I wrote earlier about how 47 Republican House members joined the Democrats to pass gay marriage legislation. It was a purely practical decision on their part, taking into account their constituent feelings. And now the pressure is on the GOP Senate, where it just might pass.
But it appears that the not so busy little bees of the US Senate are capable of multitasking. Today a bipartisan group of Senators put a bill on the floor that would strengthen electoral laws to make it harder for a future President, such as Traitor Tot to try to pull off another January 6th.
According to Reuters, the bill that was introduced today would offer fixes to holes and gaps in previous electoral law;
The legislation, among other things, would make clear that the vice president has only a ceremonial role in certifying election results, after a mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to force then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election result.
The bill would also extend protections that would make it more difficult for GOP dominated state legislatures to overturn the popular vote and instead announce an alternate slate of electors to the electoral college.
A couple of things to remember here. First pf all, this is a bipartisan bill that would make it more difficult for a miserable miscreant like Trump to try another January 6th in 2024 if he runs and loses. So logically, there is at least some GOP Senate support to try to stop Trump from causing another insurrection.
And the second thing to remember is that this is a bipartisan bill. And anybody who knows the Senate knows that the GOP doesn’t dare to fart without permission from The Grim Reaper. If this bill came to the floor, then it means that it has McConnell’s unspoken blessing, otherwise, nobody in the GOP caucus would have bothered to negotiate with the Democrats. I have often written that McConnell is the consummate politician, and now he sees a way to shove a broomstick with a sandpaper Trojan on it up Trump’s ass. And solidify his power in the Senate.
Over the next couple of weeks, it will be the marriage equality rights bill that will dominate the news coverage. But keep a shar eye, and look for the voting reform legislation in the Senate. If the Senate can pass that bill, Pelosi will ram it through the House. And we’ll get some electoral breathing space. Don’t touch that dial.
All those things would be amazing. I had given up hope of the current GOP congress critters doing anything remotely useful.
NONE of them want to deal with the likes of Trump or his cult again. So moves like this are less surprising to me.
You know, even IF enough ‘pubes went along to get it to 60, those two a-holes sinema and manchin would not allow it to go through. The two little princesses get pissy when it’s not all about them.
Oh, they’ll go along in those circumstances. No real gain from anybody to be contrary in this case.
A good band-aid, but a better long-term solution would be a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Electoral College altogether. One person, one vote. Would eliminate a lot of monkey business.
Or cause more, depending on the situation is exploited. In politics, there are no magic bullets.
A couple of things, while I’m encouraged the bipartisan committee brought the bill forward to begin the process of safeguarding elections, they need to be able to beat a filibuster. In addition, unfortunately, the SCOTUS considering the constitutionality of the Independent State Legislator theory/doctrine (ISL) in NC could significantly gum up the works. If they determine the State is the ultimate authority in determining elections in a State, they could theoretically forego a vote of the people and select the slate of electors from their state suggesting the people have already voted through their representatives (the Eastman plan). I might have missed something, but I believe both issues have to be resolved… the Electoral Count Act and a decision that the ISL is not valid to prevent a legal steal. I enjoyed the read. First time here.