“Look, you are getting punked,’” said Steele. “Understand you’re getting punked and come back at him (McConnell). Call his bluff. they have no leverage over you. You have the majority and they know it, but they’re going to punk you into a situation where you give up something you don’t have to give up. For what? For what? Ceding power to McConnell? He has none. You have the majority! Use it, for heaven’s sake! Sheesh, this is not rocket science.”
Former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) doesn’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. She’s presumably thinking about Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who told Fox News that he would vote to uphold the filibuster. It’s contrary to comments that Manchin has made in the past about the filibuster and it also assumes that no Republicans would vote to end the filibuster. If Manchin refuses to agree to end the filibuster, Democrats could make a deal with a Republican up for reelection in 2022 seeking legislation to pass to promote in their campaigns.