A Senate operating in the “nuclear winter”, minority leader Mitch McConnell promises that if the obstruction is removed, lawmakers will face incessant nominal calls and other inconveniences, turning their comfortable lives into hell.
Why does it matter: By employing apocalyptic language to warn of a “scorched earth” response, the Kentucky Republican is trying to scare Democrats away from the tool they are considering to break the Republican Party’s own political obstinacy.
Some tools available to McConnell:
- Requiring roll-call votes on procedural points of order, forcing Democratic senators and Vice President Kamala Harris – the 51st deciding vote – to remain on standby on Capitol Hill.
- Unnecessary quorum calls, disrupting Senate business while the secretary issues a roll call vote to ensure that all 100 senators are present in the plenary. It only takes one member to call you.
- Putting Republicans on the floor for an hour-long debate on motions and bills – reminiscent of the technique illustrated in the 1939 film “Mr. Smith goes to Washington. “
- Ask Senate secretaries to read lengthy bills and amendments, similar to what Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) Did before the vote on President Biden’s coronavirus relief package – which took more than 10 hours.
- Republican Senate aides say they could introduce 2,000-page substitute amendments to make the process particularly tedious.
Senate aides say McConnell would be too strategic about how he and other Republicans break the rules and insist he’s not bluffing.
- They point to an opinion piece by columnist Kim Strassel in the Wall Street Journal, saying it was “correct” in detailing the pain McConnell could inflict if Democrats go that route.
Strassel wrote:
- “The Senate meets. Quorum convocation. The president asks for consent to waive reading yesterday’s diary. Republicans are opposed. Roll-call vote. The official asks for consent to speed up ‘morning business’. Republicans are opposed.”
- “Democrats propose to discuss an issue. Point of order. Roll-call vote. Quorum call. Republicans oppose the motion. Roll-call vote. A speech. Call for quorum. Etc., and so on, until closing. “
The other side: Democrats insist they have heard this before, and their supporters are tired of McConnell’s rhetoric – especially after he changed the obstruction rule to allow President Trump to occupy three seats on the Supreme Court.
- Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), speaking last week on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, called McConnell’s speech a “violent threat”.
- “We will not be deterred. Let’s move on because we know that the American people demand, need, want bold changes. And let’s do that. Mitch McConnell can make all the threats and boast you want. This is not going to stop us, ”said Schumer.
Democratic Senate Advisers he also characterized these tactics as acts of futility that would eventually delay the inevitable.
- Regardless of the arduous mechanisms the Republican Party may put in place, they say, if Democrats remove the obstruction, they will be able to do much more on their agenda.
- They would also be very painful for Republicans, who would need to spend a lot more time on the Capitol than they do now, when they prefer to be back in their districts.
- “In the end, that would be obstruction by obstruction,” said a Democratic aide.
The backdrop: Democrats are a long way from reforming the obstruction, let alone removing it, and they are unlikely to get votes to do so in the current Senate, given two moderates who have pledged to maintain it.
- But McConnell said he is also willing to use these tools if Democrats find other ways – like using the budget reconciliation process – to get the Republican Party out of key decisions.