Rubin (WP): Why Democrats have an extraordinary opening (filibuster, reforms, etc)

[honest.abe]

Democrats have a once-in-a-generation opportunity, akin to the first civil rights era, to reorder our politics. In the 1960s, southern whites shifted to the Republicans, while nonwhite voters in cities and young voters went to the Democrats. Now the tectonic plates are shifting once more. NBC News explains what has happened to the two parties:

Republicans have actually grown their advantage among white voters who do not have a college degree. They now hold a 24-point party ID edge with that group. In 2015, the GOP held a 21-point lead with them.
But among whites with a college degree, the numbers have moved sharply in the other direction. Democrats and Republicans drew equal support among that group in 2015, 47 percent identified with each party. But in the latest data whites with a college degree leaned Democratic by 12 points.

Many of those college-educated voters are the “suburban white women” you keep hearing about, who voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in 2018. That gender gap has widened into a canyon. (In 2015, Democrats had a 12-point advantage with women; now Democrats have a 18-point lead.) Simply put, the anti-science, white grievance, bully-boy politics of the Republican Party under President Trump turns off people who do not want to be viewed as uneducated, racist or mean. It turns out that is a very broad coalition.

<snip>

I suspect the Senate filibuster is on thinner ice than ever before. If Democrats win big (claiming the White House and the Senate majority), they will be in no mood to see an entire agenda stymied by a minority of senators from red states. I personally have grave reservations about doing away with the filibuster, but concern about minority rights is likely to be subsumed by enthusiasm for an aggressive agenda, one that might include some systemic changes in voting rights (automatic registration, voting by mail available in all 50 states, an end to voter ID laws, etc.) that would help Democrats down the road.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/15/why-democrats-have-an-extraordinary-opening/

I know Rubin is a conservative but I think this article is spot on.

I do wonder if Democrats will actually nuke the filibuster. That would be remarkable.

[Walleye]

1. McConnell doesn't hesitate to change any rules that get in his.

Way. My Mom used to say, what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. We need to listen to the wisdom of our moms.

[honest.abe]

2. True, but so far he and Republicans have not completely done away with the filibuster rule.

Many Senators on both sides have reservations about eliminating it entirely.

I personally think it should be trashed. It thwarts most any meaningful substantial legislation. I hope the Dems can pull it off if we win back the Senate and WH.