As I have written previously, at this moment the United States House of Representatives is under siege from a radical group of domestic terrorists. There are some 20 Freedom Caucus terrorists, loaded down with the political version of suicide vests, ready to blow up the United States Hose, if everybody else doesn’t accede to their terrorist demands. And as I’ve previously written, McCarthy is trying to fight them in every way possible.
Does this current GOP House scenario somehow or other manage to ring a faint bell or two in your mind? It sure as shit did for me. And you can bet your ass that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was sitting there with a wry, almost wistful shit that he’s been putting up with for the last two years.
Thanks to an arcane, Jim Crow era Senate rule, Majority Leader Schumer has literally been held hostage by a suicide squad of Democratic domestic terrorists. Only it didn’t take 20 terrorists for Schumer, it only took two. But the ultimate effect is exactly the same, because a fringe minority is able to hold the vast majority hostage by threatening to blow everything up.
The two Democratic domestic terrorists are West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema. And those two miscreants are no different from the Freedom Caucus terrorists in the House. Because just as brazenly, they both flaunted their single ability to blow up anything the Democrats wanted to do in the Senate. And they got away with it because they were each slimy enough to find bills they liked, and then pushed those bills to show they could play nice if they were placated.
This is nothing new for Majority Leader Schumer, who has had to put up with this bullshit for the last two years, but it may be a graphic wake up call for the Democratic caucus. Because I know from my personal experience as a hockey player that there is a huge difference between the view you have when you’re on the ice, and in the middle of the fray, and watching the same play on videotape. And if Schumer is sharp enough, that could be the keystone.
The Democratic Senate spent the last two years under the thumbs of domestic terrorists, but it didn’t seem like it at the time, because they were in the trenches, playing the game. It was just Senate business as usual. But now they’re all sitting there, ready to work, and watching 20 far right domestic terrorists hold 415 other representatives hostage for their own gains.
The question is, does this pathetic debacle shine a light of self awareness on the exact same case of domestic terrorism they’ve been living under for the last two years? And does it spur them to action? Both Manchin and Sinema are facing incredibly brutal reelection rus in 2024. Is it possible for Schumer to use that as a leverage point to pry at least one of them free from their allegiance to the antiquated filibuster rule, so the Senate can function again, with promises of electoral aid?
This is just something to keep an eye on. The incredible gridlock in the US House is a shining example of what can happen when you let the inmates run the asylum. Can Schumer use this graphic disgrace to finally marshall enough votes to motivate the Democratic Senate to finally take away Mitch McConnell’s favorite chew toy?. Don’t touch that dial.
Thanks for pointing this out. Senators have many traditions and although an awful lot of them got tossed in the outhouse by McConnell one that’s survived is them looking down their noses at the House and its Members comparatively unruly behavior. Senators compare themselve to the House with a “unlike you folk OUR sh!t doesn’t stink” attitude. It been noted by many including you just how small the freak caucus of anarchists in the House has (and continues to be) been. Yet because the Senate has only 100 members in a closely divided one it only takes as little as one, but even just a few instead of the twenty or more needed in the House to gum up the works. And you’re right – Schumer has no doubt not been gloating (or have other Senators from what I can tell) over the antics of the crazies in the House because that’s been their reality for the past couple of years. And to a lesser degree multiple times since 2000. Like you, I hope Schumer and others with the perspective of being on the outside looking in at the House GOP cluster fuck will gain not only some humility, but a desire to be better team players. And that regardless of Party affiliation Senators will take a hard look at what’s happened to their institution and resolve to try and restore it to what it once was.
Schumer does not need to blow up the filibuster. It would have worked in the last congress, but now that the Reps are in control every bill will have at least some republican support. So McTurtle wont have much interest in filibustering votes. He may even cross over and stop a government shutdown next september. He has a favorable playing field in the senate in 2024 and barring any trump craziness, most likely will be head of the senate in 2024 no matter who is president. mcturtle already screwed mccarthy with the omnibus bill, he is all about making the senate work again realizing he is mostly powerless for another 2 years because of trump.
mcturtle was about judges while Obama was in office, slowing everything down until Reid finally had enough and blew up the filibuster for judges, Democrats tried to be polite and follow senate procedure, but mcturtle mocked them. Mcturtle used those rules to run through judges for trump. those same rules are allowing Biden to nominate and get judges through. With the 51-49 majority judges will be flying through committees.
Mcturtle plays the long game like any tortoise. He is the longest serving as they say. maybe he is betting on another red wave in 2024, who knows what will happen in a presidential year. maybe he is pissed his wife is called coco chao. Only time will tell, but for now, leave it for mcturtle to blow up the filibuster, because it doesn’t make any sense now.