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FEINSTEIN on ending filibuster and expanding SCOTUS: “I don't believe in doing that. I think the filibuster serves a purpose. It is not often used, it's often less used now than when I first came, and I think it's part of the Senate that differentiates itself.”

Democrats are reportedly gearing up for “total war” and plan to implement radical changes to the legislative and judiciary branches of the government if the GOP-led Senate confirms a new Supreme Court (SCOTUS) justice before the Nov. 3 election then lose the majority after the election, Axios reported Sunday. The Democrats’ options include ending the Senate filibuster rule — which requires a 60-vote supermajority to end debate and move to a vote instead of a simple majority — expanding the number of Supreme Court justices, granting statehood to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and even undertaking a second...

Senator Harry Reid @SenatorReid Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to consider filibuster reform. It had to be done. 2:08 PM · Nov 21, 2013

The unity of Senate Democrats allowed the minority party to prevent a COVID relief package from being debated. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) cited "the inclusion of a 'poison pill" for his Party's filibuster. The "poison pill" is allowing parents to choose the school their children will attend. "The Republicans know that there is no way a Democrat could vote to permit school choice," Schumer fumed. "The whole reason why we have public schools is because parents aren't fit to decide where or how their children should be educated. In states where school choice is permitted, segments of the...

WASHINGTON - Democratic insiders are assembling a coalition behind the scenes to wage an all-out war on the Senate filibuster in bullish anticipation of sweeping the 2020 election and passing an ambitious progressive agenda. Veteran party operatives, activist groups and supportive senators are coordinating message and strategy to dial up the pressure to quickly end the 60-vote threshold early next year, fearing that preservation of the rule will enable Republicans to kill Joe Biden’s legislative agenda in its cradle. They’re consolidating that effort under a coalition called Fix Our Senate run by Eli Zupnick, a former communications director for No....

Only 15 percent of Democratic voters believe the filibuster should be eliminated entirely, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds. Thirty-seven percent of Democratic voters believe the filibuster should remain the same, while 35 percent said it there should be more limits on how it is used. Fourteen percent said there should be fewer limits on how it is used. Independent voters were more likely to say the filibuster should be eliminated, at 19 percent, though a plurality said it should remain the same. Republican voters were least likely to want the filibuster eliminated entirely, at 12 percent. Forty-six percent of Republicans...

In April of 2005, Senator Barack Obama took to the floor of the United States Senate and passionately spoke out against Republican efforts to end the filibuster. Then a rising star in the Democratic Party, Obama noted that despite the pressure partisans might feel, it was imperative to "rise above an 'ends justify the means' mentality because we're here to answer to the people -- all of the people -- not just the ones wearing our party label." This week, Obama made precisely the opposite argument during John Lewis's funeral, contending that eliminating a vital check on partisan power was...

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” This was the nightmare of Ben Franklin. Yet, with passage this spring of a $4 trillion bailout of an economy facing historic losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Nancy Pelosi’s House having voted out another $3 trillion, we may have reached Franklin’s peril point. Indeed, if Democrats capture the Senate and win the White House, as many polls now project, it is not easy to see who or what prevents an uncontrolled explosion of fresh spending and a concomitant expansion of...

"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." This was the nightmare of Ben Franklin. Yet, with passage this spring of a $4 trillion bailout of an economy facing historic losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Nancy Pelosi's House having voted out another $3 trillion, we may have reached Franklin's peril point. Indeed, if Democrats capture the Senate and win the White House, as many polls now project, it is not easy to see who or what prevents an uncontrolled explosion of fresh spending and a concomitant expansion of...

During his eulogy yesterday for Rep. John Lewis (D–Ga.), a leading figure in the civil rights movement, former President Barack Obama expressed support for eliminating the Senate filibuster, which he called a "Jim Crow relic." That position contradicted the one Obama took as senator in a chamber controlled by Republicans, and his historical framing was more than a little misleading. The filibuster, which in its current form prevents a vote on legislation without 60 votes to cut off debate, was first used in 1837 during the controversy over the Second Bank of the United States, and it has been deployed...

