Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) wants Senate Democrats to step to the plate and abolish the filibuster, which would pave the way for near-total Democrat control of Congress.
“Please stop asking us about bipartisanship when this is what the leader of the other party is focused on,” she said on Twitter. “Democrats can’t repeat the mistake of 2009, we must abolish the filibuster & move legislation that helps us deliver progress for the American people. Let’s grow a backbone.”
Please stop asking us about bipartisanship when this is what the leader of the other party is focused on.
Democrats can’t repeat the mistake of 2009, we must abolish the filibuster & move legislation that helps us deliver progress for the American people.
Let’s grow a backbone. https://t.co/5A9qWW1Jq1
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 5, 2021
She was responding to a message from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who said he is “100 percent of [his] focus is on stopping this new administration.”
Omar, considered to be a far-left Democrat and not a mainstream member of the left-wing party, is attempting to move the party further toward her way of thinking.
Abolishing the filibuster would allow Senate Democrats to pass legislation like D.C. and Puerto Rican statehood, among other far-left proposals, with a simple majority vote.
Still, the party must contend with its Senators who live in typically-Republican states.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) are both up for reelection in 2022. Moving leftward could make it more difficult for them to win their reelection bids.
Democrats hold 50 seats in the Senate, and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) holds the tie-breaking vote on any piece of legislation, if necessary.
Omar’s demand is reflective of the power struggle within the Democrat Party.
Along with Omar, several members of Congress, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) have been working to make the party more progressive.
Their main initiatives include police reform, relaxing voting laws, and other “social justice” agenda items.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Minnesota Sun and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Rep. Ilhan Omar” by Rep. Ilhan Omar.
