The Democrats have been roaring for a while that they would kill the filibuster but one man alone has stopped them. You may be surprised to learn that, that man is Joe Manchin.
Manchin has announced that under no circumstances would he vote for doing away with the filibuster.
However, it could get worse for the Democrats. Much worse. After Manchin effectively killed the nomination of Neera Tanden, he began getting very nasty responses from liberal voters and several Democrats who called the move racist.
If they do the same with the filibuster, they could accomplish what others have tried to do for years. They could drive Manchin into switching parties, giving the Republicans control of the Senate.
At that point, the filibuster becomes moot. I can see that happening. That would effectively give the Republicans veto power over any bill Nancy Pelosi rams through with Biden’s blessing.
For Manchin, there is no downside to making the move. In fact, it would be a huge plus for him. Becoming a Republican in West Virginia would help him win easy reelections after his home state has turned bluer than blue.
But, if he continues to remain a Democrat during this period of extremism it could flip his seat red when he runs again. The Democrats are all about killing coal and coal is a large part of the West Virginia economy even now.
Actually, Manchin might not be needed anyway as Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz has already stated she opposes the move and is absolutely not willing to change her mind. But by voting together they could cancel out votes by Romney, Kennedy, or Murkowski, three top RINOs.
Progressive Democrats see the filibuster as an outdated relic that can be used by the minority Republican Party under McConnell to derail Biden’s agenda, and they want to do away with it. They point to the way the filibuster was wielded during the 20th century to stall civil rights legislation, and warn of a repeat.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell —after learning about Manchin’s and Sinema’s opinion last month– set aside his demand that a provision preserving the legislative filibuster be included in his power-sharing agreement with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. It almost certainly means that Democrats, many of whom have said they want to get rid of the filibuster, won’t be able to do so for at least the next two years.
