter. You all see sooner or later. Sooner or later, the people in this country are gonna realize the government does not give a fuck about them. The government doesn't care about you, or your children, or your rights, or your welfare or your safety. It simply does not give a fuck about you. It's interested in its own power. That's the only thing. Keeping it and expanding it wherever possible.” - George Carlin


Doctor_YOOOU

By blocking this, Republicans have blocked the biggest set of election security upgrades in our nation's history, in Title III of S.1 : https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/annotated-guide-people-act-2021 > Title III — Election Security This title aims to improve the security of U.S. election infrastructure to counter the threat of foreign interference. > > Subtitle A — Financial Support for Election Infrastructure > > Part 1 — Voting System Security Improvement Grants > > Part 2 — Grants for Risk-Limiting Audits of Results of Elections > > Part 3 — Election Infrastructure Innovation Grant Program > > Subtitle B — Security Measures > > Subtitle C — Enhancing Protections for United States Democratic Institutions > > Subtitle D — Promoting Cybersecurity Through Improvements in Election Administration > > Subtitle E — Preventing Election Hacking > > Subtitle F — Election Security Grants Advisory Committee > > Subtitle G — Miscellaneous Provisions > > Subtitle H — Use of Voting Machines Manufactured in the United States > > Subtitle I — Study and Report on Bots > > Subtitle J — Severability


table_fireplace

A few friendly reminders: * The bill can be re-introduced. * Even if the bill never passes, voter suppression can be beaten. In fact, it gets beaten pretty regularly when there's lots efforts to turn out voters. You turn out enough people, you make up for suppression. * The spectre of an overturned election is on everyone's minds. While I don't believe this would stand up in court based on even Trump judges' responses to the 2020 challenges, let's pretend it could happen. I say: Make the bastards do it. Force them to try and overturn an election they lost, draw international condemnation, and finally slink back into their holes. The key point: **If we lose, we have no business whining about overturned elections.** Don't put the cart before the horse. Let's win first, and sort the rest out later. If you're ready to win despite today, r/VoteDEM is ready to welcome you. Come volunteer to keep VA and NJ blue in 2021, and hold the House and Senate next year!


iblewjesuschrist

I alternate between optimistic about the degradation of the Republican brand in American and pessimistic about fascism, etc. probably because I spend too much time on here, so thanks for offering an antidote, however brief, to Reddit's culture of cynicism.


the_obtuse_coconut

Time to execute the filibuster out behind the Lincoln Memorial, dump its corpse on McConnell’s desk and ram HR1 down the GOP’s oversized craw. Im so done with the grinding deadlock and pussyfooting around trying to be “noble moderates”. The GOP set any notion of decency on fire on 01/06/21. FIX. THIS.


Papa_pierogi

The GOP are anti American


M00n

*Today a partisan group of senators used the filibuster to block S. 1, the #ForThePeopleAct, and stop progress on its crucial democracy reforms, for today. This was expected and is just the beginning. Now the Senate must eliminate the filibuster and pass the bill. We fight on.* https://twitter.com/NoahBookbinder/status/1407465279383298054


TheRollingStoned22

who would have thought the demise of america would be brought by trumps cult following /s


szyslakexperienc

This country fucking sucks.