IT: Senate GOP blocks Dems' election reform bill, and... 🦧 Want to help endangered animals this Halloween?

Democracy is a snake in the grass and communists know full well how to feed it. This is the obvious reason why our founders gave us a Constitutional Republic. 🇺🇸❤️

Is it lost on anyone that you only have Republicans threatening election officials and their families lives! Republican party has become a party of the brown shirts the same people who brought Hitler in the power they’re using the same tactics. It’s time for the Republican party to go away it’s too late to reinvent it or fix it it is rotten to the core.

Watching my rep, Jim Banks rewrite history as he flings his excrement at the Congress and the Constitution with his testimony regarding the evil democrats trying to protect democracy, just like any good trained monkey. I cannot overstate how disgusted this fool from Indiana makes me. Nor, how embarrassed I am to be his constituent. What a good little Republican Faction trained monkey this disgustingly sorry excuse for a politician is. Just resign, marooon! … … … I simply cannot watch a political faction attempting to dismantle democracy because democratic principles are at odds with this faction’s political self interests. I have to take a shower, now - I just feel dirty from all of the bull crap, no - actual human excrement that they are flinging at the Constitution and our democracy.

@jimK This so called "reform" is dangerous and unconstitutional. Does Federalism ring any bells? The states have power over their own elections. Not the Federal government. Does the separation of powers ring a bell? The 10th Amendment? I really feel bad for you. Flinging insults on the internet. Such a good way to make change. I can feel the change ooze out of my ears.

Republicans will only win if they cheat or kill people.

We cannot let big money interests continue to buy our politicians. These big money interests have targeted both Manchin and Sinema. Manchin receives more funding from big-oil than any other Senator for his stand to not fund Climate change, to limit funding for day care, educational opportunities, and to limit funding to get our country’s children out of poverty. None of these things benefit big-oil interests who would rather keep the electorate uniformed and subservient. … … … Party frat queen wanna-be Sinema, is also willingly selling her soul to big pharma which is spending millions of dollars and sending thousands of lobbyists to prevent our country from negotiating prescription drug prices for which Americans pay orders of magnitude more than anyone else. She is also insisting marginal tax increases on the wealthiest be eliminated as a means to pay for the upfront costs of the Build Back Better plan. … … … When big money can invest in buying favor from corruptible politicians we cease to become a government of, by and for the people and instead become a government of, by and for the PAC. Something that none of us should settle for.

Really busy, but had to jump in for this. Yesterday, Senator Angus King, from Maine, gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor regarding how absolutely imperative it was that the voting rights bill be passed! Additionally, he appeared on The Rachel Maddow show, last night, to reiterate his stance. Senator King is an Independent and speaks as such. EVERYONE should make an attempt to hear what he had to say! That some States have enacted legislation that would allow the sitting State government to throw out a duly-elected individual, simply because they may be from an opposing party, has to be the VERY MOST EGREGIOUS DISREGARD FOR THE PEOPLE’S VOTE THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD OF OR COULD EVER EVEN IMAGINE WOULD BE ALLOWED. GUESS THE REPUBLICANS THINK PUTIN’S ELECTION’S WAYS ARE THE WAY FOR US, EH? I have never been so thoroughly disgusted with our Congress and the party of Humpy in my life! Lisa, Don and Dan, you are the slime of the earth. I wish you all an eternity in hell for the destruction you are allowing of our once-wonderful, free, just and inclusive America! All I can say is be CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR. The man you covet will squash you like a bug one day, laughing all the way at your susceptibility and acceptance of his evil ways.

You can bet that if it’s good for the average American, the GQP is going to block it. They think they can use it for campaign propaganda if the Democrats can’t pass it alone. All I see is one party willing to hurt the country for the sake of their party.

