This Way to the Egress
If only Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema could do something about Republican obstructionism.
I’m Michael A. Cohen, and this is Truth and Consequences: A no-holds-barred look at the absurdities, hypocrisies, and surreality of American politics.If someone sent you this email - or you are a free subscriber - and you’d like to subscribe: you can sign up here.
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Sometime later today, Senate Republicans will sustain a filibuster to prevent the Senate from debating and voting on a proposal to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan 6 riot and insurrection at the US Capitol. It seems quite fitting that the GOP’s inaugural use of the filibuster continues the party’s feckless enabling of Donald Trump and his ongoing assault on American democracy. GOP obstructionism doesn’t get more on-brand than this.
According to CNN’s Jamie Gangel, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pulling out all the stops to keep Republicans in line. Gangel reports that he “is taking arm-twisting to a whole new level” and has asked his colleagues to block the commission “as a personal favor” to him. Apparently, McConnell was concerned that personal lobbying from the mother of slain Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, would sway enough Republicans to find their conscience and support the inquiry.
McConnell might be cynical and nihilistic, but he is not an idiot. He understands that the creation of an inquiry into the insurrection would be a political disaster for Republicans. More important, it would upset Donald Trump, and, as we know, the worst thing that Republicans believe they can do is upset the enfant terrible.
I wish I could say the same for the smarts of West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, but I’m starting to wonder.
Earlier this week, Manchin, along with Democratic senator, Kyrsten Sinema sent a letter to their Republican colleagues imploring them to support the commission's creation. The two senators wrote that “A bipartisan commission to investigate the events of that day has passed the House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote and is a critical step to ensuring our nation never has to endure an attack at the hands of our countrymen again (italics added).”
I’m not sure I agree that merely establishing a commission will ensure a similar attack doesn’t occur in the future, but let’s take the two of them at their word. If Manchin and Sinema honestly believe that a bipartisan investigation will prevent another Jan 6-style riot, shouldn’t they be doing everything within their power to ensure that it happens?
Manchin and Sinema are, of course, the two Democratic senators who have most loudly defended the Senate filibuster. Rather than writing letters to Republicans, which will undoubtedly fall on deaf ears, they could announce their support for suspending the filibuster rules and allowing the creation of the commission to be passed on a majority vote. And yet, they are still refusing to do it.
When asked earlier this week if he would vote to end the filibuster as a response to the GOP’s obstructionist tactics, Manchin said, "I'm not willing to destroy our government, no.” I find this baffling. How would getting rid of the filibuster and allowing legislation to pass with a majority vote lead to America’s destruction? Wouldn’t it make Congress a more small “d” democratic place to prevent an obstructionist minority from blocking legislation that a majority of Americans support?
Frankly, Manchin needs to be make up his mind - is getting rid of the filibuster truly worse than, by his own words, “ensuring our nation never has to endure an attack at the hands of our countrymen again?”
What’s so sad about Manchin and Sinema’s refusal to scrap the filibuster is they are playing directly into the hands of McConnell and Senate Republicans. The GOP is blocking the January 6 commission not simply because they can but because they know that Manchin and Sinema will not do anything to stop them. They are, in effect, hiding behind the filibuster, and the two Democrats are giving them cover.
Manchin told reporters that"I think we'll come together” over the commission. “You have to have faith there's ten good people," which is a reference to the numbers of Senate Republicans who would need to join Democrats to stop the filibuster. But only a fool would think that. I refuse to believe that Manchin and Sinema are this obtuse. They must understand that they are patsies who are enabling GOP obstructionism. But it seems they are more focused on burnishing their centrist bonafides - by keeping the filibuster in place - than doing what’s best for the country.
If either of the two Senators believed their rhetoric about the importance of the January 6 commission, they’d know what they need to do. At this point, they might as well join the GOP caucus because, in effect, they are doing McConnell’s bidding.
What’s Going On?
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I included these two articles in the piece above, and I wanted to pass them along to all subscribers: a really fun piece in the New York Times on the world’s greatest card trick and another one on the psychology of shoe color designs.
Musical Interlude
All week I’ve been posting some choice cuts from the career of Bob Dylan, who turned 80 this week. Here are a few more for the weekend!
Here’s Dylan’s performance of the great, underrated number “Things Have Changed” from the 73rd Academy Awards.
Soy Bomb!
Dylan performing “Jokerman” and “License to Kill” with the punk band “The Plugz” on Letterman in 1984.
This is such a fantastic version of “Shelter from the Storm.”
And finally, my favorite Dylan song “Visions of Johanna.”
I’m sure I’m dating myself with this but I had a flashback remembering an old cult movie called the king of hearts where the inmates from an asylum escaped and begin running the town filling in various roles I can help draw the analogy between that and what is going on with the republican party today.The inmates I are definitely running the show
It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Manchin flip to the GOP (The Greatly Odd Pary) sometime in 2023, in an effort to hold his seat. Depends on if they are still just the Trump party...he can't win if that's going on. Maybe could if Trump is out of the picture, however that might happen.