{"id":2372464,"date":"2024-11-23T05:39:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-23T10:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/filibuster-flip-flop-dems-ready-to-embrace-tool-to-stonewall-gop\/"},"modified":"2024-11-23T05:40:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-23T10:40:47","slug":"filibuster-flip-flop-dems-ready-to-embrace-tool-to-stonewall-gop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/filibuster-flip-flop-dems-ready-to-embrace-tool-to-stonewall-gop\/","title":{"rendered":"Filibuster flip-flop: Dems ready to embrace tool to stonewall GOP &#8211;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffilibuster-flip-flop-dems-ready-to-embrace-tool-to-stonewall-gop%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2372464&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate \u2062Democrats are preparing to utilize the filibuster, a procedural tool \u200bthey \u200chave opposed for years, as they brace\u2062 for a minority\u2064 status with the incoming Republican majority and President-elect Donald Trump. Despite having sought\u2063 to limit the filibuster during their time in power, key Democratic figures acknowledge the need\u2062 to use it to challenge GOP policies and actions. Senator Richard Blumenthal has expressed the necessity of using all \u200bavailable methods to counter what he calls a\u200b potential \u201cabuse of power\u201d from Republicans, while Majority Whip Dick\u2062 Durbin views it as \u200ca critical part of their strategy in a \u2063Republican-majority Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats\u2064 had <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">previously attempted reforms<\/a>, including outright elimination\u200b or special exceptions for contentious issues like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wow-georgia-judge-who-also-is-stacy-abrams-sister-blocks-elections-officials-from-challenging-voters-who-live-outside-of-registered-district\/\" title=\"WOW! Georgia Judge Who Also Is Stacy Abrams\u2019 Sister BLOCKS Elections Officials from Challenging Voters Who Live Outside of Registered District!\">voting rights<\/a> and gun\u2062 control, but strong\u2064 opposition from \u2062Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema blocked these efforts.\u2064 With both retiring, \u2062Democrats see an opportunity\u200d to revisit the filibuster. However,\u2064 they face a \u2064more unified Republican Party that has pledged to maintain the filibuster,\u2063 despite \u200backnowledging the complexities of the evolving\u2064 power dynamics in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Some Democrats, while expressing the need to \u200cutilize the filibuster for their concerns, recognize the \u200dirony in their position \u200cgiven their past criticisms of the tool as a barrier to progress. The debate continues over whether changes to \u2063the rules could occur, with\u2064 a legislative history of both parties modifying the filibuster as political power shifts.\u200d As Democrats prepare for a challenging landscape, the question\u200b of whether to adapt their strategy\u200d regarding the filibuster remains central to their opposition to\u200c the incoming Republican agenda.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Filibuster flip-flop: Senate Democrats ready to embrace tool to stonewall Trump<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1768660\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Senate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Democrats\">Democrats<\/a> are set to rekindle their love for the very procedural tool they spent years <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3165436\/harris-renews-senate-democrats-weaken-filibuster-despite-hurdles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Democrats\">trying to weaken<\/a>: the filibuster.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Soon to be in the minority, Democrats are ready to use whatever tactics are at their disposal to put up roadblocks for Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump &mdash; including the 60-vote threshold many have long <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3185546\/filibuster-future-ride-jon-tester-montana-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"sought to abolish\">sought to abolish<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d be lying if I said we&rsquo;d be in a better position without the filibuster,&rdquo; Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said. &ldquo;We have a responsibility to stop autocratic and long-headed abuse of power or policy, and we&rsquo;ll use whatever tools we have available. We&rsquo;re not going to fight this battle with one hand tied behind our back.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sees the filibuster as &ldquo;part of the calculation&rdquo; to how Democrats will spearhead resistance next Congress in a chamber with a 53-47 GOP majority.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We had to live with it when we were in the majority,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3226193\/which-biden-executive-orders-first-to-go-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>HERE&rsquo;S WHICH BIDEN EXECUTIVE ORDERS WILL BE THE FIRST TO GO UNDER TRUMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Senate Democrats under President Joe Biden sought to transform the legislative filibuster, with wide-ranging proposals from eliminating it altogether to creating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3163988\/harris-pushes-abortion-filibuster-carveout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"policy carveouts\">policy carveouts<\/a> for issues such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-kennedy-manchin-knows-ending-filibuster-will-blow-up-the-senate\/\" title=\"Sen. Kennedy: Manchin Knows Ending Filibuster Will &#039;Blow Up the Senate&#039;\">federal voting rights<\/a>, abortion access, and gun control. But Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), ardent defenders of the legislative hurdle, stood in their way.<\/p>\n<p>With the duo&rsquo;s retirements, Democrats saw an opportunity next year to finally alter the modern 60-vote rule that has been in place for most legislation since 1975. But then Republicans flipped four seats in the elections, along with the majority.<\/p>\n<p>Sinema, tight-lipped with the press, offered a curt response to the Democrats now defending the filibuster.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t say,&rdquo; she tweeted.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats acknowledge the hypocrisy in their position. But they are staring down a GOP trifecta with a Republican House of Representatives, Senate, and White House.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to try not to make a mess of my position on this one,&rdquo; said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), who&rsquo;s long advocated the legislative filibuster&rsquo;s elimination.