As we reported previously, Cocaine Mitch rode again today when it came to the critical vote today on the Jan. 6 commission.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Republicans successfully blocked the creation of the commission when Democrats were not able to get enough votes despite six Republicans crossing the aisle and voting with them – Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Bill Cassidy, Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Rob Portman, and Sen. Ben Sasse.

But a big part of the problem for the Democrats was that they tried to take a vote when they couldn’t even get their own people there and on board with the vote. Translation: Not only did Cocaine Mitch clean Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s clock; Schumer couldn’t even get into the game. In a vote that needed all hands on deck, Schumer was missing two people – Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). So how serious could they really be if they didn’t get all their ducks in a row before the vote?

The vote was 54-35; 11 senators, including Sinema and Murray, didn’t vote. The Republicans who didn’t vote were Marsha Blackburn, Roy Blunt, Mike Braun, Richard Burr, Jim Inhofe, Jim Risch, Mike Rounds, Richard Shelby, and Pat Toomey.

They needed 60 votes to get past the Republican filibuster and they failed. This was their first filibuster under Joe Biden. Hopefully, that’s a sign of things to come. If they are able to maintain the filibuster they may be able to stop the effort by Democrats to blow everything up the Senate and otherwise dismantle the Republic.

Folks on the left were furious that Sinema didn’t show up and didn’t give an explanation as to why she couldn’t. Murray has been a reliable leftist and said she had a family commitment, so while there was anger at her, they gave her a little more leeway. The anger was mainly directed at Sinema due to her continued call to keep the filibuster in the name of bipartisanship.

“Sinema’s absence on the floor ahead of the long weekend drew condemnation from progressives who noted her continued calls to maintain the legislative filibuster in the name of bipartisanship.”https://t.co/cR41YZWaLq

— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) May 28, 2021

Kyrsten Sinema is a coward's coward. https://t.co/7Gr4W8Euy8

— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) May 28, 2021

Ending the filibuster is not about Left versus Right, Democrat versus Republican.

It’s about democracy versus authoritarianism.

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) May 28, 2021

The thing, of course, that they don’t get is that if they got what they wanted and rid of the filibuster, but the Republicans took over in 2022, the Democrats would be completely locked out without the opportunity of the filibuster to stall action. And it’s very likely Democrats will be wiped out in the Congressional elections in 2022. So please, Democrats, keep pushing this. Do a Harry Reid and shoot yourself in the foot.

But hopefully, Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) stick to their guns on the filibuster and don’t change. Because they’re actually the only folks among the Democrats who are thinking intelligently and long-term here.