#kamala harris tie breaker

[mariacallous]

President Joe Biden reminded Pennsylvanians on Friday that he, Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats safeguarded more than 1 million people’s pensions without any help from the GOP.

Visiting a union hall in Philadelphia, Biden and local union leaders highlighted the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and how it funded union pension plans that were facing insolvency. The pensions of an estimated 1.2 million workers and retirees have been protected from cuts due to the legislation.

It was no accident that the event took place in Pennsylvania, perhaps the most critical of battleground states for Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and for her opponent, former President Donald Trump. Democrats have worried about Harris’ strength with the kind of blue-collar union voters whose pensions were backstopped by the bill.

Biden made sure anyone listening knew that the pension rescue got no Republican backing when Democrats muscled it through Congress over three years ago as part of a larger, pandemic-era stimulus package. It passed on a party-line vote in the Senate, with Harris casting a tie-breaker at a critical juncture for the bill.

The president said the vote underscored the hyperpartisan nature of Congress these days.

“We used to have real differences in the Senate. But at least when the critical things, we ended up getting together. But not anymore,” Biden said. “This is a different deal we’re working with. Not a single, solitary Republican in the House or the Senate, not one, voted to help with the pensions. Not one single one.”

“It’s the way things have gotten,” he added. “It’s wrong.”

He said that he and Harris “worked like hell” to include the pension rescue, known as the Butch Lewis Act, as part of the American Rescue Plan, and theorized that some Republicans would have voted for it but were afraid to cross party leaders.

“I believe a lot of those Republicans who voted no thought it was wrong. But they’re afraid to vote the right way,” Biden said.

The legislation provided an estimated $74 billion to $91 billion to shore up troubled multiemployer pension plans, which are funds that employers pay into under collective bargaining agreements. The funds can run into trouble when union membership declines over time, with more retirees drawing down benefits and fewer contributions going in on behalf of active workers.

The White House said Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 65,000 of the workers and retirees helped by the legislation. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., a government-run entity that insures multiemployer pension plans, said Friday it had approved an application to pump $684 million into a plan covering 29,000 workers and retirees in the service sector.

The pension rescue became something of a campaign story after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ executive board declined to make an endorsement in the presidential race. The Teamsters had the largest pension plan saved from cuts, and so the decision not to back Harris angered many members and labor allies

John Pishko, a retired Teamster from western Pennsylvania, spoke at the Philadelphia event about how the legislation helped save his retirement. He said he was set to lose 30% of his pension benefit, or about $1,000 a month, before Democrats stepped in with the bailout.

“That’s a pretty substantial cut to any working man,” Pishko said. “It was devastating.”

He had assumed he would “never” be able to stave off those cuts.

“It matters when you have a president and vice president who has your back,” he said.

[radioactive-leopard]

I am hearing so much rhetoric from other Americans about either not voting or voting for Trump in the elections in November as a protest vote and I cannot believe how naive they are. Yes, what the current administration is doing in Palestine is terrible; yes, our president is a literal Zionist who openly supports Israel; yes, this is terrible. I don’t think people remember how bad it was under the trump presidency. I’m going to break down a few of their talking points, including those about how the Biden administration failed to live up to their campaign promises.

Biden didn’t protect roe v wade. No, he didn’t, but do you know who you should blame for that? Obama. If Ruth bader Ginsberg hadn’t refused to step down when Obama was president, the Supreme Court would be slightly less conservative. Obama could have pressured her more into retiring. When Obama did have the overwhelming majority in both the house and the senate, he didn’t push for any reproductive rights bills to go through. From 2020-2022, Dems had the slimmest majorities in both the house and senate. In the senate, it was a 50-50 tie with Kamala Harris as the tie breaker, and democrats like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema didn’t support those bills. They had a 13 seat majority in the house, but frankly there wasn’t enough to pass a reproductive rights act. How could Biden have stopped the overturning of roe v wade? He has no power over the Supreme Court. Right now, republicans control the house and the senate is 51-49. Nothing is going through Congress right now.

Biden didn’t cancel student loans like he promised. No, he didn’t. Because the Supreme Court overruled his attempt to forgive a bunch of student loans at once. So what is he doing? Pushing through smaller forgiveness packages to get around the Supreme Court. People want Biden to be a benevolent dictator but only when it suits them.

