Filibuster | The Arizona Sun Times

Left Rages at Sinema over Filibuster Support

September 28, 2022September 27, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

The political left is raging at a U.S. Senator from Arizona who refuses to join her fellow Democrats in abolishing the filibuster.

“I committed to the 60-vote threshold, it’s been an incredibly unpopular view. I actually think we should restore the 60 vote threshold for the areas in which it has been eliminated already,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said in a speech at the University of Louisville during a conference called The Future of Political Discourse and the Importance of Bipartisanship.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Backs Reinstating Filibuster for Judicial, Executive Nominees

September 27, 2022September 26, 2022 Just the News

Democratic Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema backed the restoration of the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold for all judicial and executive nominees.

Speaking at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center on Monday, Sinema advocated for the reinstatement of the threshold which then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid removed for non-Supreme Court nominees in 2013. Mitch McConnell, while Senate majority leader himself, removed it for Supreme Court nominees in 2017.

Manchin, Sinema Defy Biden on Removing Filibuster for Abortion Law as Republicans Rally Opposition

July 2, 2022July 1, 2022 The Center Square

U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., both told news outlets Thursday they would not go along with President Joe Biden’s request that Congress remove the Senate filibuster to “codify Roe v. Wade.”

At a news conference in Spain Thursday during Biden’s last day of an overseas trip, Biden called on Congress to codify abortion protections in response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, but before his plane landed in the U.S. later that day, the two Democratic senators had already stopped his plan dead in its tracks.

Biden: Axe Filibuster for Pro-Abortion Legislation

July 1, 2022June 30, 2022 The Center Square

President Joe Biden called on Congress Thursday to remove the filibuster and pass a federal law to “codify Roe v. Wade “after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled there was no Constitutional right to an abortion last week.

Biden previously called for a similar removal of the filibuster to push through voting rights legislation, but Congress did not follow suit.

Far-Left Group Launches Campaign to Remove Arizona Sen. Sinema from Office

January 26, 2022January 26, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

A far-left group that supports open borders has launched an all-out attack on moderate Democrat Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

“Voto Latino is investing six figures to hold Senator Sinema accountable during the 2024 primary for her obstruction of critical voting reforms, minimum wage increases, pandemic relief for undocumented Latinos, and other reforms that would protect and uplift millions of Latinos,” that organization said on a website called Adios Sinema.

Arizona Democratic Party Censures Senator Sinema over Filibuster Stance

January 23, 2022January 22, 2022 Cooper Moran

The Arizona Democratic Party executive committee approved a resolution on Saturday to censure Senator Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) because of her stance on the filibuster in the U.S. Senate.

Because of the long-standing rule that requires a 60 vote-threshold to advance certain pieces of legislation, Democrats were unable to advance “voting rights” bills.

Senate Caps History-Making Day by Rejecting Filibuster Change

January 21, 2022January 20, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

The Senate late Thursday rejected a Democratic effort to alter the filibuster in order to pass their long-sought voting bills over unanimous Republican opposition, capping one of the most consequential days in the history of the chamber.

The vote failed 48-52 after Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema voted as they said they would for months, joining a unanimous Republican caucus in opposition and denying their party the necessary support for the change to take effect. The change, had it been adopted, would have established a “talking filibuster” pertaining to the voting bills only, allowing any senator to speak for or against them for as long as they wanted but lowering the 60-vote threshold for passage to a simple majority.

Despite Campaign Pledge to Serve as an ‘Independent,’ Arizona Senator Mark Kelly Backs Pathway to Change the Filibuster

January 20, 2022January 19, 2022 Cooper Moran

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) announced on Wednesday that he will support a change to eliminate the Senate filibuster, despite his campaign pledge to work as an “independent.”

In a statement, Kelly detailed his openness to give one party unilateral power in an effort to protect “the vote-by-mail system.”

Senate Democrats Fail to Change Filibuster, Handing Biden Stinging Defeat on Voting Legislation

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Senate Republicans blocked the voting rights legislation, likely triggering Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to move forward with changing Senate filibuster rules.

The motion to move forward with ending debate and taking a vote on the bill, Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, failed in the Senate by 51-49. Sen. Schumer joined Republicans “in order to enter a motion to reconsider the vote,” according to the Senate Press Gallery.

Commentary: The Democrats Embrace Voter Intimidation

January 19, 2022January 18, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Joe Biden has claimed “democracy is under attack” and that to save “democracy” we must annihilate Senate norms such as the legislative filibuster. If you don’t believe that this crisis exists and act immediately, his argument goes, the sun won’t rise ever again; the oceans will dry up, and you’re an evil racist like Jefferson Davis, Bull Connor, and George Wallace (Democrats every last one—and Biden actually sought Wallace’s support back when Biden wanted to be liked by the Wallaces and Byrds of the Democratic Party.) But why let facts get in the way of a good Grandpa Dementia bedtime story?

