Thune Insists Senate Bills Receive Votes Before Passage

Senate Majority Leader John Thune intensified his procedural extremism Wednesday by insisting that legislation must receive enough votes to pass the Senate. President Donald Trump has demanded that Thune cancel the August recess, approve the SAVE America Act and, if necessary, eliminate the filibuster, the sacred Senate tradition Republicans defend whenever Democrats govern and discover is tyrannical whenever Republicans need something before lunch. Thune has cited the alleged opposition of at least 15 Republican senators, relying on the radical theory that senators possess individual votes rather than serving as decorative extensions of the president’s social media account.

The legislation would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls, protecting elections from the possibility that eligible Americans might participate without first locating a birth certificate last seen in a parent’s discontinued department-store filing cabinet. “John Thune has to understand that democracy means passing my bill immediately, even without the votes, because votes cannot be allowed to interfere with election integrity,” Trump said. “We have to secure the midterms before voters irresponsibly decide the outcome themselves.” Republican lawmakers have also noted that several proposed election changes could not be implemented before November, a minor logistical obstacle that administration officials can resolve by declaring the measures retroactively successful and accusing the calendar of partisan obstruction.

Thune nevertheless continues hiding behind arithmetic, Senate rules and the antiquated notion that lawmakers represent states instead of functioning as presidential push notifications. His insistence on counting support has alarmed Trump allies, who warned that the precedent could force Congress to consult vote totals before passing future bills. Such a system could eventually require majorities, recorded votes and even consent from people who disagree with the White House, transforming the federal government into an unmanageable maze of laws and procedures. Constitutional scholars said Thune’s position also threatens to revive the long-discredited belief that Congress is a separate branch of government. In the United States, counting votes is now the gravest threat to democracy.

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