Filibusters

Biden’s Impending Demise

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The most important issue for Democrats is recognition that their majority in Congress is paper-thin. A few votes in the House and only one in the Senate may prevent them from overhauling entitlements, governance, taxation, voting, environmental issues, immigration and so on.

This paper-thin margin is already giving the likes of Pelosi, AOC, send Sanders, Warren and all the rest of the ultra-progressives a fit. Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema are not in lockstep with their Democratic colleagues in the Senate. Without both of their votes, liberal initiatives will fail.

What are Manchin and Sinema’s concerns? For one, they don’t believe the country should try to change itself drastically with without bi-partisan support. Why don’t Democrats appreciate how much sense this makes? The partisan divide in Congress, fostered by really aggressive rhetoric by Democrats, is going to completely destroy any effort by our lawmakers to address the needed reforms in the areas mentioned above. Our entitlement system, taxation and relationship with the environment need fixing. But borrowing 4 or 5 trillion dollars coupled with frivolous spending across the American landscape is not the answer.

A second overhanging disaster is the potential of financial instability within the American economy. Today, the US is able to borrow all the money it needs to fund the growing annual shortfall between tax receipts and expenditures. However, the gap has widened to epic proportions, and some may begin to question the strength of the American dollar. Our national debt is $28 trillion and growing at a feverish pace. The only source of relief for Democrats is to raise taxes on one class of people. But affluent taxation will not be enough to pay for new entitlements being discussed at this moment.

Too many Americans don’t pay taxes because they are below the minimum threshold. Our government (US taxpayers) subsidizes these Americans, but with no quid pro quo in almost any case. Assistance during COVID and for the loss of jobs is justifiable and noble. It’s something that the federal government should do. But paying people to stay home (and not work) is a recipe for disaster. Entitlements should not be perpetual support, except for those who cannot work for legitimate reasons. Entitlements should be available to people in temporary need. Every able-bodied person should have a job guaranteed to them by the federal or state governments. Only then can we reduce the stress that entitlements have put on our economy.

Why are Democrats so anxious to give entree and citizenship to illegal immigrants? Why reward foreigners for breaking our laws? Who are these immigrants? Do they do anything for our economy besides use our resources? Are they disease free? Did they break the law in other ways? Why do hardworking Americans have to pay for the shelter, food, schooling and medical bills of these illegal interlopers? Is it because these individuals will ultimately vote for Democrats? Are Democrats so sinister? Our immigration policies need to be fixed before the migration problem really gets out of hand. Efforts by Biden and Harris have been pitiful regarding this matter.

Currently, legislation in the Senate is subjected to a filibuster by the minority party. Certain issues such as confirmation of judges and justices are done with the majority votes.

The filibuster protects the minority from frivolous proposals by the majority. It is the only source of redress during times of stress and government misdirection. The majority always wants to eliminate the filibuster to make legislation easier. This is the case even though the filibuster will protect those who lose their majority in the future. Sens. Manchin and Sinema recognize the importance of the filibuster and are prepared to prevent any changes. They are patriots for demanding good government.

Joe Biden is really struggling to develop a consistent foreign policy network. Our enemies are the same regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican is sitting in the White House. Biden has decided that every issue addressed by Trump was improper including his handling of Europe, Iran, China and Russia. This visceral approach makes no sense. The positive things done by former administrations should not be abandoned for political reasons. Of note are the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and a stated desire to work with the rogue ayatollahs in Iran. The diminished status of Israel in the eyes of the Biden administration is also a huge mistake.

The list goes on. Biden is being overwhelmed by progressives in every area of government. Our country is not prepared to become socialistic. We are capitalists, and we demand the federal government solve our problems and deal with the evil and horrific actions of others around the world.

Coincidentally, in yesterday’s New York Times, Charles M. Blow discusses the fact that Democrats are in danger of losing the support of many Americans based upon Biden’s performance. Even a diehard liberal commentator like Blow recognizes that Joe is failing in many areas as he tries to govern the United States. I won’t repeat the things mentioned in Blow’s article, but many are discussed in this essay.

