Probably true, although mostly not for the reason that Donald Trump stated in today’s morning tweetstorm. After watching the ObamaCare repeal effort — such as it was — go down to defeat in the Senate yesterday, the president vented his spleen at Mitch McConnell over the filibuster. “Go to 51 votes NOW and WIN,” Trump urged, just one day after the Senate Majority Leader couldn’t quite make it to 50:
Republican Senate must get rid of 60 vote NOW! It is killing the R Party, allows 8 Dems to control country. 200 Bills sit in Senate. A JOKE!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
The very outdated filibuster rule must go. Budget reconciliation is killing R's in Senate. Mitch M, go to 51 Votes NOW and WIN. IT'S TIME!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
Republicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don't go to a 51 vote majority NOW. They look like fools and are just wasting time......— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
Budget reconciliation refers to two major agenda items — ObamaCare repeal and tax reform. While the former flopped, the latter seems to be on pace for more success. Republican factions all support tax reform in both the corporate and individual codes, while still not quite firm on the details. Depending on how tax reform gets structured, there is clearly more opportunity to appeal to moderate Democrats than there ever was on repealing ObamaCare, which had always been a bright line for Democrats. But those can already pass with 51 votes, and Republicans have 52. The problem they’ve had isn’t the budget reconciliation process. What’s “killing R’s in Senate” is the GOP, which has been unable to unify so far on ObamaCare. Eliminating the filibuster rule wouldn’t have made much difference except to allow for a total repeal, which would have probably gotten no more than the 43 votes it got in the amendment vote-a-rama this week.
Trump has a somewhat better argument on non-reconciliation bills: --->Read the rest from Ed Morrissey HERE.
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