Filibuster--Not So Threatened After All

Late this evening Paul Mirengoff wrote a post at Powerline, BIDEN’S RADICAL AGENDA LIKELY TO HIT WALL, in which he explains why the filibuster is likely to remain. The long and the short of it is simple: There are more Dem senators than just Joe Manchin who, for various reasons, are unwilling to do away with the filibuster. Read the entire post--it's worth it.

Mirengoff bases his post on an article at CNN--Democratic divisions on Biden's agenda broader than just Manchin. He quotes this key passage:

The push by liberal Democrats to enact President Joe Biden’s sweeping agenda is running into problems beyond just Sen. Joe Manchin: A handful of Democrats are not falling in line and could limit the scope of the party’s ambitions on an array of critical issues.

Some Senate Democrats like Sen. Jon Tester of Montana are not yet sold on the House-passed bills to expand background checks on gun sales. Eight Democrats are resisting calls to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

And it’s more than just Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema who are opposed to changing Senate rules so a filibuster can be defeated by 51 votes, rather than 60: The two New Hampshire Democratic senators are resisting those calls as well, in addition to several others who are not yet persuaded that such a change is necessary.

“No,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, told CNN when asked if she would support eliminating the 60-vote threshold. “I think we should look at ways to reform the filibuster, but I don’t think getting rid of it is the best approach.”

New Hampshire’s junior Democratic senator, Maggie Hassan, who faces a tough reelection bid next year, also has “concerns about eliminating the filibuster,” a spokesperson said, though backs some reforms.

Mirengoff goes on to discuss all this at greater length. I offer this simply to talk some commenters in off the ledge. :-)

I don't really mean to make light of the dire straits our republic is in. However, I do believe that the Dems are not in as much control as many fear. It's all bad enough, but it's not time to despair. 

UPDATED: They Say Every Man Has His Price

Or at least that may be the case in our Congress--the best legislature money can buy. Maybe that's unfair, or maybe it's just that some are more concerned about appearances than others. We'll find out soon enough:

Biden nominates Sen. Joe Manchin's wife to federal commission

Gayle Conelly Manchin is Biden's pick for the Appalachian Regional Commission

President Biden has picked the wife of an extremely influential U.S. senator for a federal commission post, the White House announced Friday. 

Biden nominated Gayle Conelly Manchin to co-chair the Appalachian Regional Commission, an economic development partnership with 13 states designed to boost investment in the Appalachian Region.

Manchin is an educator, past president of West Virginia's State Board of Education and the former first lady of West Virginia.

It's not immediately apparent what qualifications Gayle Manchin has for this position, beyond being the wife of Joe Manchin, whose vote could prove crucial for eliminating the filibuster. In fairness, one assumes that, since the Appalachian Regional Commission was created by President Kennedy "to assist in advancing legislation to bring federal dollars to Appalachia," part of it's reason for existing may also be to bring money and patronage jobs to deserving politicans in those 13 states.

If you're interested in Gayle Manchin's qualifications beyond the obvious ...