FYI @LeaderMcConnell speaks regularly against the military takeover of Myanmar. Now we have people openly advocating *right now* for a military coup in the USA.
To brush up on Myanmar, hundreds have been killed, democracy has been crushed, the country is in political and economic chaos. People want this for USA? nytimes.com/article/myanma…
Also, people are gonna get confused if minamar starts trending.
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There’s potentially a $100B difference in taxes Jeff Bezos and his estate would pay under GOP tax proposal and the Biden tax proposal.
The biggest difference is most Senate Republicans have proposed to completely eliminate the 45% estate tax on net worth larger than ~$11 million. Bezos’ net worth is estimated at about $188 billion.
Biden has also proposed eliminating the 100% tax break on capital gains at death. The lost step-up on basis would potentially tax Bezos’ estate more than any other person, because his wealth is largely a never-taxed, unrealized cap gain on Amazon stock.
The 1/6 Commission vote is a great example of how *attendance is not required* for a successful filibuster.
If you needed 41 votes to filibuster and not 60 to end one, yesterday *might* have gone differently.
At minimum, 6 more Republicans would have had to show up and vote.
The way the Senate rules work, a 59-1 vote is a victory for the 1. Likewise 54 loses to 35.
You need 60. I think @NormOrnstein has proposed 41 affirmative votes and some other tweaks to at minimum require attendance and make a filibuster harder work than it is today.
I don't think a 41 vote requirement would mean all that much in practice though. Take yesterday: Schumer needed consent of the Republicans to schedule the vote when he scheduled it.
Most of what the Senate does is done by *unanimous consent.* Once you start mucking with rules...
It is actually possible to not miss any Senate votes.
Susan Collins hasn't missed any.
Chuck Grassley went 27 years without missing a vote before his positive COVID test.
Senators often know when their votes won't change the outcome, and so will skip town for a family function, a funeral, a codel, a medical appointment, etc. Others refuse to do that because they see the vote itself as very important even if outcome doesn't change.
It's pretty darn rare for a missing lawmaker to actually change the outcome, and it didn't today.
*PORTMAN VOTES AYE on advancing the 1/6 Commission
I count 6 Republicans, 4 shy of overcoming McConnell-led filibuster.
The other 5 Republicans who have voted to advance the 1/6 Commission, unlike Portman, voted to convict Trump of inciting 1/6:
*SASSE
*CASSIDY
*COLLINS
*MURKOWSKI
*ROMNEY
The vote right now is 54-35, which is a losing vote in the U.S. Senate.
A "No" vote is irrelevant to the outcome.
In the U.S. Senate, 59-1 would lose because of the filibuster rule.
Activity on the Senate floor. I think I heard Mike Lee say "9 a.m."
Hopefully that means they adjourn and let the staff (and yours truly) go home for a bit???
Floor staff in intense discussion with Elizabeth MacDonough, the parliamentarian. Not sure what procedure they are discussing. Durbin, Schatz chatting away while they figure it out.
AFTER ALL THAT, THE SENATE HAS ADJOURNED UNTIL 9 AM AND I AM GOING HOME.