Let’s damn Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with his own words, shall we? In 2006, when it was Republicans controlling the Senate and Democrats attempting to block the agenda of then-President George W. Bush, the New York Democrat said this of a GOP threat to end the filibuster:
“The checks and balances which have been at the core of this republic are about to be evaporated by the nuclear option. The checks and balances which say that if you get 51% of the vote, you don’t get your way 100% of the time.”
Now that it’s Schumer’s party hoping to use its bare majority in the Senate to impose its will unchecked on the nation, he’s had a filibuster epiphany. In the name of saving democracy, Schumer is proposing to suspend this vital protection against majoritarianism and federalize elections on what he hopes will be a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Kamala Harris in the 50-50 Senate.
Schumer, who led more than 300 filibusters during the Trump presidency, was dead right the first time. The filibuster, which requires a 60-vote minimum for passing most legislation, works against the tyranny of the majority. It is an important safeguard of the very democracy Schumer insists is at risk if states continue to run their own elections.
Schumer is willing to dump the filibuster altogether. Resistance from moderates makes that unlikely, but they still hope they can convince him to temporarily suspend it to pass the so-called voter rights bill.
That legislation would impose federal rules on state elections to effectively take management and oversight of balloting away from local officials and place it in the hands of Washington bureaucrats. The Democratic-controlled House has already passed the bill on a straight partisan vote.
Much of the overwrought rhetoric surrounding the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, including Vice President Kamala Harris’ ridiculous claim the incident was equivalent to Pearl Harbor and the 9-11 terrorist attacks, was aimed at convincing voters democracy is at risk unless the government steps in to prevent Republican-led states from requiring voter ID and banning ballot harvesting.
Fortunately, the two heroes of the Senate, Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, are again standing in the way of their party’s worst ambitions. Both have opposed dumping the filibuster.
Manchin wisely observed that ending the filibuster once will end it for good, saying: “Anytime there’s a carveout, you eat the whole turkey. There’s nothing left.”
He also warned any tactic Democrats use now will be used by Republicans when they control the Senate. History bears that out. It was Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s elimination of the filibuster of lower court appointees that eventually allowed Republicans to confirm Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court without 60-vote majorities.
The legislation Democrats would sacrifice the filibuster to pass is unnecessary. There is no evidence of voter suppression in states that have adopted election integrity rules. Voter participation is on the rise even in those states that have enacted election reforms.
And if there are laws passed that restrict access to the ballot box, the courts have proven an effective remedy.
Maintaining confidence in the electoral process is essential to sustaining democracy. Democrats risk eroding public trust by blowing up Senate rules to pass a bill that strips states of their constitutional right to run their own elections.
___
(c)2022 The Detroit News
Visit The Detroit News at www.detnews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
—-
This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.
This traitorous, dishonorable, dishonest, non-credible, immoral, socialist Democrat Party has become our country’s most destructive and deadliest ENEMY!
Do whatever it takes to access power and retain it by any means available –
no matter the costs to the people, the government or the nation.
The dishonorable socialist Democrat Party revolves around and its philosophy is based on Total Control, Hate, Lies, Cons, Deceptions, Immorality and the lack of Integrity, Ethics or Honor.
Chuckie’s favorite pose—his glasses down on his nose with an American flag backdrop. Like he is such a statesman—such a Patriot.
You’re a damned snake in the grass—hope a mongoose gets you.
“Schumer, who led more than 300 filibusters during the Trump presidency, was dead right the first time. The filibuster, which requires a 60-vote minimum for passing most legislation, works against the tyranny of the majority. It is an important safeguard of the very democracy Schumer insists is at risk if states continue to run their own elections.”
If you were truly concerned about risks to our democracy, Chuck—you would voluntarily resign because you, yourself, are an ominous risk.
THE ENTIRE DNC is a massive risk to true democracy..
Oh for the good old days when we did not have half the Senate populated by a party of trained clapping seals that can only vote the way the party ringleader leader dictates them to,,,you know,the guy so short sited he has to constantly keep his eyeglasses aimed downward to keep checking to see if he still has his manhood intact, or if maybe he has turned into a women. Apparently constant checking for his lost manhood is more important than Senatorial precedent established Checks and balances. Since his voter rights bill insists no proper ID need be required, even a child can see it is a voter wrongs bill. Whenever there is a Schumer Turkey carve out, all that is left for THE PEOPLE is the part that went over the fence last.
At least he’s YET to push things as far as Newsome did in ca, by making MAIL IN VOTING< universal..
HYPOCRIT! He’s doing the exact same thing he accused the Republicans of doing eons ago when George Bush was President, it was politics defending democracy most foul then but now it is a noble cause of, you guessed it, defending democracy. That a political party would have stooped so low as to suspend the long, if not sacred, rule to filibuster in the Senate, many great orators have taken part in such now abominable and racist maneuvers. Which is it, Chuck? I got it! The filibuster is good when Democrats want to block conservative Republicam legislation and bad when Republicans want to block liberal wacko Democrat legislation. Short sighted on your part Chuck, you’ll regret it when you are no longer in power just as it was with Harry Reid and judges, that caiught you off guard, for sure!
ITS like always, the LEFT IS ALLOWED to do it, but when the RIGHT does the exact same thing, its called “BAD/WRONG/EVIL”..
There’s not enough Democrats in the House or the Senate to let FILIBUSTER be SUSPENED. SCHMUSK aka SCHUMER thinks he has what doesn’t have the votes to Suspend the FILIBUSTER. He’s just a Clown in Beijing Joe’s THREE RING CIRCUS.
But you can’t count on Republicans to do the right thing.
Trust in elections at risk? Say it ain’t so!
With no effective opposition from the GOP Democrats are doubling down on failed policies, legalizing cheating, keeping the invasion going, not prosecuting crime while releasing violent criminals, they appear to feel they have all future elections in the bag…like they do in Washington and California.
Just another useless democrat that can’t get his way so he thinks he has the upper hand. When the hand of God comes down on him those nasty looks will be forever gone from our minds and then his cronies in he11 will have to look at him while they all suffer torture and torment, endlessly!