Sen. Mitch McConnell Filibusters His Own Bill

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**dogma**

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wanted to prove on Thursday that Democrats don’t have the votes to weaken Congress’ authority on the debt limit. Instead they called his bluff, and he ended up filibustering his own bill.

The legislation, modeled on a proposal McConnell offered last year as a “last-choice option” to avert a U.S. debt default, would permit the president to unilaterally lift the debt ceiling unless Congress mustered a two-thirds majority to stop him. President Obama has championed the idea.

McConnell brought up the legislation Thursday morning. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) initially objected, seemingly proving the Republican leader’s point that it cannot pass the Senate. But then Reid ran it by his members and, in the afternoon, agreed to hold that same vote. This time it was McConnell who objected.

“The Republican leader objects to his own idea,” Reid declared on the floor. “So I guess we have a filibuster of his own bill.”

McConnell claimed he never agreed to hold a simple majority vote on the bill.

“What we’re talking about here is a perpetual debt ceiling grant in effect to the president. Matters of this level of controversy always require 60 votes,” the GOP leader said.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) scoffed at the notion that a senator would ask for a vote on a bill in good faith while requiring that it be “filibuster-proof.”

“This may be a moment in Senate history when a senator … filibustered his own proposal,” he said. “I don’t think this has ever happened before.”

To McConnell, raising the debt limit must require deep spending cuts.

“If the Democrats want to pass the debt ceiling, as we did last year, with two trillion dollars in spending cuts, we’d be more than happy to have that conversation,” a Senate Republican leadership aide told TPM. “But there is bipartisan opposition to giving this or any President the unlimited authority to raise the debt ceiling.”

That was the point McConnell set out to make this morning, but Reid’s maneuvering left the Republican in an awkward position. And the Democratic leader vows more votes.

“Senator McConnell’s filibuster prevented us from having this vote today,” he said in a statement, “but I will continue to seek an agreement to hold an up-or-down vote on his proposal to avoid another debt ceiling debacle.”

link

What I find so odd about this is that McConnell's point was so transparent that there wasn't much of a bluff to call. Of course, this doesn't mean much for Harry Reid's instincts either.

**sebster**

dogma wrote:
What I find so odd about this is that McConnell's point was so transparent that there wasn't much of a bluff to call. Of course, this doesn't mean much for Harry Reid's instincts either.

The only reason McConnell isn't a complete laughing stock is because he's up against Reid. Pair of nitwits.

How does the process for determining senate and house leader work, anyway? Because there's some talent in the senate on both sides, but instead we've got those two.

**Radiation**

Political blowback for McConnel. It will be interesting to see how far the Democrats take it. Reid also said he would look at it last year during election season.

**YELLOWBLADES**

Well that was interesting, not going to much good for mcConnell

**dogma**

sebster wrote:

How does the process for determining senate and house leader work, anyway? Because there's some talent in the senate on both sides, but instead we've got those two.

The Speaker of the House is elected by a simple majority within the House itself, which means the Speaker is almost always a member of the majority party*. However, the floor leaders of the Senate and House are elected by their respective parties, which means they tend to be oriented around the broadest possible understanding of the party platform. Seniority is also often a factor, though only in the sense a politician who has been around for awhile is generally on better terms with his peers.

*In fact, as far as I know there hasn't been a minority party speaker since Joseph William Martin, Jr. between '47 and '49.

**azazel the cat**

Ah, I can see the next election campaign now: Mitch McConnell: The Mascot of the Do-Nothing Congress!

**whembly**

Heh... that's actually kinda funny.

I believe the members of the party caucus vote for the Majority/Minority Leaders.

And I agree... both nitwits need to go.

What's interesting is that Mitch could've not filibuster it. Let 'em pass it in Congress. The House will never let it through.

**d-usa**

Then the GOP still looks silly for obstructing their own bill though.

**Kanluwen**

d-usa wrote:
Then the GOP still looks silly for obstructing their own bill though.

Nah.

They will spin it as "We're willing to rein in our own members!"

Just watch.

**whembly**

d-usa wrote:
Then the GOP still looks silly for obstructing their own bill though.

Yep. All politicians do that.

**juraigamer**

Well this made my day.