Sorry Chuck — it didn’t work out for you. Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have done what they said they would do all along; they voted to preserve the filibuster.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) issued a last minute plea before the vote, insisting the rule change was the only way to move forward.
“The only choice to move forward on these vital issues is to change the rules in the modest way we have proposed. My colleagues, history is watching us. Let us choose in favor of our democracy,” Schumer said.
That bit of political grandstanding didn’t work —Senators voted 52-48 to defeat the rules change, which would have dropped the 60-vote requirement for the election bill.
Senate GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) didn’t appreciate Schumer & Co. attempting to “break the Senate.”
“The Senate will be saved tonight. America can breathe a sigh of relief. This radicalism will have been stopped and it’s a good day for America,” McConnell said.
BREAKING: Republicans block Democrats’ election bills, setting up filibuster 'nuclear option' showdown https://t.co/KX8lv6G2e8
— Kyle Morris (@RealKyleMorris) January 20, 2022