Blog Credo

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H.L. Mencken

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Could This Pass

 Eight Senate Republicans have signed on to reform the Electoral Count Act. It was this law that (sorta but not really) formed the platform that Trump launched his coup attempt from. Basically it removes any temptation for Vice Presidents or Members of Congress to interfere with the Electoral College certification and increases penalties for intimidating election officials.

Of course, eight Republicans is not ten Republicans. Currently there is Collins, Murkowski and Romney of course. Portman is retiring so he's in. Sasse is young enough to think he can be there for the post-Trump GOP. The others are interesting. First off...Lindsay Graham?! Maybe he's feeling the heat from those impending indictments from Georgia, but that's a real WTF. Thom Tillis isn't that far gone, but still a surprise. I barely remember that Shelley Moore Capito and Todd Young exist, so...yay?

Who else can you get? 

I would think Pat Toomey is a natural. He's retiring, voted to convict and has no reason not to try and undo what Trump did to our institutions on January 6th. Bill Cassidy voted to convict Trump at the second impeachment, so he should be on board.

If you get Toomey and Cassidy on board, that gets you to 60. Could any additional Senators grow a conscience? Could Tim Scott follow Graham's lead? Could Chuck Grassley or Marco Rubio feel pressure from their challengers to move to the center?

Regardless, I think they have 60 votes. I just hope the House doesn't try and fuck it up to make a point about... something.

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