Senate Democrats must destroy Mitch McConnell for marijuana reform

The word on the street is that Senate Democrats are losing patience with Republicans. You’ve spent months working out bipartisan deals, but leadership realizes that the party may be on its own when it comes to passing more sensitive laws.

Earlier this week, the Senate majority, Chuck Schumer, who continues to promise to enact comprehensive marijuana law, told the press that he wanted the parties to work together but was not afraid to proceed without them. “We always hope our Republican friends will work with us on things. We hope to move forward with the Republicans, but we won’t let them stand in our way with “no”. ” said Schumer.

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There is currently no public dispute between the two parties over whether marijuana should be legalized nationwide. But things are heating up in Congress on the Democratic agenda that could tell us more about how Senate Republicans will react when the pot legislation goes official. Democrats, who have a majority in Congress at this session, are first trying to thwart President Biden’s infrastructure deal and set up a commission to deal with the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Then they will probably initiate a pot reform at some point. But make no mistake, you urgently need Republican support to be successful.

Marijuana is a non-partisan issue, but only barely. All of the Republican support comes from the same old pro-pot crew from years ago. Even so, Schumer seems to believe that there is enough support on the other side of the aisle to push through a top bill. Schumer was already confident last year that he would attract Republicans to his side. “If I become the majority leader, I will say so [marijuana bill] on the floor and it will probably pass, ”he said told Green company. However, Schumer neglected to mention the filibuster and the self-styled Grim Reaper’s scythe from Capitol Hill. Enter Mitch McConnell.

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The nation rejoiced earlier this year when the Georgia runoff found long-time Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell received a downgrade. With the Democrats winning the two seats and sealing the majority, Schumer would step in as majority leader while McConnell would be crushed to the minority level.

RELATED: We’ll See If The Senate Filibuster Will Ruin National Cannabis Reform

Cannabis advocates were excited about this development, as it meant McConnell could no longer stand in the way of federal marijuana legalization. But the celebration was premature. Proponents failed to see that McConnell only received a downgrade of the title and that he was (and still is) the most powerful politician on the hill. Most of its power is fueled by the filibuster rule, which requires a super-majority of 60 votes.

Americans didn’t hear much at that session about the filibuster being a problem for the Democrats, mostly because it isn’t. Not yet. Republicans didn’t need it. All of the deals the Democrats have done in recent months have been done through budget voting, completely bypassing the Republicans’ contribution.

RELATED: Marijuana is bipartisan, but that doesn’t mean federal legalization is a safe bet

With concepts like the Capitol Riot Commission, which is also backed by two parties, the filibuster is expected to come out with a vengeance in an attempt to erase all hopes and dreams of the Democrats. To make matters worse, McConnell is in complete control of his colleagues. McConnell said at a news conference last month that “one hundred percent of our focus is on stopping this new administration.”

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Translation: We don’t work with Democrats. Not on infrastructure. Not with immigration. Not for police reform. And not marijuana.

This is why Democrats must destroy McConnell – the political figure who for years prevented marijuana legalization from being heard in the Senate – if they want an honest chance at pot reform. And the only way to paralyze the Grim Reaper is to eliminate the filibuster once and for all.

RELATED: When Will Marijuana-hating Mitch McConnell Retire?

So far, the Democrats have not been serious about garnering the support needed to end the filibuster, and therefore McConnell. But many members understand that it is necessary. “He believes that he should have a veto on anything the President of the United States and the majority elected to Congress want to do. It’s wrong, ”said Senator Elizabeth Warren. to Politico.

Still, some Senate Democrats argue that now is not the time to discuss the issue. Bending too far could ruin the party’s chances of accomplishing even a fraction of its mission. “They made sure that there wasn’t a major confrontation with the filibuster at this Senate session, but when we get into tougher issues we inevitably have to face it,” said Senator Dick Durbin told The hill.

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Schumer said months ago that a comprehensive marijuana reform bill was a priority in the Senate. It is conceivable that it will be held in check for a while as the Democrats figure out which Republicans are willing to give up McConnell on the pot issue. Schumer understands that it takes him a solid 60 votes to get a marijuana bill for the Congressional distance. However, he cannot even be sure that it will find the full support of his own party.

Without question, Schumer will have to hit McConnell harder if he wants this period of control to be as productive as possible. McConnell’s camp did not specify any Retirement plans until somewhere around 2023.