- During the 2020 campaign, it appeared to be a decent possibility that the U.S. Senate would end up with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, meaning whichever party won the White House would essentially control the Senate. The 50-50 split did indeed come to fruition, meaning the Dems control that body now that Joe Biden is President.
The concern was the Dems could conceivably end a legislative filibuster if all 50 members (plus VP Kamala Harris) voted to change the rules (i.e. go "nuclear") and thus allow for a simple majority to end debate over legislation. While Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) was quite emphatic over his desire to keep the filibuster, I was always uneasy about one Senator having that much leverage. Thankfully it appears another Dem, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, has stepped up.
For all the focus on Manchin being anti-nuke on filibuster, this is what a spokes for @kyrstensinema tells me + @mikedebonis:
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 25, 2021
"Kyrsten is against eliminating the filibuster, and she is not open to changing her mind about eliminating the filibuster.”https://t.co/0wZD3dibEO
As we gear up for the 2022 midterm elections, this should continue to be a talking point for any Republican Senate candidate, particularly those opposing incumbent Dems. That is challenging their Democrat opponent to take a stand on whether or not the filibuster should be preserved.
- In a country where very few things unite us, I'm certain we can all come together and agree that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a soulless ghoul.
#HankAaron's tragic death is part of a wave of suspicious deaths among elderly closely following administration of #COVID #vaccines. He received the #Moderna vaccine on Jan. 5 to inspire other Black Americans to get the vaccine. #TheDefenderhttps://t.co/vbuHt22bJz
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) January 22, 2021
- The challenge for the GOP to retake the U.S. Senate majority in 2022 just became that much more difficult. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) is moving on.
Portman, 65, won't seek re-election next year but will serve out his term that ends on Jan. 3, 2023.
He said he hopes he will be remembered for the legislation he's passed, and he urged politicians to do a better job of working together.
“If we just keep pushing out to the right and to the left, there’s not going to be much left in the middle to solve the real problems we face,” Portman said.
Add to that Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) not running again in 2022 along with Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) appearing somewhat vulnerable, the Republicans only backstop against a prog utopia would be to take back the U.S. House. Thankfully the party is within striking distance as the Dems have a scant 222-213 majority. That would mean the GOP needs a net gain of only 5 seats to seize the House. Typically the opposite party of the President makes significant gains in the midterms, so it's definitely not unattainable.
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