In light of the fact that from the beginning of this Congressional term Senate Republicans have been threatening to filibuster everything they object to, no matter how routine or minor (the latest being a nomination to the National Labor Relations Board), why haven’t the Democrats called their bluff? What Democrats have been doing is this — if the Republicans threaten to filibuster and the Democrats don’t have 60 votes, they throw in the towel and say, effectively, “You win.” What they should have done — and what they should still do — is to respond to Republican threats to filibuster by simply saying, “OK, filibuster away.” Let the Republicans in the Senate bring the entire Congress to a screeching halt, and see what the public’s response is. Anyone remember the Great Government Shutdown of 1995, when Republicans refused to adopt the continuing resolution necessary to fund federal government activities? That turned out to be a huge, huge mistake for Republicans, leading directly to the electoral thumping Clinton gave to Bob Dole, who was in the Senate at the time of the shutdown.
As it is now, Republicans get the best of both worlds — all the benefits of the threat of a filibuster, with none of the attendant consequences of an actual filibuster. It’s time for Senate Democrats to put an end to this free ride. Time to say to Mitch McConnell and his Republican friends: If you want to filibuster, better get your voices ready.
Categories: Politics
Tags: democrats, filibuster, Republicans, Senate