Following Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent comments indicating that she would seek to eliminate the filibuster to codify protections for abortion, the Democratic presidential candidate has faced substantial backlash. In the aftermath of the controversial remarks, two pro-abortion senators, Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), have turned against Harris.
Sen. Manchin, who previously left the Democratic Party and registered as an Independent, recently told CNN that he would endorse Kamala Harris after her comments regarding the filibuster. “Shame on her,” Manchin said earlier this week. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.”
Manchin vowed not to support Harris’ presidential bid, stating, “That ain’t going to happen. I think that basically can destroy our country and my country is more important to me than any one person or any one person’s ideology…I think it’s the most horrible thing.” The West Virginia senator previously indicated that he might consider endorsing Harris a couple of weeks ago, but this consideration is no longer on the table.
Furthermore, Kyrsten Sinema, who, like Manchin, fled the Democratic Party to become an Independent, took to social media to blast the concept of eliminating the filibuster. “To state the supremely obvious, eliminating the filibuster to codify Roe v Wade also enables a future Congress to ban all abortion nationwide,” Sinema posted on X this week. “What an absolutely terrible, shortsighted idea.”
On Tuesday, Vice President Harris voiced that she favors eliminating the filibuster to codify abortion protections after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022. Ever since, the Democratic Party and the Harris-Walz campaign have made abortion an essential aspect of its agenda. “I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do,” she said.
Proponents of the filibuster have highlighted the consequences of removing the Senate rule, where it could result in political instability. Eliminating the filibuster could result in the continual passing and revoking of legislation entirely dependent on who holds the majority in Congress. As a result, senators would have no incentive to pass legislation with a long-term view in mind.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) explained the possible ramifications of doing away with the filibuster. “If Democrats were successful with doing away with the filibuster, legislative accomplishments could be undone and redone over and over with just one flip of a Senate seat,” Capito said. “That’s a dangerous precedent to set and a reckless way to govern. This move would have disastrous consequences and would fundamentally change our democratic process for years to come.”
The American Tribune recently reported on “The View” bashing Sen. Manchin for refusing to back Harris after her remarks. After the segment played a clip of Manchin stating, “I’m not endorsing her, never,” Co-host Whoopi Goldberg emphatically said, “Well, we ain’t endorsing you. How about that?” Watch a clip of the incident below:
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