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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
This.
So long as Mitch retains the role of Senate Majority Leader, it doesn't matter which way Manchin votes. Manchin won't be given the chance to cast a vote. Mitch doesn't use Republicans' majority status to vote down nominees and liberal bills. He doesn't have to. He can dispose of them himself.
Mitch discovered a long time ago that as long as he's sitting in that chair, he can just decide that the Senate will not deliberate this bill. They will not vote on this proposal. They will not hold a hearing for this nominee.
Mitch's #1 legislative weapon is the ability to simply not do his job at all. As Majority Leader, Mitch rules the Senate with an iron fist. If Republicans retain a 51+ majority, Mitch will simply put his feet up on his desk and write "NOPE!" on every single piece of legislation and every appointment confirmation that Democrats put on his desk.
We can fret about how much horse trading it takes to get bills passed and how often Democrats vote with us just as soon as we regain the ability to even hold votes at all.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Yup. The only thing stopping Mitch if the Dems don't take both runoff seats is a few Republicans defecting (or threatening to) on certain votes if he tries to shutdown Biden's entire cabinet appointment process or let the fiscal cliff happen, etc.
And as we've learned, Republican Senators cannot be trusted.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.Trump threatens to veto NDAA bill if termination of section 230 isn't inside.
Just saw this bit tonight - Lou Dobbs outright accused Barr of being "either a liar or a fool or both. He may be -- perhaps compromised. He may be simply unprincipled, or he may be personally distraught or ill."
for saying there was no evidence of fraud.
This is the kind of media bubble that we need to burst.
It's the annual military spending bill (National Defense Authorization Act) - and it should be interesting to see how Republicans respond on that.
Edited by ironballs16 on Dec 1st 2020 at 12:07:13 PM
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Nope. Clearly a case of Didn't Think This Through.
Edited by CookingCat on Dec 1st 2020 at 9:33:45 AM
I don't think he's thought that far through. He's just mad that Twitter is flagging his tweets with "official sources called this election differently" and the like.
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my TumblrThe administration is laying out what they want in the executive order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-preventing-online-censorship/
I tried, but my eyes completely glazed over.
Is there any chance this could actually go anywhere? I mean, as much its origins may be Trump being a giant baby, Big Tech seems to be pretty legitimately unpopular with both parties in Congress, albeit for completely opposite reasons (hell, it's not like I have a remotely positive opinion of Twitter myself.) Fighting in the name of preserving its legal shield doesn't seem like something they'd be eager to do. OTOH, it's hard to imagine big changes to the status quo being made as anything other than the result of their own major debate, not as a side issue to a defense bill.
Edited by nrjxll on Dec 2nd 2020 at 3:12:35 AM
Here's a Business Insider article
from late October, when Congress was debating whether to repeal or rewrite Section 230.
- Section 230 - a federal law that shields social media companies from liabilities that would otherwise reshape or crush their businesses - is closer than ever to being repealed or rewritten.
- The law protects social media companies from being held liable for the content of users' posts. Proponents argue it enables open forums on the internet to exist.
- But critics of the law say it doesn't adequately hold social media companies accountable for harmful content like misinformation or hate speech. Some Republican lawmakers have also argued that social media companies embolden anti-conservative bias and have used repealing Section 230 as a threat.
Lawmakers from both major political parties have signaled that the law should be repealed or rewritten, arguing that it shields social media companies from responsibility. Meanwhile, tech companies have warned that doing so could reshape the internet as we know it, eliminating comment boards, messaging, user-submitted posts, forums, marketplaces, and other trademarks of online communication.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, known simply as Section 230, is part of a law that protects social media companies from being held liable for the content of users' posts in the way that newspapers are liable for articles they publish. It enables open forums on the internet to exist.
But critics of the law say it lets big tech companies get away with making bad content moderation decisions selectively without consequences. Republicans have lodged claims based on scant evidence that big tech companies are systematically biased against President Donald Trump and his allies, while Democrats say platforms need more legal incentives to remove hate speech and misinformation.
Critics have also pointed to the fact that tech companies have taken control of distribution channels for content produced by traditional publishers, vacuuming up advertising revenue from struggling newspapers without facing any of the risks associated with publishing news.
If Section 230 is repealed, tech companies would have to weigh whether to continue to host open forums, or to pursue less risky models.
On more recent going-ons from Axios:
But, but, but: It's a long shot, for political and logistical reasons.
- The White House has pushed lawmakers to insert a repeal of Section 230 into the NDAA, as part of a compromise that would have President Trump sign the bill even though he's opposed to a provision that renames military bases that are named for Confederate leaders.
- But Senate Republicans are instead trying to negotiate an alternative that would combine multiple bills aimed at reforming the law, including the bipartisan Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency Act and Wicker's Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act, a Hill source familiar with the matter told Axios.
The bottom line: It appears Republicans are open to the White House's buzzer-beater policy goals, but Democrats are sure to object.
Okay, the impression I get from reading this is that a straight-repeal would have negative consequences, but there are legitimate reasons to want to reduce the scope of the law or reform it. And it's not quite as simple as Section 230 is repealed, the Internet dies.
Edited by nova92 on Dec 2nd 2020 at 1:25:19 AM

Feinstein could probably be pressured/persuaded, given that she's given up her position as head Democrat of the Judiciary Committee.
Manchin being there to give Democrats a majority and letting Biden replace Judges and appoint key Cabinet members is also important. I have no doubt that Mitch will keep vacancies open or force other concessions if the GOP keeps the majority.
Edited by nova92 on Dec 1st 2020 at 7:03:11 AM