\u201cIs this going to be a fistfight or not? How bloody is Thune going to make this?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Mike Lee, one of the bill\u2019s leading champions, says Trump wants Republicans to go all-in. Lee has even pointed to the Senate\u2019s legendary two-month battle over the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWhat I want to do is maximize the time we debate it,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Back in 1964, he noted, supporters faced a 32-vote cloture deficit when the bill arrived in the Senate. Sixty days later, they had the votes. Lee believes extended debate can work the same way here \u2014 by raising public pressure and forcing reluctant lawmakers to reconsider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Trump is watching closely. The former president has already warned he won\u2019t sign other legislation until the SAVE Act reaches his desk. Whether he\u2019s satisfied with the Senate fight, Lee said, depends on one thing: whether Republicans \u201cgave it everything we have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there\u2019s a catch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thune is already warning that the votes simply aren\u2019t there for some of the more aggressive tactics Trump\u2019s allies want \u2014 including forcing Democrats into a \u201ctalking filibuster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Republicans are wary anyway. A talking filibuster could backfire by allowing Democrats to force politically painful amendment votes \u2014 including votes on restoring Medicaid cuts or extending Obamacare subsidies. So instead of forcing Democrats to hold the floor indefinitely, Thune appears likely to let Republicans do the talking \u2014 keeping the bill on the floor long enough to turn the debate itself into a political weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats say they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re prepared for every possible scenario,\u201d Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D) said Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
His caucus views the SAVE Act as a major threat to voting rights. Some Republicans believe Democrats could filibuster the bill for weeks \u2014 or even months \u2014 by introducing a constant stream of amendments. Which is why the next few days may not just be about passing legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They may be about staging a Senate spectacle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Lee put it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cThis bill needs to stay on the floor for as long as it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n