For more than 100 years, the U.S. Senate’s legislative “filibuster” rule has been used to ensure bipartisanship and consensus-driven decision making, to rise above deep ideological differences and political divides in Congress. It’s designed to prevent the majority party from pushing aside the minority party to ram through controversial legislation. Under this rule, legislation in the Senate can only advance with bipartisan support of 60 total Senators. But liberals in Washington led by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are trying to abolish the filibuster rule so they can force their harmful and most contentious legislation into law, including a federal takeover of state elections with only 51 Democrat votes instead of the normal 60 votes.
Thankfully, Senator Manchin has pledged his unwavering opposition to destroying bipartisanship, declaring “there is no circumstance in which i will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster.”
Now he needs to know West Virginians stand with him, and to reject pressure to cave on his promise. If Senator Manchin sides with East and West Coast liberals to eliminate or weaken the filibuster with “carve-outs” for Democrats’ priorities, he would violate the trust of voters.