<p>CNN's Manu Raju <a href="https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1352276814056595466" rel="noopener" target="_blank">notes</a> if there is no power-sharing agreement, "the Senate will operate under the rules of the last Congress when the GOP controlled Senate majority and held committee chairs."</p><p>At the center of McConnell's obstruction: he's demanding Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) commit tom keeping the filibuster – which would allow Republicans to block and jettison everything Democrats want. That means Republicans could block all of President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees, and all legislation Democrats want to pass, as Bloomberg's Steven Dennis reports:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">McConnell on Senate floor both makes clear Republicans are prepared to block a lot of Biden's agenda while simultaneously insisting Schumer commit to preserving the filibuster rule, which enables them to do just that.<br/>— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenTDennis/status/1352308215783026690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Under the false cloak of "unity," McConnell is making "unprecedented, wacky, counterproductive" demands, according to at least one Democratic Senator, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), the Chief Deputy Whip. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">McConnell is threatening to filibuster the Organizing Resolution which allows Democrats to assume the committee Chair positions. It's an absolutely unprecedented, wacky, counterproductive request. We won the Senate. We get the gavels.<br/>— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1352309652235702273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>In fact, McConnell claims Democrats should commit to handing Republicans full power to toally obstruct, under the guise of "unity."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">"If the talk of unity and common ground is to have meaning..." - McConnell on his demand that Democrats commit to preserving the filibuster rule.<br/>— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenTDennis/status/1352309019080331265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <p>U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) slammed McConnell's hypocrisy:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">So after Mitch McConnell changed the Senate rules at a blistering pace during his 6 years in charge, he is threatening to filibuster the Senate's organizing resolution unless the Democratic majority agrees to never change the rules again.<br/><br/>Huh.<br/>— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1352306911388045314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Mother Jones's Ari Berman, one of the nation's top voting rights experts:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The last person who should be lecturing Democrats on democratic norms is Mitch McConnell, who blocked Merrick Garland for 237 days before election but confirmed Amy Coney Barrett 8 days before election when 65 million people had already voted<br/>— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) <a href="https://twitter.com/AriBerman/status/1352310066393853953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>New York Times' contributing opinion writer, attorney, and playwright Wajahat Ali suggests Democrats adopt more of a scorched earth strategy:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Mcconnell is owed nothing. He said his proudest accomplishment was to obstruct Obama. He hoped to make him a one term President. Investigate the violent insurrection and reveal the info to the public. Itll be immensely damaging to the GOP. Also kill the filibuster. <a href="https://t.co/UHmgpP207N">https://t.co/UHmgpP207N</a><br/>— Wajahat "Notoriously Brown" Ali (@WajahatAli) <a href="https://twitter.com/WajahatAli/status/1352311777007185921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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