The US Will Change Dramatically Without The Senate Filibuster

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I believe the press and political talking heads are significantly understating the significance of proposed changes to Senate filibuster rules.

The filibuster protects the minority in the Senate, no matter which party is in control. It effectively requires a supermajority to pass controversial legislation. It is a God-send tool of the minority that enables those not in power to force a supermajority vote on legislature that is frivolous or dangerous.

Two reiterate, the filibuster protects the interests of the party that is in the minority. Given that the control of the Senate has changed rather frequently in recent years, both parties have used the filibuster extensively.

Changes in the filibuster rule have taken place in recent years. In 2013, Democrats were in control of the Senate, and with a simple majority adopted a new rule for confirmation of federal judges. No longer could the minority force a 60-vote minimum for confirmation of these lower court nominations.

In 2017, Republicans, then in control of the Senate, changed the rule for confirmation of Supreme Court Justices to a simple majority. This enabled Republicans to jam through the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh, who was barely confirmed with a majority vote.

After the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, Democrats lost a supermajority in the Senate because Scott Brown, a Republican, won Kennedy’s seat. Democrat seats decreased from 60 to 59, depriving Democrats of a supermajority. This occurred just after the enactment of Obamacare, and effectively ended Barack Obama’s plans to radically change our economy and our society. He had to govern with presidential mandates for the balance of his tenure being unable to override filibusters by the minority.

Note: Mandates by former presidents are easily reversible with a strike of the pen by subsequent presidents, which Trump affectively did when he was elected, and Biden is doing now. The executive power is often criticized because the president is, in effect, enacting laws without congressional approval.

So, what we have seen is that the party in power in the Senate frequently calls for weakening of filibuster rules, only to regret it after they are relegated to the minority in subsequent years.

The fairness argument is pretty solid for both sides. The party in power should dominate the enactment of laws, and filibusters make this difficult. On the other hand, the most important legislative actions in our country should be bipartisan. Another important tidbit is that filibusters give small state senators a much bigger club, as any senator can stand up and demand a supermajority vote on any legislative proposal.

What’s going on now? Democrats are in power and have free reign to enact a progressive agenda of legislative items, affecting the most important political, societal and economic issues. With the control of the presidency and both houses of Congress the only barrier to new legislation would be a Republican filibuster that requires a 60% Senate majority vote.

Even if you are a Democrat, do want your party to have unlimited power? Don’t you want to hear both sides of complex and strategically important issues? Wouldn’t you rather see bipartisan votes in Congress and not automatic votes along party lines?

Biden and his liberal colleagues are going to try to change some really important laws in coming months. I would like to hear what the implications of this legislation are from both sides, wouldn’t you?

The Filibuster Is Critical To A Two-party Government

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There was a balanced article in the New York Times yesterday about the fate of the filibuster in the Senate. I suggest interested parties read this publication.

I have addressed the filibuster several times in recent days because it is such a critical element of lawmaking in the Senate.

Let’s start with the basics. To pass a law, legislators must obtain approval of the House of Representatives and the Senate, along with the signature of the president. The House operates with a simple majority. The Senate can pass a law with a simple majority if no senator objects. If one does object, the bill must be approved by 60 senators, a supermajority, if you will.

The importance of the filibuster cannot be overstated. Recent history proved this point. In 2013, Senate Democrats voted to change the filibuster rules as it pertains to confirmation of judges, except for the Supreme Court. This action enabled Democrats to confirm a large number of judges that would normally have been unacceptable to Senate Republicans and would have been blocked with filibusters. Republicans were furious about the action by Democrats and soon found their revenge.

In 2020, Senate Republicans took control of the Upper House and changed the filibuster rule further by subjecting Supreme Court justices to a simple majority for confirmation. This action has changed the nature of the Supreme Court for decades as Donald Trump was able to fill the court with relatively young conservative justices. These confirmations could have a devastating impact on many embedded laws affiliated with social issues, including abortion rights, gun control and a plethora of management/worker issues in this country.

