Fear of a less undemocratic senate
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I agree with Matt that this the critical to understanding what the pro-capitulation Dem senators were thinking. (And given that nobody facing re-election in 2026 voted for Trump here, it’s clear support within the caucus was greater than the number of votes cast, and the most plausible inference is that Schumer also supported it.)
I think the decision to cave is dumb, but people should understand what was really in play and not take every politician’s outraged statement too seriously or literally.— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) November 10, 2025
It makes perfect sense that Republicans were desperate to not have to use the nuclear option here — they don’t want to take full responsibility for policies most people hate, they don’t care about democratic values, and this particular anti-democratic rule favors reactionary interests in the long run. For Democrats to cave to save the filibuster, conversely, is just a lose-lose-lose proposition.