In a blistering Thursday speech on the Senate floor, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) drove the nail in the coffin of the Democratic agenda – namely, ending their push to change the chamber’s filibuster rules and pass major voting rights legislation.
During her speech, Sinema said that any changes to the filibuster would continue to create political division, even though she has concerns over GOP voting laws she says would restrict voting rights.
“While I continue to support these bills, I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country,” she said.
Sen. Sinema drives a stake through the heart of the Biden Agenda 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rWk5xNzvVq
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) January 13, 2022
The other moderate Dem holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, called it an “Excellent speech.”
MANCHIN just now on Sinema’s speech: “Very good. Excellent speech.”
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 13, 2022
Sinema’s speech came after word that President Joe Biden was expected to head to Capitol Hill on Thursday to try and push Democratic lawmakers to back the filibuster changes in order to ram the voting rights bills through.
After Sinema’s speech, however – as well as word that Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) would be unable to vote due to testing positive for Covid-19, Biden said he’s ‘not sure’ it can get done.
Watch Sinema’s entire speech below:
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the (not-so) quiet part out loud: that Democrats’ bid to eliminate the filibuster for their blank-check ambitions will be an ‘uphill battle’ as long as Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) are opposed to it.
“I don’t want to delude your listeners: This is an uphill fight, because Manchin and Sinema both do not believe in changing the rules,” Schumer admitted during a Center for American Progress event on Tuesday evening, Politico reported.
Instead, Schumer called for a public pressure campaign against Manchin and Sinema to bend the knee.
Looks like that just failed.
This article was originally published by Zero Hedge. Read the original article.
