Interesting….
When Republican Minority Leader was Majority Leader he had NO problem with ‘going nuclear’ and putting the rule that chokes off the ability of a single US Senator to stop the WHOLE Senate from doing anything….
Democrats are under increased pressure to change things subjected to the filibuster, or get rid of it completely ….
Abolishing it isn’t gonna happen….
Biden is against that and several Democrats also….
But limiting its application may just something that could happen….
(Make Senator actually have to keep talking to keep the thing going like before ?)
McConnell , the guy who knows ALL the arcane rules of the Senate seems to be threatening to shut down the place if he and Republicans can’t stop the slim Democratic majority from getting anything done….
And….
Threatening to lock Democrats out (like he did during the first two years of Trump’s term?) of things if Republican can wiggle a new majority going into 2023…
The fight over the Senate filibuster escalated sharply on Tuesday, as President Biden for the first time threw his weight behind changing the rules even as Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, threatened harsh reprisals if Democrats moved to weaken the procedural tactic.
In an interview with ABC News, Mr. Biden gave his most direct endorsement yet of overhauling the filibuster, saying that he favored a return to what is called the talking filibuster: the requirement that opponents of legislation occupy the floor and make their case against it.
“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,” the president said. “You had to stand up and command the floor, and you had to keep talking.” The comments were a significant departure for Mr. Biden, a 36-year veteran of the Senate who has been frequently described by aides as reluctant to alter Senate procedure.
“It’s getting to the point where, you know, democracy is having a hard time functioning,” he added.
Currently, senators need only to register their objections to legislation to force supporters to produce 60 votes to break the filibuster, which has become a near-daily part of Senate life. Requiring opponents to hold the floor would put more of the burden on them and theoretically make it harder for them to sustain their opposition.
Mr. Biden’s comments came as Mr. McConnell issued his stark warning and as the president’s allies on Capitol Hill began building a public case for the elimination of the tactic.
After Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, called for changes to reduce its power, Mr. McConnell, of Kentucky, bluntly promised a “scorched earth” response and pledged to grind the Senate to a standstill and derail Mr. Biden’s agenda if Democrats took that step….
image….fortune.com
McConnell threats NOT so tough?
Senator Mitch McConnell warned yesterday that if Democrats abolish the filibuster, Republicans would take advantage when they regain the majority. He listed right-to-work legislation, defunding of Planned Parenthood, and concealed-carry reciprocity as some items that a majority-Republican Senate would pass.
I’m reminded of the famous interrogation scene from The Dark Knight. As Batman subjects him to an increasingly brutal beating, the Joker laughs it off: “You have nothing – nothing to threaten me with.”
More…
The author of this national Review piece points out that with each change of Congressional majorities?
Things could see-saw back and forth like they do with Presidential executive orders…