If you needed further indication that politicians can be some of the biggest fucking cowards you’ll ever see, well here you go.
Friday, Senate Republicans blocked a House-passed bill that would’ve created a 10 person commission consisting of five Democrats and five Republicans to investigate the January 6 neofascist riots at the Capitol.
The reason? Well, unsurprisingly it’s completely political since the investigation would likely stretch into next near’s midterms thus could potentially hurt the GOP’s chances at retaking the Senate and possibly the House.
Senate Republicans blocked the House-passed bill creating a commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Although most Republicans were unified in their opposition to the bill, worrying that a commission would drag into next year and potentially affect GOP chances of retaking Congress in the 2022 midterms, six voted to advance the bill.
The vote to advance the bill failed by 54 to 35, well short of the 60 votes needed. Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney, and Ben Sasse supported advancing the bill. All but Portman voted to convict former President Trump on the impeachment charge of incitement of insurrection in February. GOP Senator Patrick Toomey was not present for the vote due to a family commitment, but said in a statement that he would have supported advancing the bill.
CBS News
I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to speculate that every single member of the House and Senate was in some kind of physical danger on January 6 because of the white mob that made their way into the Capitol. Some of whom had the red carpet rolled out for them by police. Likewise, I’m sure any reasonable person who was in the sights of the mob would at least be a little curious to know what exactly happened that day. Instead, the majority of Republicans in the Senate are more concerned with holding onto what power they do have while Donald Trump’s tiny hand is lodged square up their asses.
But surely Democrats aren’t let off the hook for any of this.
Remember, Democrats, do actually hold the majority in the Senate much like they do in the House. Obviously, the margins are razor-thin in the Senate, however, it doesn’t seem like a whole lot has changed since Mitch McConnell was running the show as opposed to Chuck Schumer now. Not that Senate rules are lost on us but for some reason, Democrats still seem like they want to finish the game of Monopoly they’ve been playing with Republicans while the GOP has always gone the route (at least with Mitch McConnell running the show) of flipping over the board while simultaneously lighting the room on fire. Meanwhile, while this is all happening, plenty of Democrats will sit there and roast marshmallows on the smoldering ashes since they hold many of the same corporate interests that Republicans do. But those same Democrats would rather take a back seat to the GOP, let them say the quiet parts out loud while building some faux opposition as they continue to collect massive paychecks from their donors.
So where does this leave us now?
It could be the end of the filibuster. I wouldn’t hold my breath on that happening but it could happen. If it does then we’re likely to see at least some movement when it comes to getting shit done that actually helps the poor and working people of this country. Keep in mind too though Mitch McConnell’s threats of going completely batshit crazy when it comes to the far-right agenda of the Republican party if and when they regain power in the Senate with no filibuster.
What this should all serve though is a warning sign that the fight for actual meaningful, material change for the poor and working-class isn’t going to come down to the filibuster or electoral politics. It’s going to come down to the mobilization and action of people on the ground.
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