Of course the real reason for the shrieking hysteria from Biden and the Left is that they’re confronting what is likely to be an electoral tsunami in the fall. Most Americans with half a brain have realized after a year under the Biden presidency that the Left’s policies and politicians are absolute failures. That’s why Biden has a 33 percent approval rating. And it’s why moderate Democrats like Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) want nothing to do with Biden, his policies, or his efforts at rewriting Senate rules.

Progressives of course had a premonition that their policies would wreak havoc upon the American people. To protect themselves from electoral accountability they immediately introduced a bill to federalize election law for the Left’s partisan advantage. This comes as no surprise from the Democratic Party of Tammany Hall, which has a long, sordid history of rigging election laws to hang onto power through the intimidation of voters.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema Angers Democrats, Continues to Support Senate Filibuster

January 17, 2022January 16, 2022 Cooper Moran

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (R-AZ) angered members of her own party by continuing to support the 60-vote requirement for certain pieces of legislation, known as the filibuster.

The decision from Sinema and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), which has remained the same for months, stopped President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats from eliminating the rule.

Liberals Push for Court-Packing After SCOTUS Blocks Biden’s Vaccine Mandate

January 16, 2022 Admin

Liberal commentators took to social media to express their disappointment following the Supreme Court’s decision to block President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Thursday that Biden’s mandate, passed through the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), was unconstitutional, invoking the “major questions” doctrine and ruling that Congress did not grant OSHA the authority to issue the mandate.

Biden’s Rough Week: Supreme Court Loss, Economic Woes, Pushback from Democrats

January 16, 2022 The Center Square

President Joe Biden saw a flurry of setbacks on a range of key issues this week, making it one of his toughest since taking office.

Biden addressed those difficulties in a speech Friday after losses in Congress, the Supreme Court, the court of public opinion and with the economy.

Democrats Threaten Ousting Filibuster, but Moderates Hold the Line

January 7, 2022January 6, 2022 The Center Square

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., is once again right in the middle of a heated Congressional debate as Democratic leadership threatens to overthrow the long-established filibuster rule to push through voting legislation that would give the federal government broad powers over state elections.

“If Republicans continue to block our efforts, the Senate will debate and consider changes to Senate rules on or before January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to protect the foundation of our democracy: Free and fair elections,” Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer said.

Commentary: Democrats Gin Up January 6 Hysteria to Pass Election Rigging Bill

January 6, 2022 Admin

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, Democrat leaders in Congress are ginning up hysteria in order to pass a bill that would transform our elections and give Democrats permanent majorities in all three branches of government. In addition, Democrats’ faux outrage deflects from the root causes of the breach which include four years of multiple attempts by Democrats to overturn the 2016 election results, loose election laws, and lax Capitol security.

But to pass their election rigging bill, Democrats first need to eliminate the Senate filibuster. That would allow them to pass the bill with only a simple majority of votes and not the 60 votes needed to overcome a presumed Republican filibuster.

Arizona Democratic Party Approves Resolution Threatening to Censure Kyrsten Sinema

September 30, 2021September 29, 2021 Rachel Alexander

The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) is putting pressure on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) in order to coerce her into opposing the Senate filibuster, voting for President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” bill, and supporting multiple voting related bills. They issued a resolution which threatens to give her a vote of no confidence, censure her, and withdraw support of her reelection if she fails to comply by the next state committee meeting in January 2022.

The resolution states in part:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED – that the Arizona Democratic Party will closely watch Senator Sinema’s votes in the coming weeks and if Senator Sinema, does not vote in favor of Filibuster reform to change the Senate rules in order to allow the passage of The For The People Act – voting rights bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill, or other urgent legislation, for example the PRO ACT, that has already passed by the House or if she votes against the Senate Reconciliation Budget Bill, also referred to as the Human Infrastructure Package or the American Families Plan supported by President Biden and the vast majority of Democrats in both the House and the Senate, or if she continues to delay, disrupt, or votes to gut the Reconciliation Package of its necessary funding, then the Arizona Democratic Party State Committee will go officially on record and will give Senator Sinema a vote of NO CONFIDENCE.

Senate Republicans Filibuster Government Funding Bill Over Debt Ceiling Provision With Three Days Until Shutdown

September 28, 2021September 27, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Senate Republicans Monday filibustered Democrats’ bill to fund the government and suspend the debt ceiling, days before a potential federal shutdown and possible debt default.

Republicans vowed for weeks to oppose a debt ceiling increase and urged Democrats to put the provision in their filibuster-proof $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. But Democrats have thus far refused to do so, and with their bill’s failure Monday, Congress now has just three days to pass a new funding bill to avoid a government shutdown set to begin Friday at midnight.

Progressives Renew Calls to Abolish Filibuster, Pack Supreme Court After Texas Abortion Decision

September 5, 2021September 4, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Progressives renewed their calls to abolish the Senate filibuster and expand the Supreme Court after it did not block a Texas law restricting abortion access from going into effect.