GOP blocks… GOP blocks… GOP blocks… GOP blocks… GOP blocks… Republican voters, are things actually going well for you? Do you feel like your beloved nation is living up to its declaration that it will provide you with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Are you happy? Couldn’t things be better? I hear the Republican rank and file bemoaning liberal wishlist items like paved roads, efficient public transportation, clean drinking water, and affordable housing. Don’t Republicans want these things too? Wouldn’t it be great if we cut carbon emissions? We all breathe the same air, you know. And what about Medicare for All? Republicans are included in the “All”—doesn’t affordable healthcare and prescription drugs sound nice? What about women’s health? Don’t Republican women want the right to make their own decisions regarding their one, precious life? These are not policies that only benefit the liberal-minded. These are policies that seek to take care of the community, the nation. Sounds like something Jesus would preach. What about common sense gun laws? Last I checked, bullets don’t discriminate between Republican and Democratic bodies. Don’t Republican voters want to limit the casualties of children in their neighborhoods and schools? Why are you letting the NRA think for you? What’s the benefit? It seems like we’re all struggling mightily. In part, because we’ve let the hyper-rich and corporations turn us on each other. They only care about profiting from our labor and our lack. This is no way to live. This is not freedom. There is no happiness here.

If Sinema isn’t listening to her policy advisors or her constituents, to whom is she listening? Who’s going to benefit and who’s going to get screwed? Maybe it’s time for the Democratic National Committee to engage with this seemingly arrogant, substanceless person’s replacement search, if they’re not already, to find a challenger who can win both primaries and the State of Arizona. They should do the same with Manchin and West Virginia. The Democrats need to follow the Republicans’ tactic of a coherent, consistent drumbeat (without the lies and vague accusations) educating Americans with facts and graphics that clearly and concisely show the research and real-world evidence that the Republican economic model and policies that flow from it don’t work, evidence that some industries like Big Pharma and oil and gas, finance and banking, and health care really require more oversight for the good of all citizens, lands, and waterways, and that income inequality needs addressing through, for example tax reform that brings everyone’s fair percentage of income into the nation’s coffers without loopholes or exceptions except for those at the poverty line. I suspect Sinema’s self-touted bipartisanship and foundational role in legislation is less about significant contribution than about getting her name on the list and her face in group photographs who actually do the building. When and she and Manchin help the Republicans re-take Congress by blocking the legislation supported by the majority of American thus adding to past frustrations with a Congress that can’t actually function much less pass the will of the people, she and Manchin will discover the power in which they are currently reveling disappears, they still won’t get anything done, and nothing good will happen for the country except for the very wealthy and for corporations. The Daily Beast reported from The New York Times today: “Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s own advisors are the latest former allies to have had enough of the Arizona Democrat’s political maneuvering: on Thursday, the New York Times reported that five military veterans resigned from a board advising the senator on policy issues. In a letter to Sinema, they confronted her with a litany of offenses—accusing her of using them as “window dressing” for her political brand, ignoring their recommendations, and going back on her campaign promises to protect voting access and reduce the price of prescription drugs. “Are you choosing to answer to big donors rather than Arizonans?” they asked. “These are not the actions of a maverick.” Their joint resignation letter was highlighted in a new ad from the progressive veterans’ group Common Dreams, which has already bankrolled ad campaigns targeting Sinema for her resistance to a multi-trillion dollar social spending package championed by President Joe Biden and nearly all Democratic lawmakers. Sinema’s objections could well reduce the size of that legislation by at least $1 trillion and scuttle elements that are broadly popular in the party—like raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for investments in health care and energy. Unlike fellow objector Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sinema has largely been silent on her positions through negotiations, exasperating Democrats who need her support in order to pass the bill. Onetime allies and friends of Sinema’s in Arizona have been flummoxed by her moves, too, and The Daily Beast has reported that she is increasingly isolated after having alienated much of her former political network. Amid her public silence, she has largely stiffed national and constituent groups hoping to engage with her on the legislation. The veterans who served are questioning how hard they worked to help Sinema win a difficult 2018 contest, one in which she burnished her pro-military credentials in a state with over 500,000 veterans. “Nobody knows what she is thinking because she doesn’t tell anybody anything,” Sylvia González Andersh, one of the veterans who resigned, told the Times. “It’s very sad to think that someone who you worked for that hard to get elected is not even willing to listen.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/kyrsten-sinemas-own-advisers-just-dumped-her