Biden supports Israel. Yes, he does. Who else supports Israel? Literally every president since WWII. Biden isn’t alone here, and frankly he is far more moderate than other presidents have been. Trump moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, signifying that the us recognizes israeli domain over Jerusalem. Trump has also been vocal in his support for the genocide in Gaza, calling for the IOF to flatten it. Voting for trump would be even more disastrous for the Palestinian people, as he would actively support Bibi. Remember, Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies want Biden to lose because they know what trump will be like.

It can’t get any worse. Yes, it can. Project 2025 is the gop plan to destroy American democracy and any pesky minorities. They want to get rid of the department of education among others. It is a white nationalist, Christian nationalist plot. They want to ban abortion nation wide, persecute trans people, install lackies in civil service positions instead of more neutral professionals, enter into a trade war with china, and grow the fossil fuel industry. If trump wins, his administration will do their best to strip away any constitutional freedoms and create a dictatorship. All of this would be disastrous, and many of these policies would hurt trumps own voter base. Speaking as a midwesterner, I remember when trump was doing that trade war with china and they imposed tariffs on American agricultural products, specifically pork. My family ate so much pork during that time because it was so cheap, but that was only because pig farmers were suffering without the market in china. A trade war with china would specifically hurt farmers.

Don’t vote for either we need a revolution. Seriously? How do you propose we do that? How on gods green earth would people create a successful revolution in less than 6 months. Who do you think would be the first ones hurt in the event of a revolution? The answer is that a revolution would only hurt societies most vulnerable: women, gender and sexual minorities, people of color, Muslims, Jews, any other religious minority, children, and disabled people. A revolution or uprising would be the worst thing that could happen to the people of this country, and it would embolden fascists to enact violence.

[chasing-stardust-22]

"Democrats had the White House, the senate, and the house in 2021"

Only technically true! The Democrats barely had a majority in the senate thanks to VP Kamala Harris, who can cast a tie-breaker vote if needed. This gave huge power to fuckers like Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema (you may remember her as the idiot who did a "dramatic" thumbs down and curtsy to reject a bill that would have increased minimal wage), both current independents and soon-to-be former senators, who could basically get democratic senators to give them anything they wanted in exchange for their vote in senate matters. And that was for votes where a simple majority was all they needed, which isn't always (or even often) the case

There's this thing called a fillibuster. You may have heard of it. Simply put, it is a rule (but not a law) that states the senate has to have 60 votes to pass a bill unless it is budget related (this is called budget reconciliation, and it has been used by both parties to get things through since the Reagan era, because it just wouldn't be America if Reagan wasn't somehow involved in fucking things up)

So even when democrats have the majority in all three, it's not enough if the margin is too thin. So please, god, if you have a democratic senator running for office on your ballot this November, vote for them

[captmccoy]

Manchin Just Won't Go Away

The democrats have had a difficult time moving forward with Joe Biden’s agenda. Certain issues have failed to pass the Senate. There are 50 Republicans and 50 that caucus with the Democrats. The tie breaker should go to President of the Senate; Kamala Harris. One democrat; Senator Joe Manchin (D,R,S,? – WV) or his master, decided otherwise. Manchin threatened to vote against Biden’s $3.5B…

[chakytron]

Harris casts first tie-breaking vote to pass Biden stimulus bill

Harris casts first tie-breaking vote to pass Biden stimulus bill

Harris casts first tie-breaking vote to pass Biden stimulus bill Category Main Description: Democrats move forward with a $1.9T stimulus package; Griff Jenkins breaks down what’s inside the plan. Subscribe to Fox News! https://bit.ly/2vaBUvAS Watch … TopTrengingTV Hunting the most trend video of the moment, every hour every day 24/7. Youtube Video Data Published At: 2021-02-05T14:45:27Z…

[19-bellwether]

With Nevada's senate race called, the democrats have officially kept the senate. We are at 50/49 with Kamala Harris as the tie breaker if it the final race goes republican. We are even favored to pick up that seat to make it 51/49 during December's Georgia runoff election. It's hard to understate how impressive this is for the party in power during a midterm. On average, they lose five or more senate seats. The only exceptions are in the aftermath of major events like 9/11. That's how motivated the left was this election day.

In my opinion, the most important outcome from this is that Biden can continue appointing liberal judges for the next two years. He's already surpassed Trump's pace in four years and could lap it with another two.

