Over the last couple of days, both Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin have said or written again that they are opposed to eliminating the filibuster.
Senator Sinema said in an interview with constituents in Phoenix that:
“When you have a place that’s broken and not working, and many would say that’s the Senate today, I don’t think the solution is to erode the rules. I think the solution is for senators to change their behavior and begin to work together, which is what the country wants us to do.”
Really Senator Sinema!
What are the names of the Democratic Senators who need to change their behavior, Senator?
What are the names of the Democratic Senators that have demonstrated an unwillingness to work with Republicans?
Senator Manchin wrote in the Washington Post:
"Every time the Senate voted to weaken the filibuster in the past decade, the political dysfunction and gridlock have grown more severe. The political games playing out in the halls of Congress only fuel the hateful rhetoric and violence we see across our country right now. The truth is, my Democratic friends do not have all the answers and my Republican friends do not, either. This has always been the case."
"I simply do not believe budget reconciliation should replace regular order in the Senate. How is that good for the future of this nation? Senate Democrats must avoid the temptation to abandon our Republican colleagues on important national issues. Republicans, however, have a responsibility to stop saying no, and participate in finding a real compromise with Democrats."
Really Senator Manchin!
Given the historical Republican obstructionism in the Clinton and Obama Administrations Senator and the early signs of it in the Biden one, do you really blame Democrats for looking for alternative ways to pass legislation?
Republican senators would not even come halfway on the funding numbers for the American Rescue Plan.
In a normal political dynamic where both major parties are functioning governing bodies, the sentiments of Sinema and Manchin toward bipartisanship coalitions and legislation would make more sense and be preferable.
Unfortunately, the Republican Party has not shown a willingness to compromise and govern.
While all Democrats should be grateful Sinema and Manchin are members of their Senate caucus (they do vote for the vast majority of Democratic priorities and does anyone in Democratic circles really want the Senate to go back to Enemy of the People Mitch McConnell's control or do they think more liberal Democrats can win in their states,) it is time for the Arizona and West Virginia Senators to show they can produce bipartisanship legislation in the Senate.
If Sinema and Manchin have bipartisan coalitions in the Senate of Democrats and Republicans that could pass significant legislation on infrastructure, voting rights, immigration, gun control, and other social justice issues that will get sizable passing majorities in both houses of Congress, it is time to present them and their ideas NOW.
Writing op-eds and giving interviews saying the filibuster should not be eliminated will not suffice anymore.
It is time they stopped talking and produced results that will move the country forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment