Mitch mcconnell 9 11

But several Democrats, most notably Sen. Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinDemocrats torn on impeachment trial timing Biden faces tall order in uniting polarized nation McConnell, Schumer fail to cut power-sharing deal amid filibuster snag MORE (D-W.Va.), are opposed to getting rid of it. Because Democrats only have 50 seats, they would need the support of every senator in order to change the rules on the filibuster via the "nuclear option."   … [Read more...] about Democrats shoot down McConnell’s filibuster gambit

When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated and soon thereafter Chuck Schumer was poised to become Senate majority leader, it dawned on many observers that another brick in the edifice of Wasp domination of American leadership had been removed. With Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell being replaced by Harris and Schumer, you have a Catholic president, a Black and South Asian vice-president, a Catholic Speaker of the House in Nancy Pelosi, and a Jewish Senate majority leader. … [Read more...] about Biden Will Run a Very Un-Waspy Government

Warnock and Ossoff had both narrowly emerged as victors in Georgia’s contentious runoff elections earlier this month, each winning by a margin of about two percent or less out of 4.5 million votes cast. With the Senate majority at stake, the dual races shattered previous voter turnout and fundraising records and attracted many big-name surrogates from both parties to help campaign throughout the runoff duration. … [Read more...] about Senate Officially Flips to Democrats as Warnock, Ossoff Are Sworn In

Put simply, if conventional Republicans were capable of dictating ideological terms to their base, Trump never would have been president. The mogul earned the affection of the Republican rank and file through his unequivocal opposition to immigration, willingness to affirm their most conspiratorial suspicions about Barack Obama, and, above all, his status as a fellow conservative-media super-consumer. The durability of that affection is reflected not only in Trump’s poll numbers but also in the posture of the House GOP. In the Senate, Republicans are relatively insulated from their primary voters by six-year terms and, in many cases, a level of name recognition and in-state clout that they’ve built up over decades. But every Republican in the House had to face their base in 2020 and will again in 2022. This divergence is almost certainly a major reason why a majority of House Republicans objected to the certification of the 2020 results, even as only eight of their Senate … [Read more...] about Trump Won’t Start a Third Party — But He Might Break the GOP

The decline and fall of WASP hegemony in government has been underway for a good while. Until Neil Gorsuch (an Episcopalian, though he was raised Catholic) succeeded the late Antonin Scalia in 2017, the Supreme Court had been a coalition of Catholics and Jews after David Souter’s retirement in 2009. But Biden’s proposed Cabinet is a major leap into the “looks like America” diversity Democratic presidents always like to pledge. … [Read more...] about Biden Will Run a Very Un-WASPy Government