President Biden has whiffed in his attempts to persuade hold out Senate Democrats to go around or abolish the filibuster to get voting rights legislation through Congress.
The White House, led by the President, had engaged in a fiery campaign to push bills through that would protect voters against the cavalcade of suppression laws that have passed in Republican-led states in reaction to former President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. Any hopes of getting legislation through was quashed when Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona), and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) reiterated their refusal to change Senate rules so that the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act could pass.
The two renegade Democrats pre-empted President Biden’s visit to the Capitol in embarrassing fashion. Before he arrived, the duo took to the Senate floor to declare they would not support any changes to the filibuster under any circumstances.