Time to bring back the 鈥榯alking filibuster鈥�? Watch Joe Manchin.
The West Virginia Democrat is leveraging his influence in the 50-50 Senate 鈥� even signaling a willingness to alter a controversial rule he supports. He says it gives the minority party a voice.
The West Virginia Democrat is leveraging his influence in the 50-50 Senate 鈥� even signaling a willingness to alter a controversial rule he supports. He says it gives the minority party a voice.
Dear reader:
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听When Joe Manchin talks, people listen 鈥� just like in that old E.F. Hutton ad from the 1970s. Senator Manchin is a conservative Democrat from deep red West Virginia and, in a 50-50 Senate, his party can鈥檛 afford to lose his vote. He also knows how to throw his weight around.
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听So when Mr. Manchin said on 鈥淔ox News Sunday鈥� that maybe the filibuster should be 鈥渕ore painful鈥� to use, the political world took notice. He still supports the existence of the filibuster 鈥� the Senate procedure that requires a 60-vote supermajority to end debate on most bills. But perhaps, he suggested, it鈥檚 time to bring back the 鈥渢alking filibuster.鈥�
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听"Maybe it has to be more painful, maybe you have to stand there. There's things we can talk about," Mr. Manchin said.
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听Cue Jimmy Stewart in 鈥淢r. Smith Goes to Washington,鈥� the Frank Capra classic from 1939 about the idealistic senator who talks for 24 hours straight to try to block corrupt legislation. There are plenty of real-life examples of 鈥渢alking filibusters鈥� from earlier eras, some not as admirable. During the Jim Crow era, Southern Democrats filibustered to block civil-rights legislation.
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听Since 1975, senators haven鈥檛 had to talk nonstop to thwart a bill. They can just invoke 鈥渃loture,鈥� thus triggering the need to find 60 votes. But in today鈥檚 polarized politics, getting to 60 feels well-nigh impossible. There are exceptions. Budget-related legislation can move through the Senate with a simple majority. That鈥檚 how the massive $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, which passed the House today, cleared the Senate.
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听But Mr. Manchin wants to make himself clear: Keep the filibuster. On Tuesday, he told Politico that he believes it forces Democrats and Republicans to work together 鈥� and gives the minority party a voice.
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听鈥淭here's no way that I would vote to prevent the minority from having input into the process in the Senate,鈥� Mr. Manchin said. 鈥淭hat means protecting the filibuster.鈥�
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听Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a centrist Democrat from Arizona, also supports keeping the filibuster. So does President Joe Biden, a veteran of the Senate 鈥� but watch the White House鈥檚 language. His 鈥減reference,鈥� press secretary Jen Psaki says, is to keep the filibuster. But she doesn't rule out reforms.
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听Going forward, the bulk of President Biden鈥檚 agenda 鈥� including the sweeping voting-rights bill known as H.R. 1 鈥� doesn鈥檛 stand a chance without ditching or changing the filibuster. Suggestions for reform abound, including these from scholar Norman Ornstein. Tuesday night, the Senate鈥檚 No. 2 Democrat, Richard Durbin of Illinois, suggested a path to filibuster 鈥渕odifications.鈥�
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听But the Democrat from West Virginia will remain at the heart of the debate. Keep an eye on him.
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听Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.
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