Cracks start appearing in Senator Joe Manchin’s promise to keep his filibuster pledge

With House Democrats passing two major gun control bills, the push for gun control moves to the Senate. With all the Senate Democrats and some Republicans supporting more gun control, whether gun control passes Congress depends on if the Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) keeps his promise to maintain the filibuster.

But Manchin is wobbling on that promise. While he previously said that he would “never” undo the filibuster, he apparently is willing to change the rules on what constitutes a filibuster.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) has also previously signaled her opposition to eliminating the filibuster, but most of the focus is on Manchin on the presumption that he is the linchpin behind whether we keep the filibuster.

On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a longtime defender of the filibuster, signaled that he might nevertheless be open to filibuster reforms that could make it easier for Democrats to advance their legislative agenda. . . .

Cameron Peters, “Joe Manchin opens the door to filibuster reform,” Vox, March 7, 2021.

This past Sunday Mr. Manchin modulated the word “never.” On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he said he was open to changing the process, maybe by bringing back the “talking filibuster,” which requires senators to stand on the floor to keep a bill from moving. “Now if you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk, I’m willing to look at it any way we can,” Mr. Manchin said (emphasis mine). . . .

Don’t underestimate how big a door he opened. The “reform” Mr. Manchin floated on Sunday would at least preserve the 60-vote filibuster threshold, to which he says he is committed. Under a traditional “talking filibuster,” a GOP minority would need to keep a rotation of senators on the floor. . . .

Kimberly Strassel, “Joe Manchin’s Filibuster Test,” Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2021.

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