Posted on 09/11/2015 11:54:04 AM PDT by conservativejoy
A senior Senate Republican leadership source reached out to discuss the case I laid out this morning concerning a possible path to breaking Democrats' Iran deal filibuster. He said Majority Leader McConnell will schedule another cloture vote early next week, likely on Tuesday.
If and when that fails (assuming none of the 42 filibustering Democrats relent), GOP leadership is considering a number of options, including forcing votes on one or more highly-charged amendments related to the Iran deal. This maneuver would respond to Democrats' politicized posturing in kind, contriving scenarios in which filibuster-sustaining votes would be politically painful to cast, and could be used in future attack ads. The aide declined to provide details on the substance of these potential amendments.
As for whether upper chamber Republicans are girding for a bruising fight in which all Senate business is ground to a halt until Democrats cease their obstruction of an up-or-down Iran vote, the source demurred.
Leadership is keen on moving other items to the floor in the coming weeks, including a ban on late-term abortions, as well as a government funding bill. With the clock ticking toward a potential partial government shutdown, the time frame for a protracted battle over what ultimately amounts to a symbolic vote is limited, he said. McConnell has stated repeatedly that Congressional Republicans will not allow another government shutdown, a move critics have blasted as preemptive disarmament.
The aide also said that a key difference between the sex trafficking filibuster brawl Republicans won this spring and the current scenario is that Democratic members actually wanted to pass the trafficking legislation, whereas they've lined up against the Iran deal disapproval resolution.
Point taken, but I'd argue that obstructing an Iran vote is uniquely precarious for Democrats. The Senate voted 98-1 to demand a say over the deal, with yes votes coming from all 42 Senators who've now joined a filibuster to prevent their own legislative body from having that say.
As I've detailed in my original post, the American people have turned sharply against the nuclear agreement, and a supermajority of voters believes Congress must approve of the deal before it's implemented. The House just voted against the deal by a 107-vote margin, with more than two dozen Democrats joining the opposition.
It's true President Obama's power grab has guaranteed that his unilateral accord will go into effect without Congress' approval. But Senate Democrats have cynically decided to strip themselves of a vote on the matter altogether -- all to spare Obama the procedural humiliation of overruling the legislative branch's bipartisan rejection of his reckless policy.
Democrats should be made to defend this unpopular stance, publicly and often. Their arguments are weak, and the public isn't inclined to buy their feeble talking points.
Such a reckoning won't occur unless Republicans really force the issue, which unfortunately requires manufacturing some political theater to cut through the noise. Speeches, statements, and press availabilities won't suffice.
If GOP leadership is unwilling to exploit their control over the legislative agenda -- afforded to them by voters in 2014 -- in order to fight on an issue of enormous geopolitical and national security consequence, and on which they enjoy a substantial public opinion advantage, what is the point of having a majority? I'll leave you with Marco Rubio's take on Fox News earlier today. Spot on:
"We should be creative about doing everything possible -- if there was ever an issue on which we would stop everything to focus on something like a laser, it would be this. And instead, I get the sense that it's like, 'let's have a couple votes then let's move on to the next issue. This thing is done with.'"
THE GOPe:
LOOK AT ME, LOOK WHAT I CAN’T DO!
Whatever...they never want to fight until they’re sure they’ve already lost.
GOP playing hardball?
They don’t know how
More pretend opposition. I wonder how much of that 160 BILLION dollars radioactive blood money is finding it’s way into the hands of these corrupt traitors?
Which is exactly why both Boner and McPosturtle need to either be thrown out of office or loose the Majority.
Sure the do. They just consider Conseratives the enemy.
Want to play hardball?
MAKE THEM FILIBUSTER!
Stop this namby-pamby nonsense. Millions of lives are on the line.
The Democrats want to stop the vote? Make them talk around the clock.
Turtle needs to check with his BF, Pelosi for permission first.
It's true President Obama's power grab has guaranteed that his unilateral accord will go into effect without Congress' approval.
But it does not have to be that way.
The sanctions on Iran are a matter of US Law, passed by the Congress and signed into law by the president at the time.
This President does not have the authority to simply suspend them.
The Senate should simply call the "deal," a treaty and then force a vote to ratify it...which will fail miserably.
The House should pass a resolution indicating that US Law with respect to the sanctions will continue, and that no funding for any part of Obama's deal will ever be allocated.
Enough with the poetical games...the trying to embarrass dems to not vote on an " approval," that itself does not follow the Constitution.
We are talking bout the security of this nation here.
It is time we route out all of these establishment vipers and politicians and get Americans in office who will vote according to the best interests of the nation...not their careers, their accolades, their perqs, etc.
At least you know whose side Harry Reid is on.
YES WE CAN’T!!
Pretty much sums ‘em up doesn’t it?
Mitch McConnell could suspend the filibuster “rule” anytime he wishes, just as Harry Reid did when he led the Senate. The Senate could vote on this, today, if Mitch McConnell would let it happen.
Neither
Make do a real filibuster. They are lazy and likely couldn’t keep it up for long.
It’s war or crippling boycott. Since the other big nations won’t accept any boycott, it’s war that will be demanded with us standing alone. The other nations will feed our enemies and watch us disintegrate with troops on the ground. Screwed again.
This is so important that he should.
So this is on McConnell since Reid did that before on what they wanted and now on this most important treaty McConnell plays ultra gentleman?
What a useless load of Turtle poop.
Why can’t they go with what Reid did with the judges and use a one vote margin to break the filibuster. Just change the rules of the Senate, and then change them back.
Heck, they do that to the rest of us every tax season.
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