[ardri-na-bpiteog]

"The Democrats have a majority in the Senate because of Kamala Harris's tie-breaker vote" is a common misconception due to an error in which Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema were incorrectly counted as Democrats.

[msnikkimoneypenny]

Can someone please explain this senate voting thing?

Sometimes they need 3/4 of senate vote. Sometimes they just need Kamala Harris as the tie breaker. Other times they need 10 republican senators to vote with democrats.

[chaoskirin]

IF YOU WANT A STIMULUS

which many americans need

You have to work to turn both Senate runoff seats in Georgia blue. 

For people living in Georgia, it’s imperative that you GET PEOPLE TO VOTE. Make sure those who are voting by mail get their ballots mailed to them AND GET THEM DROPPED OFF TO THEIR ELECTION OFFICE. If someone tells you they’re ambivalent about voting MAKE SURE YOU LET THEM KNOW WHAT’S RIDING ON THIS. 

I know people here on tumblr sometimes have a bit of trouble socially, but I’m begging you to find a way to get people to vote. Send an email if you want. Message the person on Facebook. Please.

Voter turnout for non-presidential elections is ALWAYS much lower. This cannot happen this time. It is absolutely vital that both Georgia seats go blue. 

If you don’t live in Georgia, you can STILL DONATE TO CAMPAIGNS.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dscc-warnock-ossoff-runoff-nov2020

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dscc-warnock-ossoff-runoff-nov2020

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dscc-warnock-ossoff-runoff-nov2020

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dscc-warnock-ossoff-runoff-nov2020

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dscc-warnock-ossoff-runoff-nov2020

OR OTHER SITES. SEARCH THEM OUT!

If these two people win their races, there will be a 50-50 caucus split in the senate. McConnell will be done, and tie-breaker votes will go to Kamala Harris who will, of course, vote with Democrats. 

Please. Make this happen. 

[mariacallous]

Washington CNN  — Vice President Kamala Harris made history Tuesday by casting her 32nd tie-breaking vote, setting a new record for number of votes cast by a vice president.

“Today is historic. Vice President Harris has just cast her 32nd tie-breaking vote, the most tie-breakers ever. I join all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle thanking the Vice President for her leadership, and for making the work of the Senate possible,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“Without her tie-breaking votes there would be no American Rescue Plan, no Inflation Reduction Act, and we would not have confirmed many of the excellent judges now presiding on the bench. Every time duty is called, Vice President Harris has answered, more than any other Vice President in our nation’s long and stories history,” he added.

The vote on Tuesday was to break the tie on a judicial nomination.

Harris had, before coming into office, expressed optimism that her tie-breaking authority wouldn’t be used.

“Since our nation’s founding, only 268 tie-breaking votes have been cast by a Vice President. I intend to work tirelessly as your Vice President, including, if necessary, fulfilling this Constitutional duty,” she wrote before taking office. “At the same time, it is my hope that rather than come to the point of a tie, the Senate will instead find common ground and do the work of the American people.”

Schumer had a brief ceremony in the Senate Reception Room to present Harris with the “Golden Gavel.”

According to the Senate Historical office, the “Golden Gavel” has been bestowed for a variety of reasons – Majority Leader Mike Mansfield presented a gavel to senators for presiding over the chamber for more than 100 hours during any session, and Majority Leader Trent Lott presented one to Chief Justice William Rehnquist following the end of the Clinton impeachment trial in 1999.

Chief Justice John Robert also received a Golden Gavel following the conclusion of the Trump impeachment trial in 2020.

The Golden Gavel is made of brass.

[aleatoryw]

kamala harris being the tie breaker vote in a hyper divided senate is so funny to me because she used to be a senator, so it's kind of like when your old workplace calls you up like "heeeyyyy I know you've left for a new better job but can you come in and work just one shift. we're short staffed. this is the last time please just one more shift. yes I know I said this was the last time a week ago but we really need just one more person please madame vp come back for one more senator shift"

[sparkliingdust]

Remember: Biden & Harris still need the Senate Majority. They need Georgia.

I know this moment is exciting to celebrate- but please remember and please be active in officially flipping Georgia to a blue state.

With the double Senate run-offs in Georgia, the Senate is up for grabs between the Republicans and Democrats. 

With Mitch McConnell as the lead majority in the Senate, during a Biden administration, it will be extremely difficult for the Biden administration to take action, implement legislation, etc.