Now let’s consider the current state of affairs. Elimination of the filibuster for every day lawmaking will increase the power of the Democrat majority in the Senate. It will enable the Senate to pass laws with a simple majority. With a filibuster, the minority can require a supermajority vote of 60 to pass a law. Abrogating the filibuster only abets the activities of the majority, so long as it holds power. When the majority changes, as it often does, the advantage swings from the former majority to the former minority. So many senators think it is shortsighted to abolish this important protection for the minority.

What will Biden, the House and the razor-thin majority in the Senate do with total control of the legislative process? They might enact frivolous laws that do not represent the wishes of a majority of people in the country. The filibuster traditionally makes controversial and difficult legislation more challenging to pass by forcing consensus and compromise.

For instance, if the Biden administration wants to push through legislation that increases taxes for the middle class even if the majority of citizens are against these tax increases, they can do it. The minority has no power to stop them. This proposal would normally face opposition from the minority Republicans who would likely use a filibuster to impede it.

The bottom line is that without a filibuster, a government that controls all three branches of the lawmaking process is too powerful. As citizens, we need to demand that important legislation finds some consensus to become law. This becomes problematic without a filibuster.

The Dangers Of One Party Government

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Our nation is about to face a critical moment on January 5th, as Georgians vote for two senators. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are Republicans and the Reverend Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff are Democrats all vying to become part of the highly politicized Senate.

I doubt I have very many readers who are voting in the election, but the contest is going have a monstrous national impact on the way we are governed prospectively. Therefore, every American should be aware of the implications of these two Senate campaigns.

Other than to say that the Democrats are radical and left-wing politicians, and the Republicans are relatively moderate lawmakers, I will address what could possibly happen in the future in Congress depending upon who is victorious.

If Democrats win the two seats, they will effectively control the Senate with a 50-50 split between Republicans and Democrats. Vice president Kamala Harris will vote in any ties. If Republicans win either contested seat, they will control the Senate.

What are the ramifications of having a Democratic-held Senate? It would mean that Democrats would control the presidency, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Currently, the Senate business is subjected to filibusters by the minority party for all votes except judges and SCOTUS nominations. This means that judges and justices are confirmed with a simple majority vote. This changed several years ago when the Democratic majority voted to eliminate the filibuster, or a supermajority vote, to confirm judges. A few years later a Republican Senate majority voted to abrogate a supermajority vote for SCOTUS justices.

Currently all laws are enacted with a majority, unless the opposition filibusters the vote. Then the controlling party needs 60 votes to end the filibuster and enact a law. Democrats have threatened a vote to eliminate the filibuster for all Senate business. This would mean that the opposition party would have no power to stop any legislation for all intents and purposes.

You may ask why a filibuster is necessary. After all, the majority should rule. The filibuster became part of the lawmaking process so that frivolous and inappropriate legislation would be more difficult to enact. It is a way for the opposition to make it more difficult to enact laws that they believe are bad for our country. If a party has 60 votes in the Senate, as Democrats did during the early years of the Obama administration, there is no stopping the majority party if they also hold the presidency and the House.

Why is this issue critical at this moment? It’s because radicals in the Democratic Party have indicated that they would take action that will hurt our country our economy and our capitalistic system. Here is a short list of Democratic objectives:

  • The Senate can change the number of justices on the Supreme Court, thereby changing the political persuasion of the Court.
  • Congress would effectively change our economic system from a capital-based economy to a socialistic economy by bleeding the affluent and most successful among us.
  • The right of Americans to bear arms would be in jeopardy.
  • Immigration policy would be open borders.
  • Health care would be 100% socialized at an enormous cost.
  • Inane climate change policies would cripple industry.
  • Taxing policies would steal assets from hard working Americans.

Radical left-wing lawmakers would have a field day ripping down basic institutions like the banking system and high-tech companies.

The US would take several steps backwards just by the election of two Georgia senators.

Even if you are a Democrat, you should be aware of a country run by power hungry politicians with unlimited control over our government.