Hillary Clinton called for the consideration in the Senate of a change to the filibuster rules so gun control measures can more easily be passed in the wake of this week’s Texas school shooting where 19 children and 2 adults were killed. Ordinarily, the filibuster rules require 60 Senators in the 100-member chamber agree before moving forward with most measures, making progress difficult.
“The Senate must consider an exception to the filibuster to curb gun violence,” Clinton said Wednesday. “They did it to raise the debt ceiling and confirm Supreme Court justices. They can do it to stop another 19 families from getting the unimaginable news that their child has been murdered at school.” In a different context, 48 of the Senate’s current 50 Democrats already voted to change the chamber’s filibuster rules to allow for more easily passing new protections for voting rights. In the time since, the two Democrats who voted against that proposal — Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin — have held fast to their filibuster support.
The Senate must consider an exception to the filibuster to curb gun violence.
They did it to raise the debt ceiling and confirm Supreme Court justices.
They can do it to stop another 19 families from getting the unimaginable news that their child has been murdered at school.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 25, 2022
Touting the supposed usefulness of the filibuster rules was one of the first things Sinema said about the national abortion rights conversation after a draft majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court leaked that would overturn the legally established nationwide right to an abortion. She referenced how the Senate filibuster rules could technically stop GOP affronts against abortion access. No matter what Republicans may do — or undo — in the future, what about the people who’ve been affected and continue to be threatened by the actions Republican officials have recently taken while Democrats have had a majority in both chambers of Congress? There’s no guarantee Republicans would even be able to unite to an extent sufficient to undo potential Democratic progress if filibuster rules are changed. Towards the beginning of the Trump era, Republicans failed at overturning ObamaCare, despite pushing for throwing out the law basically ever since it was enacted.
Beto O'Rourke just got up in the middle of the press conference to confront Texas Gov Abbott directly and the police have just escorted him out.
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) May 25, 2022
As for Manchin, he said just this week after the Texas shooting that ditching the filibuster would mean “throwing out the one tool that we have that gets us, that keeps us working — at least talking together. Without that we have nothing. You get no checks and balance.” Is “talking” with Republicans more critical than putting measures in place that would hopefully literally save lives? In what universe does Manchin live? Is he that insulated from the actual perspectives of everyday Americans — many of whom would no doubt like to see positive things done by government instead of more talking? Again, 48 Democratic Senators already voted in a different context for changes to the filibuster rules. It’s — largely — Manchin and Sinema, although there’s also the problem of the no doubt likely opposition from Republicans to appropriately comprehensive measures. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.) promoted the idea after the Texas shooting of more armed personnel at schools — but the Texas shooter was reportedly fired upon by cops before entering the school building. Having more guns around didn’t work.
Beto O’Rourke just interrupted Greg Abbott’s press conference — and heated confrontation ensues
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 25, 2022
