Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that in response to conservative obstructionism, he plans to force war supporters to physically remain in the Senate and filibuster Iraq withdrawal legislation.
Reid accused conservatives of “protecting the President rather than protecting our troops” by “denying us an up or down vote on the most important issue our country faces.” He said that if a vote on the Reed/Levin Iraq legislation is not allowed today or tomorrow, he will keep the Senate in session “straight through the night on Tuesday” and force a filibuster.
And this is what Reid said:
“My worst fears on this bill have been realized. We have just seen the Republican leadership again resort to technical maneuver to block progress on this crucial amendment. It would be one thing for Republicans to vote against this bill. If they honestly believe that ‘stay the course’ is the right strategy – they have the right to vote ‘No.’
“But now, Republicans are using a filibuster to block us from even voting on an amendment that could bring the war to a responsible end. They are protecting the President rather than protecting our troops. They are denying us an up or down – yes or no – vote on the most important issue our country faces.
“I would like to inform the Republican leadership and all my colleagues that we have no intention of backing down. If Republicans do not allow a vote on Levin-Reed today or tomorrow, we will work straight through the night on Tuesday. The American people deserve an open and honest debate on this war, and they deserve an up-or-down vote on this amendment to end it.
“Given the Republican leadership’s decision to block the amendment, we have no choice but to do everything we can in the coming days to highlight Republican obstruction. We do this in hopes of ultimately getting a simple up-or-down vote on this and other important amendments that could change the direction of the war.
“All Senators will be welcome to speak their mind. Those of us who are ready to end the war will make our case to the American people. Those who support the status quo are welcome to equal floor time to make their case. Let the American people hear the arguments. Let them see their elected representatives engaging in a full, open and honest debate. Let them hear why Republicans are obstructing us on this amendment.
Harry Reid should have done this five months ago--force the Republicans to engage in their filibuster on all the legislation the Democratic-controlled Senate had brought up. This is a public relations nightmare for the Senate Democrats. The Republicans have been able to paint the Senate Democrats as being unable to pass any legislation through Congress, even though it is the Senate Republicans who are responsible for obstructing the legislation with their continual filibuster threat. It is the reason why you are seeing the congressional job approval ratings dropping down to the mid-20s.
Harry Reid needs to turn it around and show that it is Republican obstructionism that is forcing the Senate to be unable to pass legislation. Force the Republicans to continually debate on the Reed/Levin Iraq legislation, or any legislation that the Republicans threaten to obstruct. Keep them endlessly debating all day and all night on a single piece of legislation until the GOP finally gives in. The Democrats should never accept compromise from the Republicans until the Republicans will blink and agree first.
Over at Firedog Lake, Ian Welsh has a great summary of why the Democrats should not back down:
There are two ways to deal with bad faith actors; to dealing with people who understand only force. One is to decide you’re willing to let them have what they want because you won’t pay the cost of opposing them. If they say “I’m going to hit you if you don’t give me your wallet” you can say “ok”. The second is to escalate. In the words of the Untouchables - if they bring a knife, you bring a gun; if they put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue. When people understand only force, you must respond with maximum force. Anything else is taken as weakness and they will walk all over you.
Republicans walk all over Democrats because they can - because they know Democrats, at the end of the day, will fold nine times out of ten. It’s a good odds play. If Democrats want it to stop, they need to make the cost unbearable. Civility will return only when the costs of what amount to political violence have become to great for both sides to bear.
Slap Gonzales in jail. Make Republican Senators personally spend days or weeks doing nothing but filibuster popular bill after popular bill. Make them stay on the floor, in their diapers, with artificial bladders attached, until they can’t take it any more.
And if you do all this, Americans will see that
* Democrats are strong. (Strength isn’t about how tough you talk on killing terrorists. It’s about what you do personally. Strength is what strength does.)
* that Republicans are causing Congressional slowdowns and making it so Congress doesn’t work to pass bills most Americans favor.
* That if Americans want Congress to work, Democrats need a filibuster proof majority in the Senate and a working majority in the House.
When someone’s bargain strategy is “or else”, you can either back down or step up.
To that, I want to add a little scene from The Untouchables. From YouTube:
That's The Chicago Way!
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