Did Schumer win the fight with McConnell? I'm less certain on this than others. He certainly didn't lose it. Sinema and Manchin simply said what they've said before on the filibuster. On that level, McConnell got nothing new.
But another way of looking at it is this: McConnell engaged in the most blatant, ridiculous act of obstructionism imaginable, and instead of telling him that if he kept it up, they'd take that power from him, key Dems reassured him that they'd never take that power from him.
I'd have much preferred to see this end by Manchin, Sinema, and other Democrats saying they didn't want to get rid of the filibuster, even on organizing resolutions, but if McConnell didn't cut it out, they'd have no choice.
McConnell's demonstration here is that in a 50-50 Senate with a filibuster, he can make anything miserable for the Democrats, even the simple resolution to organize the Senate. And while he backed down, he wasn't punished for it.
So did McConnell get what he wanted here? No. Democrats didn't agree to a resolution further protecting the filibuster. But did this episode augur a Senate that will get much done in the next two years? Also no.
The key thing I heard today was Schumer telling @maddow that he's ready to use budget reconciliation to pass most of the Rescue Act, and it certainly seems Democrats are considering expanding that workaround. Where Manchin and Sinema stand on that would tell us a lot.
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