An ABC News compilation of expert analyses attempting to at least partially explain why members of Congress don’t get anything done and mostly don’t seem to care much about the will of the people or making the average American’s life better or at least not worse: “Since Democrats control both Congress and the White House -- why haven't they been able to achieve their legislative priorities? With Biden's approval rating sinking, and congressional midterms nearly one year away, experts ABC News spoke with are predicting Democrats could pay a high price for their perceived inaction. "Most Americans believe that government should be helping solve our problems and that compromise is better than obstruction," said Jennifer Lawless, a political science professor at the University of Virginia. "But the incentives for our elected leaders to do compromise has dissipated, creating a vicious cycle where we're seeing less action on what the average American wants. By the same token, there's also a very, very little incentive for the elected leaders to deliver moderation, because there'll be primary, and they'll lose." Frances Lee, a political scientist and professor at Princeton University, said that although this Congress is deadlocked on high-profile legislation, it has been productive in responding to coronavirus crisis, pointing to the American Rescue Plan passing in March -- although it did so without any Republican support. "It's a tale of two cities," she told ABC News. "On the one hand, this Congress has impressive crisis response, and on the other, a stalemate on issues that aren't necessarily connected to that crisis." GOP's strategy of obstruction Shortly after Barack Obama was elected in 2008, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the "single most important thing" for Republicans was to make him a one-term president. McConnell would go on to do everything possible to prevent Obama from achieving major legislative wins. "And that's basically been the strategy that the Republicans have employed for the last 12 years," said Lawless. "It doesn't matter if the Republicans could also claim credit for something that will be good for the American people or advance the economic interests of their state or their district. Republicans are now viewing any Democratic victory as separate and apart from their own interests," she said. "This has now become a sort of permissible way to govern, whereas prior to that point, I think most legislators would not have wanted the American people to know that they were more interested in obstructing than they were in governing." That kind of strategy makes bipartisanship and cooperation exceedingly rare, experts said, and in many cases, not even pursued, which has heightened internal strife in the parties. "Thirty years ago, forty years ago, if you had two members of your own party who weren't in love with a bill, you'd cross party lines and you'd see if you could find some allies there, but that's just not a viable strategy anymore," she added. She said the current stalemate over raising the debt ceiling provides the perfect example of McConnell's strategy. Republicans for months have said that Democrats would need to act on their own to raise the debt limit because they have total political control of Washington and are planning to pass a multi-trillion social and economic package with zero input from Republicans. "They've made the case to their constituents and to Republican voters across the country that doing nothing is better than governing from the 'socialist left,'" Lawless said. Democrats, meanwhile, have argued raising the debt limit is a bipartisan responsibility, in part, because it covers spending that already took place under the Trump administration with unified GOP support. "Republicans just have to let us do our job," Biden said in a speech last month on the nation's debt limit. "Just get out of the way. If you don't want to help save the country, get out of the way so you don't destroy it." A recent poll from Politico/Morning Consult suggested that public opinion may not push either party to change direction. Overall, 31% of registered voters said they would mostly blame Democrats if the country defaults on its debt, while 20% said they would primarily blame Republicans. Thirty-nine percent said they would blame both parties equally. "We expect our elected officials to deal with complicated issues like that," said Jeremy Gelman, who wrote the book, "Losing to Win: Why Congressional Majorities Play Politics Instead of Make Laws." "But making it seem like your opponents don't have it together, that's good politics." Loyalty to the filibuster With a majority in the House of Representatives and Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, Democrats could, in theory, pass their legislative priorities without Republican support. But not while the Senate filibuster rule stands in their way. While legislation dealing with the budget can go through the reconciliation process and pass without GOP support, as was done with the American Rescue Plan in March, the Senate requires 60 votes for "cloture" -- to end debate on a piece of legislation so it can proceed to a final vote, which then, in most cases, requires a simple majority to pass. In short, without 60 Senate votes, a piece of legislation doesn't even have a chance of being voted upon. "That means that unless there is complete unity among Democrats in the Senate, the bill is already a non-starter. Every single member can hold a package hostage for their litmus tests," Lawless said. "And on bills that can't go through the reconciliation process, without 10 Republican votes, they're dead on arrival." For four months under Obama, Democrats did have 60 votes in the Senate and, therefore, total control of Congress. It was during that slim window that Obamacare passed in the Senate with all 60 Democratic votes. Progressives in 2021 argue Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who call themselves moderates and have staunchly opposed ending the filibuster, should help carve out an exception to push over the line key reforms, especially on the fundamental issue of voting rights, that they and fellow Democrats were elected to pursue. But Manchin and Sinema have refused to budge, arguing making an exception could backfire if Republicans take back control of the Senate. "They've certainly articulated legitimate reasons why they are reluctant to make these exceptions," Lawless said. "But in this political climate, it seems tone-deaf not to do it." Democratic infighting While Americans might expect that unified government -- as Democrats have now with the White House and Congress -- Lee said that it's more normal for parties with total control to face hurdles delivering on their agendas. As evident by Democrats' current stalemate on the social spending package, Lee argued parties are not as unified on many issues as they might claim to be with voters. "It's the reality we're seeing now," said Lee. "They get elected in these separate states and districts, and they differ in their political priorities and coloration, so it's very hard for them to get on the same page." House progressives have vowed to vote against a bipartisan infrastructure bill -- which received 19 GOP votes in the Senate -- unless a deal is reached with Senate Democrats and the White House on a larger spending package involving social policies which they plan to pass through budget reconciliation. "We make these promises to people, and they're expecting us to deliver on them," Jayapal told CNN this month. Every unified government since the Clinton administration has failed on at least one of its top priorities due to internal dissent, not due to the filibuster, Lee said. Gelman added that party leaders will pursue policies they know will fail -- as Senate Democrats did on voting rights -- in order to make a political statement. "They also know that those are popular policies with their voters. They need to have solutions that they can offer in the future, and they think it's probably politically valuable to show off the Republicans as being obstructionists," he said. Razor-thin margins What makes it especially difficult to govern in the current Congress are the razor-thin margins in both chambers. Comparing this Congress to the previous ones with the unified government, Lee said the current political climate is more difficult than most because there are "no votes to spare." Democrats and Republicans currently have 50 seats each in the Senate, with Harris serving as the tie-breaker vote. The margins are tight in the House too, where most legislation needs a simple majority, with 220 Democrats and 212 Republicans. "Parties have trouble advancing bold legislation even when conditions are more favorable -- and they're just not very favorable for either party right now," she said. She compared the current margins to those under former President Bill Clinton when tried to reform health care in 1994, but without 60 votes to end a GOP filibuster, the effort failed. Lee said it's the norm for "about half of all a party's agenda items to fail," so Americans should actually expect those failures to be higher in a Congress with super narrow majorities as is the case now. With critics saying Republicans are playing a game of chicken on the debt ceiling, experts say Democrats are also playing a dangerous game with their political future. "If with unified control the Democrats are unable to push forward Biden's agenda, then it's hard to imagine that they'll get anything that they want between 2022 and 2024," Lawless said. Unprecedented polarization? It's also a time in Washington of arguably unprecedented polarization, in the wake of the 2020 election and Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. With the influence of cable news, and social media, lawmakers can get stuck in an echo chamber with their own supporters instead of trying to appeal to a broader cross-section of the country. "We've reached a point in time where our political communication is so partisan and so polarized, that it's hard even to blame the average American for not knowing the alternative viewpoint," Lawless said. "They're not exposed to it." Despite the division, experts said compromise remains the most effective way to pass changes in the world's greatest deliberative body. "We're constantly sort of bombarded by messages from the politicians themselves that everything's so divisive," Gelman said. "But the reality is, legislating in this system of government requires bipartisanship." https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/congressional-democrats-deliver-promises-complicated/story?id=80691209 I’m not so sure our Congress is the world’s “greatest deliberative body.” If bipartisanship and compromise is the best way for Congress to function, it’s hard to see how that’s possible with one party led by a man who vows to block the other party, no matter what, on anything and everything and who somehow keeps the rest of his party goose-stepping behind him? How does he do that, anyway? Is there a Hoover-esque figure with files in his corner?

