Democrats’ House Majority: Bills Express Left’s Id

It’s kind of fun to pass a bunch of legislation without worrying about the consequences. That’s the situation the House finds itself in: Democrats control the chamber by a wide-enough margin to pass partisan bill after partisan bill, but approximately none of this legislation can make it through the Senate. There, given the 50–50 party split, ten Republicans need to support any bill that’s subject to a filibuster, and even “budget reconciliation” bills (such as the recent COVID-relief effort) need to pass muster with moderates such as Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema before Vice President Kamala Harris can break a tie.

The House’s recent output, then, is a glimpse into the Democrats’ id. It’s mostly posturing — but it shows where left-wing thought is at these days. And when these bills predictably languish in the other chamber, the Left will feign offense and demand the end of the filibuster.

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Robert VerBruggen

Robert VerBruggen is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

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It’s kind of fun to pass a bunch of legislation without worrying about the consequences. That’s the situation the House finds itself in: Democrats control the chamber by a wide-enough margin to pass partisan bill after partisan bill, but approximately none of this legislation can make it through the Senate. There, given the 50–50 party split, ten Republicans need to support any bill that’s subject to a filibuster, and even “budget reconciliation” bills (such as the recent COVID-relief effort) need to pass muster with moderates such as Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema before Vice President Kamala Harris can break a tie.

The House’s recent output, then, is a glimpse into the Democrats’ id. It’s mostly posturing — but it shows where left-wing thought is at these days. And when these bills predictably languish in the other chamber, the Left will feign offense and demand the end of the filibuster.