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    Democrats are the new senate majority -- so why is Mitch McConnell still running the place?

    Terry H. Schwadron, DCReport @ RawStory
    January 25, 2021

    Thanks for your support!

    This article was paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates.

    Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
    Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaking to CPAC 2013. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Terry H. Schwadron, DCReport @ RawStory

    Days into the new government, it's clear that Joe Biden is running an energetic, activist White House while new Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is still stuck in the same stalled Senate that he served in the ever-victimized minority.

    Whatever else you want to say about Schumer, he's no Lyndon Baines Johnson, who dominated as a Senate majority leader, or even Harry Reid.

    From the outside, it looks like majority leading by pleading, not arm-twisting. You don't hear that other senators fear Schumer as much as hope that he can stand up to the ever-manipulative tactics of a crafty Mitch McConnell, who has lost the majority leader title, but not its magic to set the agenda.

    Schumer got to this day in a plodding manner, using congressional rules and his ever-present microphone rather than any sense of authoritative aggressiveness.

    It could be because Schumer's gotten the majority leader office by the barest of margins – the potential tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris when it will be needed. Or perhaps it is because the real majority leader emerging is centrist Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who seems repeatedly to forget that he is a Democrat, and who doesn't mind hanging Schumer and Democratic goals in thin air. It might even be because Biden himself, a longtime senator, has personal relationships in the chamber to pursue himself.

    Whatever.

    Somehow, everyone in the House knows that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with her narrowed Democratic majority, is still the swaying voice for everything from impeachment votes to requiring that members leave their guns at the door to the chamber. It is the deference of others to her power that we are examining.

    We recognize in Schumer a certain caution in trying to get the most from a split, now-stuck Senate, someone who got to this day in a plodding manner, using congressional rules and his ever-present microphone rather than any sense of authoritative aggressiveness. Maybe it is his speaking voice, which borders on annoying rather than one inspiring attention, or his pleading tone. Maybe he was just better at offering obstructions as a minority leader than serving at the front of the Senate.

    Of course, maybe he'll settle in and be more effective, but right now, the focus for political wins in the Senate still seems to be on McConnell.

    Deftness?

    On ABC News recently, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, commenting on the continuing Schumer-McConnell wrangles over the timing of the impeachment trial, the makeup of Senate committees and the rules governing a 50-50 Senate split said, "The one thing Chuck isn't is deft. Definitely not deft."

    "Chuck Schumer has finally realized his dream of becoming majority leader. And given the circumstances, it's a bit of a nightmare," noted Politico. Without an agreement on new rules, for example, Republicans maintain most of the committee chairmanships, reviewing confirmations and legislation.

    What does seem apparent are that there is a lot to get done at once in a Biden presidency both to reverse what are seen as bad mistakes from the Donald Trump years and to be aggressive about taking advantage of the next two years until another election will put the Senate majority on the ballot again.

    The healthy argument between Schumer and McConnell about whether to eliminate filibuster rules – rules that effectively require 60 votes for any substantial legislation rather than a simple majority are going McConnell's way – in part because Schumer does not have the votes of Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). The impeachment trial for Trump has been delayed – just as McConnell had asked, though a week earlier. The committees needed for confirmation hearings and to review the immediate demands for Biden-proposed legislation on COVID-19 aid, on extending jobless benefits and immigration changes are being held hostage to the inside game in the Senate.

    Again, filibuster rule debates are inside baseball, they don't get jobs or food or vaccines done.

    From the outside, it looks as if what drives Republicans' votes in the Senate is fear – from McConnell over life as a senator and from Trump, whose continuing influence is in aiming his insults and primary threats for reelection. By contrast, what seems to drive Democratic votes is a general plea to reason rather than the use of power.

    As the opposition party, Republicans, of course, already are lining up to give Trump a pass on impeachment conviction and a permanent bar to run for office again, and, while open to approving Biden's cabinet, generally are vocal about a too-large investment in anti-COVID efforts based on the new-found need to care for the national debt.

    Title Without Authority

    The new heavyweight in the Senate is the center, with Manchin from Democrats meeting up with Susan Collins (R-Maine), and a smallish group from Republicans. Somehow, they want to buck both parties with their insistence on moderation and politeness – even as the Capitol is assaulted, even as the coronavirus deaths soar again, even as hunger is growing.

    Schumer himself is up for reelection in 2022 and could face a long-shot primary challenge from the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

    "The talks of bipartisanship are quickly getting ensnared by must-move Senate business, not the least of which is getting an agreement on how the Senate will be run over the next two years. It seems simple, but it's a big deal and it's proving far harder to secure than anyone had anticipated," noted CNN.

    Schumer is seeing pressure from his left to dump the filibuster to make it easier to pass improvements in health, infrastructure, environment and national security issues. Biden, again, thinks that bipartisanship can be made to work, but needs a strong Schumer.

    So, Schumer's time is short to prove effectiveness. He did not win his title until Georgia improbably elected two Democrats on Jan. 5, and it has been a race to get the new rules in place at a time of simultaneous public tidal waves. Succeeding as majority leader has meant going toe-to-toe with McConnell over arcane rules.

