Ever since the Supreme Court Dobbs judgment two summers ago, which returned the question of abortion rights to the states in an elegant decision celebrating the Tenth Amendment, the Democrats have been relentlessly fighting the Republicans.
The Left made such a big fuss about abortion that what was turning out to be a red wave in 2022, given the disastrous performance of the Biden-Harris administration across multiple factors, ended up being surprisingly beneficial to the Democrats. They held onto the Senate and conceded the House to such a narrow GOP majority that the current Republican speaker remains beholden to the Democrats even for keeping his gavel.
With America weeks away from electing our 47th president, Vice President Kamala Harris is again stoking the flames of reproductive rights. Speaking to a Wisconsin public radio station, Harris suggested that she is in favor of abandoning the 60-vote Senate filibuster rule only for abortion so that Congress can codify Roe v. Wade protections into federal law, thereby nullifying the Dobbs decision altogether.
Harris has repeatedly suggested her radical ideas to fundamentally transform America by insisting that “we should have a conversation.” Over the years, she has favored having many conversations about various questions, including decriminalizing brothels, making reparation payments to communities that were disadvantaged by America’s past, defunding the police, getting rid of immigration enforcement by eliminating ICE, providing healthcare to illegal immigrants under a Medicare for All program, and imposing fines on corporations for paying minority women less than white men.
However, among all these conversation starters, her idea to abandon the Senate filibuster could become the most consequential since former Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada fired the opening salvo when he pushed through a filibuster exception rule to confirm Obama administration nominees in 2013.
The United States Senate has 100 members, and for generations, the chamber has been closely divided, with around 50 seats for each party. For a bill to pass, the Senate requires at least 60 senators to vote for it; otherwise, the bill will die on the floor. Thomas Jefferson famously alluded to the Senate as being a saucer to cool the hot tea coming out of the House of Representatives.
Not only is the Senate, as a body, slower to take up bills from the House, but the deliberations in the chamber can take much longer, too. A single senator can place a rider on a bill for weeks, tying the chamber’s business up in knots. These tactics have enormously helped America, as delays often cause our lawmakers to have second thoughts and oppose a bill for which they had planned to vote in the affirmative when the bill was first introduced. Killing bad legislation is far more critical than passing good ones. Because once something becomes law, it is very difficult to undo it.
Under Mitch McConnell, the Senate passed a filibuster exception for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 during the Trump administration, when the GOP controlled the chamber. This rule has stayed and has confirmed four justices since:
- Ketanji Brown Jackson: Confirmed 53-47 on April 7, 2021.
- Amy Coney Barrett: Confirmed 52-48 on October 26, 2020.
- Brett Kavanaugh: Confirmed 50-48 on October 6, 2018.
- Neil Gorsuch: Confirmed 54-45 on April 7, 2017.
The last justice to win confirmation before the filibuster exception was Elena Kagan, who was confirmed 63-37 on August 5, 2010. Before that, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed 68-31 on August 6, 2009.
In the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, the justices who voted to uphold the Mississippi law and effectively dismantle federal protections for abortion were Chief Justice John Roberts, Samuel Alito (who wrote the majority opinion), Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch. The last three justices on the list were all confirmed by the Senate under the filibuster exception rule. Barrett received no Democratic votes, Kavanaugh got one, and Gorsuch got three. When Trump boasts that he got Dobbs done, he is technically correct. A decision impacting a divided nation had practically zero Democratic support.
Beyond the purview of the Dobbs decision, the filibuster point is more significant. On a matter that has created great upheaval in the nation for two years, it can be argued that President Trump would have nominated a more balanced set of justices if the filibuster rule was still in place. In other words, the lack of a filibuster threat allowed President Trump to nominate riskier justices who could be confirmed by a more party-line vote – so that they could unleash more decisions favorable to the GOP from the august bench of the Supreme Court.
Astonishingly, Harris is now proposing to end the filibuster rule to pass routine bills. She knows—after all, she was in the Senate when Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch won confirmation—the impact of lifting the filibuster. Why would Harris play with fire for routine deliberations in the Senate?
Suppose she is elected president, gets rid of the filibuster, and passes her favorite abortion bill next year. What happens when a new GOP president takes office and introduces another bill to overturn the Harris legislation? Or pass legislation – such as gun ownership rights or regarding immigration favorable to the GOP, but that is anathema to the Democrats? Isn’t what we learned in grade school – what is good for the goose is also good for the gander – frightfully true?
“Shame on her (Kamala Harris),” West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin was cited as saying by CNN’s chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.”
Manchin confirmed that he would not endorse Harris for president. Another Democrat-turned-Independent, Krysten Sinema of Arizona, also expressed horror that Harris wanted to eliminate the filibuster. Both senators have been ardent supporters of the filibuster.
The Harris campaign is losing its footing in the battleground states. Desperation is one thing. However, wrecking the very foundation of the American political process is something very different and extraordinarily reckless.
Voters must punish Harris for this proposal alone to save American democracy.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Head Of One Of Hezbollah Air Force Units Killed In Israeli Strike On Beirut: Sources – Reuters
An Israeli warplane struck the edges of the capital Beirut, killing two people and wounding 15, including a woman in critical condition, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
The strike killed the head of one of Hezbollah’s air force units, Mohammad Surur, two security sources said, the latest senior Hezbollah commander to be targeted in days of assassinations hitting the group’s top ranks.
2. Israel Says It Has Secured $8.7 Billion U.S. Aid Package – Reuters
The package includes $3.5 billion for essential wartime procurement, which has already been received and earmarked for critical military purchases, and $5.2 billion designated for air defense systems, including the Iron Dome anti-missile system, David’s Sling, and an advanced laser system.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that the aid announcement came after negotiations at the Pentagon between Eyal Zamir, the ministry’s director general, and U.S. defense officials, including acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Amanda Dory.