Let’s have uniform and fair election laws across the country.

Thanks, @Sharon; the ABC Report is not a bad analysis and a worthwhile read but misses very significant issues. The most significant is the great news bias. It is a circular phenomenon that continuously feeds partisans and paranoiacs and sends them out screeching about Comrade Biden, etc. Next involves the fact that big media is controlled by large corps and or uber wealth companies. How else can we explain why both Manchin & Sinema are called "Moderates” when they aggressively and openly support corporate issues over the interest of the majority of their constituents? I suppose ABC couldn't say that, could it? The truth is either party could interest a specific segment of the voters with a message of moderation, but what would that even look like? We also need to look out for the hypocrisy factor eg the “Dems” who only pretend to favor populist programs allowing the corporate Repugnants to do the heavy lifting. @Sharon wrote: "An ABC News compilation of expert analyses attempting to at least partially explain why members of Congress don’t get anything done and mo..." Read more here: https://www.causes.com/comments/1504310

I want to know why the Maryland couple is facing treason charges with up to life in prison and Donald Trump isn’t. They tried to sell states secrets And Trump tried and is still trying to overthrow the American government. It’s a bunch of bullshit if you’re a billionaire you allowed to get away with anything! Enough of this crap lock Trump up along with Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell who did nothing but in power this trader asshole Trump.