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You play with the rules that exist,&rdquo; Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), left, and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), right, meet with reporters following a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-cornyn-booed-at-state-gop-convention-for-negotiating-bipartisan-gun-control-bill\/\" title=\"Sen. Cornyn Booed at State GOP Convention for Negotiating &quot;Bipartisan&quot; Gun Control Bill\">closed-door policy meeting<\/a> on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Murphy added that he is open to changes but not to &ldquo;obliterate&rdquo; the filibuster, a tool <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_4tG9Bpi3FU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">he described<\/a> in 2021 as &ldquo;downright dangerous,&rdquo; a &ldquo;slap in the face to majoritarianism,&rdquo; and an &ldquo;argument that essentially prioritizes consistency over democracy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The question on Democrats&rsquo; minds is whether Republicans will stay true to their word not to modify the filibuster, something both parties have gradually weakened over the last century. Proponents of the rule say it forces bipartisanship. Democratic opponents argue it is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2020\/07\/30\/barack-obama-john-lewis-filibuster-388600\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"racist relic\">racist relic<\/a> from its use in the Civil Rights era.<\/p>\n<p>Incoming Senate GOP Leader John Thune (R-SD) vowed that the filibuster will be &ldquo;safe under Republican control,&rdquo; even if it may stand in Trump&rsquo;s way.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I find it ironic that a party that has spent a fair amount of time this election cycle talking about the importance of preserving our democracy seem intent on embracing the thoroughly undemocratic notion that only one party should be making decisions in this country,&rdquo; Thune said.<\/p>\n<p>Some Democrats give their GOP colleagues the benefit of the doubt that it will stay intact, in part, because many of the economic policies from Trump and Republicans can be achieved under an annual budget process known as reconciliation that only needs a simple majority.<\/p>\n<p>But other Democrats are not so sure. Trump&rsquo;s influence is a wild card, particularly the more his agenda gets thwarted by filibuster-wielding Democrats. Senate Republicans, for their part, rebuffed demands in his first term to nuke the filibuster.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The one emergency brake would be the filibuster,&rdquo; Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to clutch my pearls if they [change] that, because, hey, we&rsquo;ve talked about that, too. I would be surprised if Trump doesn&rsquo;t immediately call for that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Murphy considers Thune &ldquo;an honorable guy&rdquo; but added that he is &ldquo;always worried that Republicans were going to change the rules if we didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Modifying the filibuster takes only a simple majority, making it an easy target in the past for senators to erode its power. Debate could be cut off under original Senate rules with a simple majority until 1806. In 1917, it was changed to a two-thirds majority, or 67 votes. Then in 1975, it was lowered to its current three-fifths majority, or 60 votes.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Republicans and Democrats have played a tit-for-tat in creating filibuster carveouts for presidential nominations. Democrats lowered it to a simple majority in 2013 to confirm Cabinet picks and judges, excluding Supreme Court nominees. In 2017, Republicans returned the favor by lowering the threshold for Supreme Court confirmations.<\/p>\n<p>There are other legislative exceptions the filibuster does not apply to, including reconciliation, trade agreements, and the closure of military bases.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Democrats continue to talk out of both sides of their mouth, and we&rsquo;re seeing it again right now,&rdquo; said Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), the incoming GOP whip. &ldquo;They all campaigned to eliminate the filibuster, and now they&rsquo;re scared to death of it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Many Democratic critics advocate a return to a talking filibuster. Currently, the threat of a senator filibustering a piece of legislation has been enough to derail its consideration. But a talking filibuster would mean opponents would have to continuously hold the floor and thus halt all other chamber business &mdash; a strategy that proponents say would force compromise.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3223892\/president-elect-donald-trump-cabinet-picks-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>TRUMP CABINET PICKS: WHO&rsquo;S BEEN TAPPED TO SERVE IN THE PRESIDENT-ELECT&rsquo;S ADMINISTRATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) promised voters this summer that Democrats would remove the filibuster to advance a progressive agenda if they rewarded them with the majority. Since the elections, he has pleaded with the incoming Republican majority to prioritize bipartisanship.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I offer a word of caution in good faith: Take care not to misread the will of the people, and do not abandon the need for&nbsp;bipartisanship,&rdquo; Schumer said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1768660\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1768660\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Democrats are poised to revive their support for the filibuster, a tool they previously sought to diminish, as they prepare to obstruct Republicans and President Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2372465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/senate-democrats-filibuster.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3933,10130,6203,45560,5894],"class_list":["post-2372464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dems","tag-filibuster","tag-gop","tag-legislative-strategy","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/senate-democrats-filibuster.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2372464"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2372468,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372464\/revisions\/2372468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2372465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2372464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2372464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2372464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}