As a striking Fox News poll suggests the GOP midterm position is deteriorating, a voting rights expert walks us through what Trump is really gearing up to attempt this fall—and how to defeat it.
Donald Trump exploded at Senate GOP leader John Thune during a Wednesday rally, demanding that Republicans pass voter suppression legislation immediately. This prompted an angry response from Thune, which in turn triggered MAGA rage in response. It’s no accident that this comes amid new polls showing the GOP midterm position deteriorating, including in a major Fox News survey. Trump thinks voter suppression can save the party. This is all coming to a head because the House just passed something, and the pressure on the Senate is getting brutal.
The Senate literally makes it's own rules, and chooses how to organize itself. The rules are so convoluted that the Senate established its own office, the Parliamentarian, to advise on those rules. This is a non-partisan office that serves the Senate as a whole. They get no actual vote, but their decisions affects how work in the Senate progresses. (In particular, they are the ones who make decisions on these "reconciliation" bills that provide a way around the filibuster.
Trump can't fire her, because she works for the Senate Leadership. The Majority Leader can fire her, but won't (at least so far), because once the rules start breaking down, it's impossible to get anything done in the Senate. Republicans could just dispense with the rules to give the majority more power, but they are terrified of what Democrats would do with that power if they ever gained the majority afterwards.
So, if we ever do get to the point that Republicans fire the Parliamentarian, or further restrict the filibuster, it will be because Republicans are counting on never having to give up control of the Senate again.
