Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell responded to Democrats successfully filibustering the Keystone XL bill by practically begging Democrats to allow the bill to move forward.
In remarks on the Senate floor today, McConnell responded to the successful Democratic filibuster:
The Keystone jobs bill is a bipartisan infrastructure project the American people deserve.
So the vote last night to filibuster was disappointing.
The Keystone jobs bill has been considered and reported out by the Energy Committee…
It’s been subject to weeks of open debate.
Senators on both sides have been able to offer and vote on amendments — two dozen and counting.
Our Democratic friends have had more amendments considered on this bill than Republicans — more amendments than all of last year combined.
And just a few days ago, we offered our friends the opportunity to have even more of their amendments voted on. Unfortunately, Democrats rejected that offer.
I’m asking them to reconsider.
Join us. Work with the bill managers, Senators Murkowski and Cantwell, to get your amendments processed. And let’s make progress for the American people.
What McConnell left out of his woe is me remarks was why Democrats are so angry. Mitch McConnell tried to go back on his word with an attempt to abruptly end debate on the Keystone XL. Sen. McConnell has been trying to strong-arm the DOA pipeline bill through the Senate. Senate Democratic Whip Sen. Dick Durban explained why Democrats are angry, “The authors of the amendment were denied 60 seconds to even explain their amendments. It didn’t leave a very good taste in the mouth of many Democrats, not even those who were supporting the Keystone Canadian pipeline.”
The obstructor has become the obstructed. The fast start that McConnell promised during the 2014 campaign has evaporated as he has been pinned down by Senate Democrats on one end and President Obama on the other. The Keystone XL debate is about more than a certain to vetoed pipeline authorization bill. The deeper meaning of the debate is that Democrats are showing that they won’t be pushed around while for Republicans Keystone XL was supposed to be a symbol of their newly won power.
As the weeks go by, the Keystone XL debate has morphed into a sign that Republicans still can’t govern as they are wasting weeks on legislation that will never become law. The argument that Democrats have become the obstructionists holding back progress won’t play well in a 2016 Senate election landscape that is tilted towards Democrats. McConnell’s comments are increasing sounding like blame shifting and are the biggest sign yet that Democrats are winning the legislative struggle over Keystone XL.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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