    McConnell simply is acting as if he gets a veto over all that passes to the Senate. He is still acting as majority leader without the title.

    Schumer needs to step up to his new job.

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

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    Report typos and corrections to: corrections@rawstory.com.
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    Do you approve of Biden's presidency so far?

    LISTEN: RNC lawyer makes  admission to Supreme Court Justices that GOP needs voter suppression laws to win

    David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement
    March 02, 2021

    At the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday an attorney for the Republican National Committee admitted GOP candidates need voter suppression laws, especially those that target minority voters, to win.

    The high court was hearing arguments related to the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, which under Chief Justice John Roberts was gutted to be almost useless in 2013 when he infamously announced, “Our country has changed." The Guardian and HuffPost have written he was suggesting that racism is pretty much over.

    It is not.

    Tuesday's arguments discussed the landmark Voting Rights Act and "an Arizona law that disqualified ballots cast in the wrong precinct," as Mother Jones reports.

    The Brennan Center, as The Washington Post, reporting on today's Supreme Court hearing notes, is tracking over 250 bills Republicans are pushing in more than half the states across the country that are designed to take the "voter fraud" lies Donald Trump and his supporters have been pushing for nearly a year and turn them into "legal" voter suppression.

    The Supreme Court has changed dramatically in the nearly eight years since it suggested racism isn't a big deal anymore – and not for the better.

    But it was the court's newest member, and one of the most right wing yet, who asked a revealing question.

    “What's the interest of the Arizona RNC here in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct ballot disqualification rules on the books?"

    That law forces the state to throw out voter ballots if cast in the wrong precinct.

    The question was asked by Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

    The answer stunned many.

    “Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats," the lawyer, Michael Carvin, responded, as Mother Jones reports. “Politics is a zero-sum game," he added.

    "It's the difference between winning an election 50-49 and –" he continued, but Justice Barrett wouldn't even let him finish his sentence, perhaps for fear of what else he would say.

    "Republicans' intentions couldn't be any clearer," writes Mother Jones' Abigail Weinberg. "It's not about reducing fraud. It's about keeping minorities from voting for Democrats."

    Listen as Carvin, a Federalist Society lawyer, very matter-of-factly, and almost condescendingly, admit what Republicans need to do to win:

    In voting rights case, Justice Barrett asks GOP lawyer Michael Carvin “what's the interest" to Republicans in keeping voting restrictions in AZ. Carvin: “Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats. Politics is a zero-sum game."pic.twitter.com/In7GULkSUb
    — The Recount (@therecount) March 2, 2021

    NY prosecutors shift their focus to Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg

    Meaghan Ellis, AlterNet
    March 02, 2021

    Investigators with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's office have been raising questions about Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, and his possible involvement in financial fraud.

    According to a report published by The New York Times, insiders with knowledge of the investigation have revealed New York state prosecutors are now looking into Weisselberg's financial management of the Trump Organization, as well as his sons, Barry and Jack Weisselbergs' financial dealings as part of their father's investigation.

    Barry Weisselberg reportedly manages the Trump Organization's Central Park carousel and ice skating rinks while his brother, Jack, is the director of the Ladder Capital Corp., a commercial real estate loan company that has approved multiple loans for the Trump Organization over the last several years.

    Insiders familiar with the investigation have also noted that investigators believe Weisselberg might "have incentive to cooperate with Vance's office if prosecutors begin to aggressively pursue leads about his sons."

    If prosecutors are able to gain Allen Weisselberg's cooperation, it could serve as a significant shift in their case given his fierce loyalty to Trump. In addition to the investigative probe into Weisselberg's sons, prosecutors are also "examining, among other things, whether Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely manipulated property values to obtain loans and tax benefits."

    Despite the mounting evidence investigators are gathering to build their case, Trump and his allies have repeatedly waived off the inquiry deeming it a politically motivated "witch hunt" and "fishing expedition" orchestrated by Vance, who is a registered Democrat.

    The latest report comes after Trump's recent court loss. The former president failed at his latest attempt to keep his tax records out of the hands of prosecutors. The Supreme Court's refusal to side with Trump served as a big win for Vance's office. After the ruling was handed down, Trump released a statement.

    It read, "For more than two years, New York City has been looking at almost every transaction I've ever done, including seeking tax returns which were done by among the biggest and most prestigious law and accounting firms in the U.S."

    Biden's SEC nominee vows review of GameStop trading issues, climate disclosures

    Reuters
    March 02, 2021

    By Pete Schroeder and Chris Prentice WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's pick to head a key market regulator promised on Tuesday a thorough review of issues raised by the GameStop Corp stock frenzy and suggested companies may have to disclose their potential risks from climate change. Gary Gensler, the president's nominee to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, said he would look into whether retail investors get the best prices when brokers are paid for their order flow and business practices that incentivize trading. He also said the agency could explore potential issue...

     
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