McConnell’s Gridlock in the Senate
By Maxwell Moiseff
By Maxwell Moiseff
For many years, the Senate has been a bureaucratic quagmire where House bills flounder and die, and the current assembly is no different. Under the leadership of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — the self-proclaimed “Grim Reaper” of Senate bills — the legislative body has amplified its long tradition of gridlock, making it harder than ever to pass new legislation.
The current majority leader has a long history of stalling and blocking debate. During the Obama administration, McConnell refused to allow a vote on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland and has since prevented the Senate from voting on numerous bills, including an election security bill and a firearm background check bill.
McConnell has tried to defend his actions by criticizing Democrats. During the tenure of McConnell’s predecessor, Democrat Harry Reid, McConnell criticized Reid for blocking bills in the same way that McConnell himself would go on to do and, after facing criticism, countered by arguing that Democrats had used the same tactics. However, Reid’s past abuse of power in no way justifies McConnell’s actions. In fact, Reid’s actions make the history of obstructionism even more outrageous. This problem did not begin with the current majority leader and it will likely not end with him either. The only way to fix the gridlock is a drastic revision of Senate rules.
Under the current system, McConnell has been using his powers as majority leader in a similar manner to the president’s power to veto any bills that pass both houses of Congress. This is a flagrant violation of constitutional powers. The Constitution is designed with a careful system of checks and balances calculated to give different departments competing abilities to limit tyranny from the other branches, but because McConnell’s obstructionism is such a horrendous misinterpretation of the powers granted him, there is no constitutional way to stop his unjust rule. And even the president’s veto is not absolute — not only does the president have only ten days to act before losing his right to object to a bill but a two-thirds majority in Congress can overturn a veto. The majority leader’s lone and near-unstoppable block to any piece of legislation is a dangerous and unprecedented power in any system of government that dares call itself a democracy.
Even if you agree with McConnell’s political views, you must remember that as soon as a Democratic majority leader comes into control of the Senate, he or she will use the exact same tactics as McConnell to block Republican bills. Regardless of your political beliefs, it is unacceptable for one man to have such vast power in a democracy designed to be run by the people. Something is wrong with our system, when the common people have so little power to unseat McConnell. Senate rules are controlled internally and unless you are a resident of Kentucky, you cannot vote the McConnell (a Kentuckian senator) out of office. McConnell is not the problem — the rules that allow McConnell to block any and all rules are the problem. Until the American people elect Senators willing and able to reform the Senate rules, nothing will change.
The current majority leader has a long history of stalling and blocking debate. During the Obama administration, McConnell refused to allow a vote on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland and has since prevented the Senate from voting on numerous bills, including an election security bill and a firearm background check bill.
McConnell has tried to defend his actions by criticizing Democrats. During the tenure of McConnell’s predecessor, Democrat Harry Reid, McConnell criticized Reid for blocking bills in the same way that McConnell himself would go on to do and, after facing criticism, countered by arguing that Democrats had used the same tactics. However, Reid’s past abuse of power in no way justifies McConnell’s actions. In fact, Reid’s actions make the history of obstructionism even more outrageous. This problem did not begin with the current majority leader and it will likely not end with him either. The only way to fix the gridlock is a drastic revision of Senate rules.
Under the current system, McConnell has been using his powers as majority leader in a similar manner to the president’s power to veto any bills that pass both houses of Congress. This is a flagrant violation of constitutional powers. The Constitution is designed with a careful system of checks and balances calculated to give different departments competing abilities to limit tyranny from the other branches, but because McConnell’s obstructionism is such a horrendous misinterpretation of the powers granted him, there is no constitutional way to stop his unjust rule. And even the president’s veto is not absolute — not only does the president have only ten days to act before losing his right to object to a bill but a two-thirds majority in Congress can overturn a veto. The majority leader’s lone and near-unstoppable block to any piece of legislation is a dangerous and unprecedented power in any system of government that dares call itself a democracy.
Even if you agree with McConnell’s political views, you must remember that as soon as a Democratic majority leader comes into control of the Senate, he or she will use the exact same tactics as McConnell to block Republican bills. Regardless of your political beliefs, it is unacceptable for one man to have such vast power in a democracy designed to be run by the people. Something is wrong with our system, when the common people have so little power to unseat McConnell. Senate rules are controlled internally and unless you are a resident of Kentucky, you cannot vote the McConnell (a Kentuckian senator) out of office. McConnell is not the problem — the rules that allow McConnell to block any and all rules are the problem. Until the American people elect Senators willing and able to reform the Senate rules, nothing will change.