Senators Behaving Badly

Jonathan Bernstein: “Those behaving the most badly are Senate Republicans. With the government on target to run out of borrowing authority sometime in the next two to six weeks, they’ve now voted unanimously to block a badly needed increase in the debt limit. They technically blocked consideration of the bill at all, since the vote was on whether to allow a vote on the motion to proceed to consideration of the bill that would have raised the debt limit and provided continued funding for government operations along with emergency funds for damages from natural disasters and other priorities.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the out-party forcing the majority party to supply the votes on such things, especially during a time of unified government. That’s what Republicans have said they are doing. But it’s not true. They’re not forcing Democrats to vote for it; they are preventing a final vote, using the rules that require a supermajority to act. Don’t just blame Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. If as few as 10 Republicans were willing to allow a final vote — even if they then opposed the bill — the danger of a debt-limit breach would end.”