3. Israeli Teams Will Continue Meetings On U.S. Ceasefire Proposals: Netanyahu – Reuters
“Our teams met to discuss the U.S. initiative and how we can advance the shared goal of returning people safely to their homes. We will continue those discussions in the coming days,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The comments came after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said there would be no ceasefire in the north, where Israeli jets have been carrying out the heaviest bombardment against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in decades.
4. U.S., EU, Ukraine Slam Russia’s Nuclear Deterrence Doctrine – D.W.
Western allies of Ukraine have condemned Russia’s plans to amend its nuclear deterrence doctrine in a manner that might consider a “massive” aerial attack on Russia supported by a nuclear state as a “joint attack,” even if the attacker is a non-nuclear state.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the proposed amendment on Thursday’s sidelines of the UN General Assembly. European Union foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano also rejected the plan as “reckless and irresponsible.”
5. Moldova Blocks Russian Websites Ahead Of EU Referendum, Presidential Vote – RFE/RL
Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) has banned seven mostly Russian news sites, including that of state news agency RIA Novosti, which it said posed “national security risks” for Chisinau.
Moldova’s pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, who is running for reelection on October 20, has proposed holding the EU referendum simultaneously with the presidential election. In June, the United States, Canada, and Britain issued a joint statement warning of Russia’s plans to influence the presidential election and to dispute a result running counter to the Kremlin’s interests.
6. China, Ukraine FMs Discuss How To End War In Ukraine – Kyiv – AFP
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who had earlier met Russia’s top diplomat, told a Security Council session this week that diplomacy was the only solution to the war in Ukraine.
Wang met Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiga and the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.
7. Hong Kong Jails Two Journalists For Sedition – BBC
Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, editors at the now-defunct Stand News media outlet, had published articles about the crackdown on civil liberties in the city under China.
Chung was sentenced to 21 months, while Lam was given 11 months, but was released on medical grounds. The publisher behind Stand News – Best Pencil – has been fined HK$5,000 (US$643). It is the first sedition case against journalists in Hong Kong since the territory’s handover from Britain to China in 1997.
8. China Concealed Sinking Of Newest Nuclear Submarine, U.S. Says – Nikkei Asia
China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank at a shipyard near Wuhan this year, Pentagon officials said.
“We can confirm that the submarine sank pier-side. It is unclear if it was carrying nuclear fuel at the time,” a spokesperson told Nikkei Asia. Satellite photos show crane barges gathered at shipyard for rescue.
9. China: Missile Launch Into Pacific ‘Legitimate’ – AFP
China insisted that its nuclear stance remained defensive after the rare test prompted an outcry from countries in the region. Beijing announced the trial on Wednesday — its first such test in four decades — saying the missile was carrying a dummy warhead.
The launch sparked protests from countries in the region, with China’s neighbor Japan saying it had not been notified in advance and Taiwan condemning the move.
10. Pacific Leaders To Meet After China’s ‘Concerning’ ICBM Missile test – RFA
Australia and New Zealand are seeking an explanation from China about its test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific.
Both countries said they were concerned by any action that was destabilizing and raised the risk of miscalculation in the Pacific. New Zealand said Australia would join it in discussing the launch and sharing views with Pacific Island Forum representatives at the United Nations General Assembly this week.
11. North Korea May Conduct Nuclear Test After U.S. Election: Spy Agency – Yonhap
North Korea may carry out its seventh nuclear test after the U.S. presidential vote in November, South Korea’s spy agency, NIS, was quoted as telling lawmakers.
The NIS also reported that the North possesses around 70 kilograms of plutonium and a significant amount of highly enriched uranium (HEU), which is sufficient to build a two-digit number of nuclear weapons.
12. U.S., Argentina Cite ‘Destabilization’ Triggered By Venezuela’s Maduro – UPI
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino launched a diplomatic offensive on the “urgent situation” in Venezuela on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly Thursday in New York.
The meeting sought to present a united front by Washington and South America’s largest economy, Argentina, against the “authoritarian” threat presented by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The pair each insisted on recognizing the victory of opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia and demanded that the result of the polls be respected.
13. Trump Wants Nancy Pelosi Prosecuted Over Husband Paul’s Visa Stock Sale Before DOJ Lawsuit: ‘You Think It Was Luck? I Don’t Think So’ – Benzinga
Former President Donald Trump has called for prosecuting former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over her husband’s Visa Inc V stock trades. Trump suggested that Pelosi was involved in insider trading.
What Happened: During a press conference at Trump Tower in New York, Trump claimed that Paul Pelosi, a venture capitalist and real estate investor, sold a significant amount of Visa stock just before the Department of Justice announced a lawsuit against the credit card company.
Financial disclosures show that Paul Pelosi sold 2,000 shares of Visa stock, valued between $500,000 and $1 million, on Jul 1.
14. Dangerous Practice ‘Chroming’ Featured In Videos Kids Watch On Social Media – UPI Health
Influenced largely by TikTok, young people are embracing recreational drugs by inhaling dangerous chemicals in nail polish remover, permanent markers, and other household items. It’s called chroming.
Researchers plan to inform pediatricians about this harmful practice, also called huffing, which commonly induces a brief euphoric state and is potentially highly addictive. It also can cause dizziness, brain damage, and death.
15. Gum Disease Germs Might Increase Cancer Risk – HealthDay News
A new study says bacteria that cause gum disease can also raise a person’s risk of head and neck cancers.
Researchers noted that some of these microbes have been shown to contribute to serious gum infections that can eat away at the jawbone and the soft tissues that surround teeth. However, the study found no increased cancer risk from naturally occurring fungi in the mouth.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
