As we reported last night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s effort to pass their effort to federalize elections and do in the filibuster went down in flames. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) joined the Republicans in voting against killing the filibuster, 52-48.
U.S. Senate FAILS to change filibuster rules, 52-48.
60-vote threshold remains intact. pic.twitter.com/mMB3pzLqZ9
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 20, 2022
The meltdown from people on the left was something to behold. We reported earlier about one especially crazy reaction: one from former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, in which he said that Democratic senators should have given Sinema the back of their hands.
But here comes the crazy.
I think Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has had the gas go too much to his head.
If the trend over the past 244 years holds, the next 250 years in America will yield 2,000 new senators. Imagine being so selfish that you would side with the voting rights of so few people at the expense of the rights of billions. #VotingRightsNow
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) January 20, 2022
This was a common refrain:
Stunning stat: 48 Democrats who supported reforming filibuster to pass voting rights bills represent 34 MILLION more Americans than 52 senators (all Republicans + Sinema/Manchin) who opposed it
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) January 20, 2022
Stunning that so many on the left don’t seem to understand Senators represent states, House members represent populations. Plus, it’s 52 senators there.
Just days after MLK Day, 52 Senators chose the Jim Crow filibuster over democracy and our sacred right to vote.
What a damning commentary on the state of our union.
The people won't forget and this fight is not over.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 20, 2022
Minimizing Jim Crow with this lie:
The legacy of Jim Crow is alive and well in 2022.
That’s all I have to say right now about Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, and Senate Republicans.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) January 20, 2022
Can't wait to hear @Sen_JoeManchin and @SenatorSinema's objections to this one… let me guess: it would be unfair to their friends who are insurrectionists and might want to steal and election here and there? https://t.co/ezNRKTXPX3
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) January 20, 2022
Let’s hear from Hillary Clinton, and the tweet she deleted.
deleted, but the List comes for all, @HillaryClinton.
✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼 pic.twitter.com/inKjemIIWY
— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) January 20, 2022
She can’t add — it’s 50 Republicans — which is probably why she deleted it. But exactly who is being denied the right to vote? What law is preventing black people from voting? This is a shameful, despicable lie. Do they really think that people are going to fall for such things or don’t know what’s going on here?
Now, as we’ve said, this reaction is especially crazy since it’s all premised on a lie about “voting rights.” Everyone has voting rights. No one is being denied them. Indeed, the laws/bills being targeted by the Democrats in states like Georgia are less restrictive of voting than are the laws in Democratic states like New York and Joe Biden’s Delaware. Even CNN’s Erin Burnett pointed this out. The Democratic effort is just about pushing federal control, so Democrats can stay in power.
Now, realizing that they lost this vote and that they’re very likely to be crushed in November, they’ve moved on to the next narrative — that Republicans are denying people “voting rights” and the upcoming election is going to be illegitimate since they couldn’t pass “voting rights.” Biden previewed that narrative on Wednesday during his press conference, and Kamala Harris failed in an effort to clean it up this morning.
Never mind that the Democrats have just spent the past year saying any criticism or questioning of an election is an “attack on democracy.” They’re going to flip on a dime and push it.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member