The Myth of Republican Obstructionism

Townhall.com ^ | June18, 2021 | David Harsanyi

[Kaslin]

The political media have spent the entire Joe Biden presidency up to this point pressuring holdout moderate Democrats to join the left's efforts to destroy the legislative filibuster. One way they do this is by cobbling together revisionist histories that cast Republicans as uniquely obstructionist and undemocratic.

CNN's White House correspondent John Harwood lays out that history in broad strokes: "for Clinton's 1993 deficit-reduction plan: 0 Republican votes for Obama's 2010 national health care plan: 0 Republican votes for Biden's 2021 covid-relief plan: 0 Republican votes the modern GOP response to Democratic governance is total resistance."

What he fails to mention is that after President Bill Clinton's "deficit-reduction" bill, the GOP, often in significant numbers, voted for a slew of big policy reforms: 16 Senate Republicans voted for the Family and Medical Leave Act; a telecommunications reform passed 81-18, with only one Republican voting nay; the welfare-reform compromise bill passed 78-21; the Brady Act gun-control bill only passed because of Republican support; the North American Free Trade Agreement passed 73-26; Biden's crime bill passed 95-4; just to mention a few.

Of course, in those days, parties would bend over backward to compromise when writing wide-ranging bills so they could claim bipartisan support. This was often the case during the George W. Bush years as well. The Patriot Act was a bipartisan bill. No Child Left Behind, co-written by liberal "lion" Sen. Ted Kennedy, passed 87-10 in the Senate.

The political media have spent the entire Joe Biden presidency up to this point pressuring holdout moderate Democrats to join the left's efforts to destroy the legislative filibuster. One way they do this is by cobbling together revisionist histories that cast Republicans as uniquely obstructionist and undemocratic.

CNN's White House correspondent John Harwood lays out that history in broad strokes: "for Clinton's 1993 deficit-reduction plan: 0 Republican votes for Obama's 2010 national health care plan: 0 Republican votes for Biden's 2021 covid-relief plan: 0 Republican votes the modern GOP response to Democratic governance is total resistance."

What he fails to mention is that after President Bill Clinton's "deficit-reduction" bill, the GOP, often in significant numbers, voted for a slew of big policy reforms: 16 Senate Republicans voted for the Family and Medical Leave Act; a telecommunications reform passed 81-18, with only one Republican voting nay; the welfare-reform compromise bill passed 78-21; the Brady Act gun-control bill only passed because of Republican support; the North American Free Trade Agreement passed 73-26; Biden's crime bill passed 95-4; just to mention a few.

Of course, in those days, parties would bend over backward to compromise when writing wide-ranging bills so they could claim bipartisan support. This was often the case during the George W. Bush years as well. The Patriot Act was a bipartisan bill. No Child Left Behind, co-written by liberal "lion" Sen. Ted Kennedy, passed 87-10 in the Senate.

It was also Democrats, led by Biden, who blew up the norms of decorum and bipartisanship in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings when they politicized the nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. Only three Democrats voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch. Only one Democrat -- Sen. Joe Manchin -- voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh after Democrats smeared him with their unsubstantiated charges. And not one Democrat voted for Amy Coney Barrett. Five Republicans voted to confirm Elena Kagan, and nine voted to confirm Sonia Sotomayor before Mitch McConnell followed the "Biden rule" on Merrick Garland.

There's really nothing wrong with inaction in Congress if the country is fundamentally at odds over policy -- which is clearly the case these days. The system is built -- and political parties exist -- to stop each other's excesses. In that regard, the filibuster has been one of the most effective tools in preserving some semblance of proper constitutional governance.

Now, political parties might be right or wrong, but only one clamors to blow up the rules every time it doesn't get its way. And just because Harwood seems to be under the impression that the only vote that matters in Washington is one that propels liberal initiatives doesn't entitle him to rewrite history.

[zencycler]

Let’s compare the Senate voting records on SC Justices!

[doc11355]

Another cut and paste repeatedly post.

It's hard enough keeping up by reading the immense volume of material available without having to re-read the same paragraphs over and over again in the same article.

Let's try to do a better job of proofreading, posters.

Take the trouble; your fellow FReepers deserve it.