[Peace] DK: TeamBernie: Use JRD as Lever to Force Senate NDAA Vote to End Saudi War in Yemen

[Robert Naiman]

The Battle of Lexington was a Delaying Action. The real prize was in
Concord. The Arsenal in Concord was the Crown Jewels. Lexington was on the
road between Boston and Concord. The key purpose of the Battle of Lexington
was to slow the march of British troops from Boston to Concord so that
Minutemen from all over Massachusetts - mobilized by the Midnight Riders
the night before - would have more time to get to Concord to reinforce the
Concord Minutemen and protect the Concord Arsenal from the British troops.


Protecting the WPR was Lexington. This is Concord. This is the real prize.
This is for all the marbles.


Please vote in the poll: “I WANT THE SENATE TO VOTE ON ENDING THE SAUDI WAR
IN YEMEN ON NDAA.”


https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/11/12/2063874/-TeamBernie-Use-JRD-as-Lever-to-Force-Senate-NDAA-Vote-to-End-Saudi-War-in-Yemen


TeamBernie: Use JRD as Lever to Force Senate NDAA Vote to End Saudi War in
Yemen


If we’ve learned one thing in our efforts in DC since early 2016 to end the
Saudi war in Yemen, it is this: it’s all about forcing votes in Congress.
That is the Alpha and Omega. That is Jesus, Mary, and the Saints. That is
Moses and the Prophets. It’s all about forcing votes in Congress.

Not counting the War Powers Resolution for the sake of this discussion,
there are two paths to a floor vote right now in the Senate on ending the
Saudi war in Yemen. One is, getting Leader Schumer and SASC Chair Reed to
voluntarily agree out of the goodness of their hearts to allow a vote on
the Sanders-Khanna NDAA amendment to shut down U.S. participation in the
war. As recently as a month ago, the conventional wisdom in DC was that
this was a long shot, and activists were preparing a new push for a new
Yemen War Powers Resolution in anticipation of getting shut down on NDAA
once again even though supposedly Democrats control everything now and the
Democratic Platform commits Democrats to ending the Saudi war in Yemen.

The other path to the Senate floor is, introducing a Joint Resolution of
Disapproval in the Senate on the Biden-Saudi Bomb Deal pursuant to the Arms
Export Control Act. Such a resolution would be privileged. It would force a
vote.

So here is a proposal for Team Bernie: introduce the JRD, and use it as
leverage with Schumer and Reed to force an NDAA vote on Sanders-Khanna. Go
to Schumer and say: “We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard
way. Allow a vote on NDAA on Sanders-Khanna with a 51 vote threshold for
passage, and we will back down on the JRD.”

Here’s why this would be a good deal for both sides.

>From Schumer’s point of view, the JRD is more of a pain in the butt than
the Sanders-Khanna amendment. It would take up more floor time. It would
take up more focus, attract more media attention.

>From the point of view of activists trying to end the Saudi war in Yemen,
an NDAA vote with a 51 vote threshold on the Sanders-Khanna NDAA amendment
would be more worthwhile than a JRD vote. The JRD vote would be flashier,
attract more attention. But the Sanders-Khanna NDAA amendment is more
biting. And that’s what matters more now. The flashy thing, we already did
that. What matters now is how binding the legislation is, because the Biden
Administration has now proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that it is
absolutely determined to try to restore the Obama Administration status quo
of maximum coziness with the Saudi regime to the maximum extent that they
can get away with it. The Biden Administration is going to do good things
on this front exactly to the extent to which they are forced to do so by
Congress and not one iota more. Biden could veto a JRD. At this point, I
wouldn’t put it past him. Biden is not going to veto the NDAA over Yemen,
no way, no how. The NDAA is “must pass legislation.”

Introduce the JRD. Use it to force an NDAA vote on Sanders-Khanna. End the
Saudi war in Yemen. “We’re putting the Band back together.”
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