The Senate Democrats are at it again. After a marathon session of voting on amendments to the infrastructure package, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attempted to force a vote on a series of bills that would facilitate a federal takeover of elections including the Corrupt Politicians Act. But as The Houston Chronicle reported, Senator Ted Cruz repeatedly objected to the motions:
In a back-and-forth with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor around 3:30 a.m., the Texas Republican objected repeatedly as the New York Democrat sought consent for the Senate to consider a series of voting bills. Cruz denounced the legislation as “a federal government takeover of elections” and a “massive power grab by Democrats.”
The roughly 15-minute exchange effectively killed a weeks-long effort by Texas Democrats to force a vote on the bills, though Schumer vowed that voting rights would be the party’s top priority when the Senate returns in September.
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT: In the dead of night, Sen. @tedcruz successfully blocked Democrats' For the People Act from passing in the Senate. pic.twitter.com/XeWRux2YXf
— Forbes (@Forbes) August 11, 2021
As Leader McConnell said, "Maybe this is just concluding the night with a little comic relief."
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT: Earlier this morning, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) assailed Democrats for immediately pushing to pass the For the People Act: "Maybe this is just concluding the night with a little comic relief." pic.twitter.com/3BTyIlZfZW
— Forbes (@Forbes) August 11, 2021
It may seem like this was a last-ditch effort by Senate Democrats to appease progressives and vote on election-related legislation, but this is just the beginning:
Schumer said voting rights are now the party’s top priority after passing a massive infrastructure package on Tuesday. He announced the Senate would consider a “compromise” voting rights bill when it returns from recess in September. He said the party will “rally around” the trimmed-down version of the legislation that a group of Senate Democrats have been hashing out over the last couple of weeks.
As Hans von Spakovsky explained earlier this month, this isn't really even about elections:
They are using election reform as a Trojan Horse to get something even bigger: The death of the Senate filibuster. Once the legislative filibuster is gone, the floodgates will open for all their extremist policies — not just the federal takeover of elections, but the Green New Deal, tax hikes, and more — all of which they would be able to pass with just 50 votes if Vice President Kamala Harris casts a tie-breaking vote. . .
These politicians aren’t fighting for civil rights. They are fighting for their own power, and they are working to convince people they are the good guys while shamelessly hijacking the mantle of the civil rights movement to do it.
Democrats are expected to introduce a revamped version of H.R.4, their latest power grab of elections, in the coming weeks.