The Point: 'Bipartisanship' is a dirty word for Senate Republicans

View this email in your browser   May 7, 2021  | by Chris Cillizza 'Bipartisanship' is a dirty word for Senate Republicans There was a time when the most liberal Republican in the Senate was to the ideological left of the chamber's most conservative Democrat.   This is not that time. And, judging from the latest bipartisan rankings from CQ Roll Call, we aren't going back there -- for a very long time.   The bipartisan scores, based on how often members of Congress voted with or against their party's majority in 2020, reveal, well, very little bipartisanship.   That dearth is particularly noticeable among Senate Republicans, where the most bipartisan senator (meaning the highest percentage of votes against the party's majority) is Maine's Susan Collins, who voted against the GOP majority 21.6% of the time last year.     After that, only two GOP senators racked up double-digit scores on bipartisanship: Kentucky's Rand Paul (12.2% of the time voting against the GOP majority) and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski (10.1% of the time).   That's a striking contrast with the Democratic side of the aisle, where 10 senators have double-digit bipartisan scores. Here's that list:   Joe Manchin (West Virginia) 38.5% Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona): 33.1% Doug Jones (Alabama): 32.2% Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire): 17.6% Jon Tester (Montana): 16.2% Tom Carper (Delaware): 15.5% Chris Murphy (Connecticut: 15.1% Mark Warner (Virginia): 14.9% Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire): 12.1% Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island): 11.4%   Now, voting against your party's majority isn't the only way to measure bipartisanship. And not all votes are equal; voting against your party on some minor piece of legislation is A LOT different from crossing the aisle on, say, President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill.   But these ratings are an indicator of what anyone who watches politics can see with their own two eyes: Republicans have next to no interest in bucking their own side on almost any vote, largely out of fear of incurring the wrath of former President Donald Trump.   The Point: If bipartisanship isn't dead, it's barely hanging on.   -- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "He became hooked with what I call 'Foxitus' or 'Foxmania' " -- The lawyer for Anthony Antonio, who is charged with five federal crimes tied to his role in the January 6 US Capitol riot THE WEEK IN 14 HEADLINES This week, the Republican Party's rift broke wide open as Rep. Liz Cheney's refusal to acquiesce to former President Trump imperiled not only her spot in House leadership but also her congressional seat from Wyoming.    Monday Behind-the-scenes efforts on bipartisan infrastructure bill pick up steam as Democrats more openly weigh splitting up package Cheney calls out Trump's latest attempt to promote 'BIG LIE' amid criticism from within her own party Bush says if GOP stands for 'White Anglo-Saxon Protestantism, then it's not going to win anything' Tuesday GOP candidate crushed after opposing Trump says party 'not living up to this moment' Cheney sees cratering support in House GOP as McCarthy says she isn't 'carrying out the message' Wednesday Donald Trump weighs in on Liz Cheney's expected ouster by endorsing Stefanik and talking to McCarthy Biden dismisses McConnell's pledge to focus 'on stopping this new administration' Thursday Democrats wary of appearing to push Justice Breyer out despite their small window to replace him Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs restrictive voting bill Trump allies search for viable Cheney foe in Wyoming amid fight over 'Big Lie' As Trump loyalty trumps ideology, conservatives hold their noses for Stefanik Friday The 'headache' Trump left behind for Biden on the White House lawn Keisha Lance Bottoms on not seeking reelection: It's 'time to pass the baton on to someone else' Major disappointment: America added way fewer jobs than expected in April TOP TWEETS OF THE DAY 1. The jobs report was, um, "disappointing" 2. ANOTHER good reason to get vaccinated 3. Mayor Bobby Valentine??? (And is this guy running too?) 4. This footage from Perseverance is NUTS 5. Shohei Ohtani is making history CHRIS' GOOD READS I continue to struggle with why SO many people believe SO many false things about the 2020 election (among other things). This New York Times piece on the social and psychological reasons for our epidemic of misinformation helped me understand it all better.     The Rudy Giuliani-Ukraine investigation has more dramatis personae than most Russian novels.  Which is why this guide to the cast of characters from CNN's Marshall Cohen is so, so helpful. Covering the Covid-19 pandemic for the past 15+ months is taking its toll. This Study Hall article details just how much.   In the before times, I used to shower twice a day -- minimum. Now, if I shower every day it's a lot. Apparently I am not alone, according to this Times piece.   As someone who spent his childhood (and recent adulthood) collecting sports cards, this ESPN piece on the six biggest missing pieces of sports memorabilia is totally captivating. MUSICAL INTERLUDE I love Weezer. Mostly because they are willing to take risks and evolve their sound. Give their new one -- "Van Weezer" -- a listen. It rocks.   -- Chris THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY TRIVIA Question: In 1914, which US president proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day "as a public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of our country" ?   a. Teddy Roosevelt b. William Howard Taft c. Calvin Coolidge d. Woodrow Wilson   Send your answers to cillizza@cnn.com and lauren.dezenski@cnn.com! ONE BIG HEALTH CARE COVERAGE Almost 1 million The number of people who had signed up for Obamacare coverage through April after President Biden reopened exchanges -- well over double the number of signups in the same period over the last two years, when enrollment was limited to those losing job-based policies and experiencing other major life events. Enrollment is open through August 15. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Unsubscribe from this list Check out other CNN Newsletters Create your CNN Account Share the Point Newsletter Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.   Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on: Our mailing address is: One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303   Copyright © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

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