We really need to face this. In response to the coup, our Dem senators are doing much less than they could. They have produced talk but no action, and yet they could take action. We need to acknowledge this before we can change it.
Senators could be using all their powers of obstruction to stop this mad regime from destroying the nation, but they aren't. Every senator has this power, parts of which I have described elsewhere.
If even one senator had been the righteous kind of asshole, every one of the cabinet nominees could have been mired in literally scores of hours of debate, process, stalling, and other kinds of valuable procedural bullshit. Maybe even longer.
Those delays would have stacked up. A handful of Dems could have tag-teamed this and bogged down the Senate, forcing Republicans to work nights and weekends and miss their grandkids' birthdays.
If they'd started the delays with Rubio for State, this week's story might have been about the grinding process for just the second or third monster of this Reich, instead of leaving us staring at the entire set.
I acknowledge there have been some good soundbites from Dems at the hearings and the demonstrations, but soundbites aren't action. Proposing doomed legislation isn't action. Tweeting about eggs isn’t action.
The only action that was commensurate to the threat of the moment would have been to freeze the Senate, and they didn't even try. They created a brief stoppage over Vought, but not in a way that mattered strategically. And they gave themselves a long weekend afterward, during which time they were not making things hard for Republicans.
They are failing to make things hard for Republicans again this week, and they'll have another long weekend coming. To see all the lost opportunities for obstruction, simply look at the Congressional Record and note how many times things were allowed to proceed "by unanimous consent" and how many quorum calls were waived.
Personally, I believe the fate of our nation is more important than a senator’s comfort. The oath they took would suggest the same.
On a related point, leaked reports by Axios from Monday’s meeting of Dem MOCs suggests they are more upset with Indivisible’s phone calls than with the lawless actions of this regime.
Scoop: Dems "pissed" at liberal groups MoveOn, Indivisible
The first Dem senator who's brave enough to stop things for real by making a whole ass of themself will legitimately be seen as a hero. For snickers, here's how it could go:
This is resistance.
Transcript of the bluesky tweets:
Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social
Fun fact: the Senate doesn't even have a rule against dilatory motions as such. Make all the repeated objections you want, and then appeal them. You can get vote after vote after vote after vote.
Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social
Me: Mr President, I have a parliamentary inquiry in two parts
Pro-Tem: No it must be a simple question
Me: Ok so my inquiry is whether it is possible to make a parliamentary inquiry in two parts
Pro-Tem: it is not
Me: I would like to appeal the ruling of the chair
Pro-Tem: I swear to fucken god
---------------
Pro-Tem: So let's begin with today's business
Me (looks around the chamber and sees every chair is full): I would like to note the lack of a quorum
Pro-Tem: (looks around the chamber and sees every chair is full): …
Me: …
Pro-Tem: …
Me: …
Pro-Tem: (sigh) the clerk will call the roll
---------------
Me: Senator: I ask that the vote scheduled at 12:15 occur immediately
Pro-Tem: without objection, it is so orde..
Me: I object
Pro-Tem: what
Me: I object
(6 minutes of inaudible whispers with parliamentarian)
Pro-Tem: fine, we stand adjourned until 12:15 without objection, so
Me: I object
Pro-Tem: WHAT