Gee, the repuks block another Democratic bill. SHOCK and DISBELIEF!! Be careful who you vote for in November of 2022💙💙💙💙

Thank you for standing up for us. The bill is not good for American voters. States have and should always have control of their elections.

That’s good that they blocked it Democrats are posing make it easier to Cheat . Photo ID is a must Bless any illegal because of US citizens cannot vote for the next 10 years. All those immigrants who come here legally and later become your citizens they have a right to vote right away.

eireprof, WOW, you really got a misconception of what a republican is or means. The constitution gives you the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is not the government’s responsibility to give you them but to protect you from someone that might want to take them from you. You mentioned gun violence in our cities and the killing of children. Chicago has the biggest problem with killing random people per day of any city. On Labor Day in Chicago 90 people were shot in that 72 hours 17 of them died If you were really powerful and could pass a law in Chicago that all guns were now illegal do you really think the criminals and gangs are going to turn in their gun and no more people will be shot? What can stop such crime? How about if you shot a weapon in Chicago city limits when we catch you, you will be taken to court. If you plead guilty you go to prison without parole for ten years. If we have to go through the trial to find you guilty then you go to Gail for 20 years without parole. If you actually shot someone during shooting then the sentences are doubled, if you actually kill someone in this shooting then it is life in prison without parole if you plead guilty or if you make us prove it in court it is the death sentence with one appeal in 30 days then in one more week you will be put to death via electric chair or the gas chamber your choice. Do honestly people have to worry about that law. No but the criminals and gang members will. Your law do you think within 90 days has the best chance to make a difference in gun violence? It use to be that if you murdered a policeman you were pretty much assured that you were going to get a death sentence and by the anniversary of the killing of that officer you were going to the chair or the gas chamber. You see today we put you a sleep then give you a couple drugs to kill you. You see all three punishments results in you dying but two of these will put you in fear of the punishment. That is the point. I think back when Charles Manson killed or had killed several people in Los Angeles. Sharon Tate who was pregnant was one of the victims that night. Charles and his group known as the family got found guilty and sentenced to death. In a few years the federal government had a hold on deaths sentences and Charlie was dropped from the death sentence to life in prison with a parole possibility. He was up for parole a few times but ended up dying in prison. I think their is a BIPARTISAN BILL in both chambers to pass an infrastructure bill which would take care of roads, bridges water and sewer and airports, HINT bipartisan means republicans and democrats are voting for it. Why hasn’t it passed to go to the President for signature? You guess it Comrade Nancy is holding it until she browbeaten the democrats into passing her entire 3.5 Trillion dollars bill before that 1.5 trillion dollars bill get out of the house. You see when she wrote the original 5 trillion dollars bill the republicans said no but the bipartisan group pulled out most of the pork and ended up with 1.5 trillion dollars bill and took out 3.5 trillion dollars. Comrade Nancy said that is not what she wants hence her 3.5 trillion dollars bill is still around. Do republicans live in this country and do we breath the same air and drink the same water as democrats? Sure we do. However According to a.o.c. if we didn’t do the new green deal. She said we had 15 years and the world would end. That was 2018 and now 3 years is gone and we have only 12 years left. You believe that right? Medicare for all is too expensive for this government. Comrade Nancy Comrade Obama promised us that ACA was going to give us lower drug prices and lower our healthcare by $2,700.00 per family. Guess that worked out OK right? Would Jesus preach in favor of abortion? I can promise he wouldn’t.

A debate would require the ability to attend, think, speak, listen, understand, and decide. Senate Republicans have none of these abilities and are protected by the man from Cuntucky.

This is more proof that the current Republican Party is the enemy of democracy and freedom. The only good republicans are the ones who have the courage to stand up to Trump and his lackeys. If you leave the future of this country to this Republican Party, you are asking for America to turn into a dictatorship and/ or completely collapse as a nation