If Democrats hit 50-50 in the Senate, Kamala Harris will be the tie-breaker and can ensure the administration to have more room to make change.

Mitch McConnell has called himself the “grim reaper” of the democratic agenda. We need to push Georgia’s run-off campaigns as much as we can.

Donate to organizations like ActBlue that will help support Raphael Warnock AND Jon Ossoff in their races.

Activist Stacey Abrams with Fair Fight lead the fight against voter suppression in Georgia. Help support her organization to continue their work

If you haven’t requested your absentee ballot in Georgia, you can do so here until November 18th, 2020.

If you haven’t registered to vote yet, you have until December 7th, 2020.

Early voting begins December 14th, 2020.

The election run-offs is January 5th, 2021.

It won’t do anyone any good to have different President in office if his hands and policies stopped at every turn.

[disillusioned41]

With the Democratic Party poised to take control of the U.S. Senate on the back of projected victories by Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff—achievements made possible by tireless grassroots organizing—progressives on Wednesday wasted no time making clear that Democrats will soon have a mandate to urgently pursue a transformative policy agenda aimed at tackling the immediate crises facing the nation and securing a just, livable future.

Major networks declared Warnock the winner over Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) early Wednesday, and Decision Desk HQ projected that Ossoff will emerge victorious in his race against Republican David Perdue. If Warnock and Ossoff's leads hold, as they're expected to, Democrats and Republicans will each hold 50 seats in the Senate, putting Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the role of tie-breaker. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is set to become Senate minority leader.

"Change won't happen unless we demand it. This is the moment we've been preparing for. It's time to celebrate a new era of possibility, and it's time to get to work." —Eric Holthaus

After applauding the historic nature of the likely runoff victories—Warnock is on track to become the first Black senator from Georgia, and Ossoff the state's first Jewish senator—progressive activists and lawmakers swiftly pivoted to detailing what Democrats must do to ensure that the wins bring about desperately needed change.

"Victory in Georgia must lead to transformative change across America," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). "Recurring survival checks, union jobs that pay a living wage, guaranteed healthcare, racial justice, voting rights, immigration reform, climate action, reproductive justice, education, and much more. It can't wait!"

Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) added simply, "The era of small ideas is over."

In the late stages of their pivotal campaigns, Warnock and Ossoff both threw their support behind the effort to deliver $2,000 direct payments to most Americans, a popular push—led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Senate and CPC members in the House—that may have given the Georgia Democrats a last-minute boost.

With President-elect Joe Biden also behind the demand, the checks were viewed as a no-brainer relief measure that Democrats could pursue immediately upon taking power to provide rapid financial assistance to millions of Americans struggling to afford food, rent, and healthcare amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"Why yes, I just asked Majority Leader Schumer's office when the $2,000 checks bill would hit the Senate floor," The American Prospect's David Dayen tweeted late Tuesday as the election results rolled in.

The direct payments, as well as other significant Democratic legislative priorities, could be passed through budget reconciliation, a process that requires only a simple majority vote—something that could still prove hard to achieve, given the willingness of right-wing Democrats such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to buck the party.

Making matters more difficult for Democrats seeking bold change is the legislative filibuster, which requires at least 60 votes to clear. While only a simple majority is needed to kill the filibuster—the persistence of which could effectively give Republicans veto power over big-ticket policy items—Manchin has made clear that he is ardently opposed to such a reform.

"If Democrats win both Senate seats in GA, it's going to be hard to explain why they should promptly re-empower McConnell by seeking small-ball deals with him instead of getting rid of the filibuster and passing Biden's big, bold agenda," Adam Jentleson, public affairs director at Democracy Forward, said late Tuesday. "Biden has a mandate. Time to use it."

"Many senators who once opposed going nuclear later supported it," Jentleson added. "For Biden it's a question of whether he'd rather spend his energy courting folks like Manchin to pass big stuff, or chasing McConnell (plus 10 Republicans) for small deals that probably won't materialize anyway."

Take Back the Court, an organization dedicated to reforming the U.S. judicial system, warned that if Democrats fail to make effective use of their Senate majority, Biden's legislative agenda "is mostly DOA" and the nation "will return to an authoritarian trajectory once the GOP returns to power."

