After Democrats have been dominating the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is hypocritically exploring ways to gut the filibuster.
The Hill reported:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is opening the door to changing the filibuster in response to growing pressure from Republicans angered that Democrats have blocked legislation from reaching the White House.
McConnell has appointed a special task force to explore changes to the filibuster rule and other procedural hurdles — including whether to eliminate filibusters on motions to proceed to legislation. That’s a tactic the minority often uses to shut down a bill before amendments can be considered.
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McConnell doesn’t want to kill the filibuster, but he is under pressure from his own Republicans to change the rules. The reason for this is that Senate Democrats have been too good at their jobs. A key part of the Republican argument for 2016 is going to be that they need a Republican president to advance their agenda. Republicans wanted to make President Obama look like an obstructionist by forcing him to veto lots of legislation.
The problem is that Senate Democrats have been blocking the Republican passed legislation from ever reaching the President’s desk. Thus, making McConnell and the Republicans look incompetent and not capable of governing.
The reality is that McConnell and the Republicans are in danger of losing their Senate majority next year, and time is running out on them.
Mitch McConnell lasted less than a year under some of the same conditions that Harry Reid struggled with during the majority of the Obama presidency. McConnell obstructed anything and everything while he was in the minority. Reid and the Democrats have not behaved the same way, but McConnell has been unprepared and outmaneuvered on every major piece of legislation.
Now that the shoe is on the other foot, Sen. McConnell is turning yellow and trying to change the rules.
McConnell couldn’t handle the heat, so he is trying to close down the Democratic kitchen.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