Anticipating a November romp, prominent Democrats have been dropping hints that they’d scrap the filibuster for legislation if they win the Senate. Would they really make such a polarizing move? Any doubt was eliminated Thursday when President Obama, speaking at the funeral for Congressman and civil-rights leader John Lewis, described the filibuster as a “Jim Crow relic” that should be eliminated if it gets in the way of Democratic voting legislation or admitting Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico as states. By requiring 60 votes, the filibuster gives Senators in the minority a say in legislation and differentiates the upper chamber...

Former President Barack Obama used his eulogy at the funeral of Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) to call for an end to the Senate filibuster to pass Democrats’ new legislation on voting reform. Obama said that Republicans had imitated Jim Crow-era restrictions on voting rights, which Lewis marched against, by passing state voter ID laws and other measures that conservatives argue prevent voter fraud. “And if all this takes is ending the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that’s what we should do.” Without mentioning Donald Trump by name, Obama likened...

Democrats are stepping talks about reforming or abolishing the filibuster if they win back the Senate and White House in November. The renewed discussions are being spurred by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), an outspoken liberal who has long championed a revamping the procedural tactic that Democrats see as a serious obstacle to passing legislation and confirming nominees. Merkley has floated various proposals with colleagues in recent days as polls show former Vice President Joe Biden widening his lead over President Trump and Democrats increasing their odds of picking up the three Senate seats needed for majority control if Biden wins....

In the years leading up to the Civil War, many Northerners and Southerners alike wanted the federal government to take a more aggressive approach toward acquiring new territory. In fact, some private citizens, known as filibusters, took matters into their own hands. They raised small armies illegally; ventured into Mexico, Cuba, and South America; and attempted to seize control of the lands. One particularly successful filibuster, William Walker, actually made himself president of Nicaragua and ruled from 1856 to 1857. For the most part, these filibusters were just men in search of adventure. Others, however, were Southern imperialists who wanted...

They literally corrupt everything they touch. – Including stimulus bills in time of national emergency, as we found out last night. At the prodding of Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democrats banded together to filibuster the stimulus bill working its way through that chamber, a bill that had been exhaustively negotiated between congressional leader of both parties – including San Fran Nan – for three days. By late morning on Sunday, it appeared that a deal had been struck: Leader McConnell ✔ @senatemajldr This morning I hosted a meeting with congressional leadership and Sec. Mnuchin. It is time to come together, finalize...

A key House committee approved a bill to make the nation's capital the 51st state, sending it to the House floor for full approval. This is the first time since 1993 that a bill to make Washington, D.C., a state has been considered and approved in a committee. The House Oversight Committee passed the bill over the objections of the Republican minority, which introduced amendments to impose restrictions on abortion and gun control on the proposed state. The bill has 220 co-sponsors, giving it the momentum to pass the majority-Democratic House. "For such a historic achievement for the District of...

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is prepared to do whatever it takes to pass a Green New Deal, vowing to take executive action or even push to get rid of the Senate filibuster in order to get it done. During a CNN town hall Wednesday devoted to climate change and featuring Democratic presidential candidates, an audience member asked Harris how she would work with Republicans to advance her goals related to the environment. Harris stated that she would try to reach across the aisle, but then discussed the measures she would take if this avenue failed. “If they fail to act,...

California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris said she would work to scrap the Senate filibuster as president if Republicans refuse to work with Democrats to pass the Green New Deal. The Democratic 2020 presidential candidate made the comments during a CNN town hall Wednesday evening, stating that in the event she won the presidency and Senate Republicans refused to work with Democrats to pass the legislation, eliminating the 60 vote requirement for ending Senate debate would be an avenue to pursue. “If [Republicans] fail to act, as president of the United States, I am prepared to get rid of the filibuster...

Beth  touched on this yesterday, but I think the extraordinary nature of what's happening here needs to be highlighted repeatedly.  In an effort to bully the Supreme Court, a group of Senate Democrats are warning that if the conservative justices refuse to "heal" the court -- in this case, "healing" constitutes declining to take up a specific gun rights case -- the Court will face a "restructuring."  This is nothing less than a threat against the independent judiciary by hardcore partisans: Several high-profile Senate Democrats warned the Supreme Court in pointed terms this week that it could face a fundamental...

Add Beto O’Rourke to a growing list of Democratic presidential candidates who are considering scrapping long-standing Senate procedure in hopes of passing a sweeping progressive agenda should they make it to the White House.