[EL] Senate deja vu on "narrowly tailored" filibuster exemption?

[Douglas Johnson]

As I read the coverage of the voting laws / filibuster debate I am filled
with deja vu. Is there some difference I am missing between this debate now
and the debate back when the Democratic-controlled Senate waived
filibuster rules for judicial appointments?

I have considerable sympathy for Sen. Sinema's point that if the
filibuster is waived now for voting-related legislation, what
voting-related legislation passes the next time Republicans control the
House, Senate and White House? It would seem that waiving the fillibuster
now opens the door to the goals of some Republicans such as a national
voter ID requirement, limiting absentee voting, and/or abolishing Section 2
of the voting rights act (or at least removing that section's applicability
to redistricting). To emphasize: I am not advocating any such proposals,
just noting they are out there and would likely come up the moment
Republicans have their turn back in control.

For those who might argue that the filibuster exemption could be "narrowly
tailored," I would note the waiver of filibuster rules for judicial
appointments also claimed to be narrowly tailored. The Democratic Senate
waiver of the rule did not apply to Supreme Court Justice appointments. Is
Sen. Schumer setting the state for national voter ID or the abolishment of
Section 2 the way Sen. Reid set the stage for the current makeup of the
Supreme Court?

Or am I missing something that is different this time? I fully admit that
is possible. But I suspect the traditional American focus on the short-term
gain yet again is obscuring the longer-term impact of the proposal.

I am surprised that the only mention of this that I have seen are
tangential references to Senator Sinema raising this concern.

Douglas Johnson
National Demographics Corporation
djohnson at NDCresearch.com
phone 310-200-2058
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