“Republicans promised to overturn Roe v Wade, and they have,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote just after midnight Thursday, invoking the 1973 landmark Supreme Court case. “Democrats can either abolish the filibuster and expand the court, or do nothing as millions of peoples’ bodies, rights, and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule.”

SCOTUS Abortion Ruling Triggers Fury at Arizona Sen. Sinema

September 3, 2021September 2, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

After the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of a law passed in Texas banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) once again finds herself on the hot seat, facing criticism from her own party.

“Every Dem who ever gave Kyrsten Sinema a dime should demand a refund,” far-left activist Pam Kieth said on Twitter.

Following 15-Hour Filibuster Texas Senate Passes Elections Legislation

August 13, 2021August 12, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

The Texas Senate on Thursday morning passed the elections bill that state Democrats have attempted several times to prevent from becoming law.

Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Carol Alvarado filibustered the bill for 15-hours in the latest long shot attempt to prevent its passage, but the chamber endured and passed the legislation by a vote of 18-11 this morning. Filibuster rules required Alvarado to remain standing, addressing the chamber on exclusively the subject of the bill, without bathroom breaks or food.

The attempt came one day after Dade Phelan, the Republican Speaker of the Texas House authorized arrest warrants for the 52 Democrats who have failed to show up for the second special session this summer of the Texas legislature, thereby denying the chamber a quorum.

Senate Democrats Publicly Release $3.5 Trillion Filibuster-Proof Budget Reconciliation Resolution

August 10, 2021August 9, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Senate Democrats have publicly released their $3.5 trillion, filibuster-proof budget reconciliation resolution.

The draft of the legislation released on Monday includes new spending programs that the White House has labeled “human infrastructure,” such as universal pre-K, childcare support and tuition free community college.

The spending total is estimated over a 10-year period. Using budget reconciliation allows the Democrats to pass the measure without votes from Republicans in the 50-50 Senate. Democrats used the same process in March to pass President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package called the American Rescue Plan Act.

Conor Lamb the Latest to Jump into Critical Pennsylvania Senate Race

August 9, 2021August 8, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb launched a long-expected Senate bid in his state Friday morning, becoming the latest to join a crowded primary field in one of the country’s most competitive races.

Lamb, a 37-year-old Marine, first won a special election in a Pittsburgh-area swing district in 2018, months before Democrats took control of the House. He is vying to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in a state that President Joe Biden narrowly won, as Democrats look to expand their slim 50-50 majority.

Civil Rights Activist Jesse Jackson Arrested During Filibuster Reform Protest at Arizona Senator Sinema’s Office

July 28, 2021July 27, 2021 Corinne Murdock

Reverend Jesse Jackson and 38 others were arrested during a protest of Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-AZ) stance on the filibuster rule outside of her Phoenix office on Monday.

The arrested protestors were charged with trespassing, according to Phoenix Police Public Information Officer Mercedes Fortune. The protestors were voicing opposition to Sinema’s lack of support for the proposed filibuster reform. Without reform or abolition of the 60-vote filibuster rule, Senate Democrats can’t pass massive election reform in the For the People Act.

Kyrsten Sinema Reaffirms That She Will Not Support Abolishing the Filibuster

June 23, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema reaffirmed her opposition to abolishing the 60-vote Senate filibuster, rebuffing progressives who have decried the legislative rule and called for its removal.

Sinema argued that scrapping the Senate rule would erode “democracy’s guardrails,” writing in The Washington Post that doing so would lead the nation to “lose much more than we gain.”

“It’s no secret that I oppose eliminating the Senate’s 60-vote threshold,” Sinema wrote. “I held the same view during three terms in the U.S. House, and said the same after I was elected to the Senate in 2018.”

Progressives Accuse Arizona’s Senator Sinema of Supporting Jim Crow

June 22, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

As the progressive wing of the Democrat Party continues to clash with the rest of the party, one far-left group plans to spend millions calling Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) a racist for refusing to end the filibuster.

“The group, Just Democracy, is spending $1.2 million for TV ads and another $200,000 on digital ads in Arizona from June 21 to June 30, said a spokesman for the group, adding the effort will feature two ads on cable news programs, local news and local sports in the state,” NBC reported.

Commentary: Manchin Saves the Filibuster for Now, so House Democrats Call Supreme Court Packing ‘Infrastructure’

April 21, 2021April 20, 2021 Arizona Sun Times Staff

On April 7, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) penned an oped for the Washington Post entitled, “I will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster,” appearing to foreclose any possibility of President Joe Biden ramming through major changes to law on a slim partisan basis expanding the Supreme Court, nationalizing election law, expanding statehood to D.C. or Puerto Rico, and so forth.

“The filibuster is a critical tool to protecting that input and our democratic form of government. That is why I have said it before and will say it again to remove any shred of doubt: There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster,” Manchin wrote, appearing to salvage the nation’s two-party system — for now.

But not so fast, say House Democrats, who last week unveiled a plan to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, the Judiciary Act of 2021.

Tag: Filibuster