With Trump and his Republican allies continuing to wage war on democracy, Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin said early Wednesday that he "cannot stress enough how existentially important it is for Dems to enact democracy reform ASAP."

"These attacks from Trump and his acolytes will only intensify while they're out of power," Levin warned.

In his newsletter Wednesday morning, meteorologist Eric Holthaus called Warnock and Ossoff's projected victories "incredibly good news for the planet," but stressed that the work of advancing a policy agenda sufficient to prevent the worst of the climate emergency and ensure a just transition away from fossil fuels has just begun.

"The implications of Tuesday night's victories by Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock cannot be overstated in terms of climate action," Holthaus argued. "The effects will reverberate for centuries and millennia in the climate system. For once, it's OK to feel tremendous hope for the future. We've earned it. We deserve to look ahead to a livable future."

"But... change won't happen unless we demand it," added Holthaus. "This is the moment we've been preparing for. It's time to celebrate a new era of possibility, and it's time to get to work."

[a-piece-of-kate]

@kentucky: STOP forcing Mitch McConnell on the rest of us.

@Georgia: PLEASE bro, I’m begging you. Come through in January and vote for Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.

Today is the last day you can register to vote if you have not already done so - and there are roughly 23,000 people who have turned 18 since Election Day in GA.

Mitch McConnell has rejected stimulus packages approved by both Pelosi and Trump that included a second round of stimulus checks for any American making less than $75,000 annually. He has said that COVID liability shields for businesses and employers against COVID related lawsuits must be included and are non-negotiable.

McConnell is the ultimate obstructionist - and has even acknowledged as much and takes pleasure in being called “The Grim Reaper” of bills sent from the house.

As for Republican incumbent senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue? Well they are already incredibly wealthy (Loeffler is one of the wealthiest senators making $174,000) but that didn’t stop them from selling their stocks in businesses that would take hits from COVID and investing in new stocks like pharmaceuticals and medical masks.

Perdue recently said that the runoff elections aren’t about him or Loeffler but are about maintaining control of the senate. And then he refused to debate Ossoff as to why he should be re-elected.

There’s no help for you coming from them Loeffler and Perdue.

And there’s no help for you coming from Mitch McConnell.

@Georgia I know it’s not fair the the fate of the country rests in your hands, but it does. If either Republican incumbent wins in January, GOP retains control of the senate. If Warnock and Ossoff win, Democrats take control with Kamala Harris as the tie-breaker.

@Georgia please, we’re begging you. You got this!!

[chakytron]

Harris casts first tie-breaking vote to pass Biden stimulus bill

Harris casts first tie-breaking vote to pass Biden stimulus bill

Harris casts first tie-breaking vote to pass Biden stimulus bill Category Main Description: Democrats move forward with a $1.9T stimulus package; Griff Jenkins breaks down what’s inside the plan. Subscribe to Fox News! https://bit.ly/2vaBUvAS Watch … TopTrengingTV Hunting the most trend video of the moment, every hour every day 24/7. Youtube Video Data Published At: 2021-02-05T14:45:27Z…

[evilelitest2]

For the love of god when the hell will dems pass election reform and ban gerrymandering and lobbying? Both sides of the aisle for voters agree overly partisan politics and dark money is bad do it already!

So this is why its important to understand the specifics of the system, because while it 100% is the most important goal of the Democrats....they can’t.   Because we didn’t win enough seats in the Senate in 2020.  

See, we have exactly 50/50 split in the Senate.  With Kamala Harris as the tie breaker, so if literally a single Senator defects we don’t get anything.   Like thats it, end of story, one senator saying not means its over.  And sadly, we have a few conservative democrats who don’t want voter reform, or at the very least aren’t willing to take the steps necessary to pass voter reform.  

See to pass laws in the Senate you need to overcome the filibuster, which is a 60 vote margin for any law to be passed.  So to pass voter reform, we would need to get all 50 Dems and ALSO 10 Republicans, which like...is never going to happen.

Now we could abolish the Filibuster but that requires all 50 Democrats again and...at least 2 of them (Joe Manchin from West Virignia, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona) don’t want to abolish the filibuster).

So thats it, doesn’t matter if the vast majority of the democratic party wants to pass voter reform, because the Senate is an inherently undemocratic institution we can’t pass that.  Which sucks, but the problem is deeper than the Democratic party.  

This is why it sucks so badly that we lost maine.