The left's relationship with America's institutions follows a predictable pattern. When an institution serves its purposes, it's sacred, untouchable, a pillar of democracy itself. The moment it becomes an obstacle, it’s outdated, racist, etc., etc. The filibuster will inevitably be eliminated. Democrats have ensured that by abusing the filibuster for decades. Today, they’re using it to block the SAVE America Act, legislation that has strong bipartisan public support. I’ve spent years defending the filibuster, but knowing what’s inevitably going to happen, clearly, the time to nuke it is now, and Republicans must get on board.
Every time Republicans hesitate on nuking the filibuster, Democrats hand them a reason to stop hesitating. This week, one of the Senate's most reliably leftist members went on a podcast and said the quiet part out loud, confirming what conservatives have warned for months. It wasn't a hot mic moment or a media ambush. It was a voluntary admission about what Democrats plan to do the moment they have all the power again.
So why do Republicans refuse to move first?
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) made the admission on the Nobody Knows Anything podcast Friday, saying that if Democrats retake the Senate, the filibuster is gone.
“Of course, we're going to have to compromise, but we're not going to get any of this stuff done as long as the filibuster stops us from doing it," Murphy said. "And if Democrats gain power, we are going to have to reform the filibuster so we can get our core economic ideas done, or nobody is going to vote for us ever again."
Murphy said he'd prefer to try "reform" first, but he believes Republicans have "the system rigged," which leaves outright elimination on the table, as far as he's concerned.
Can you hear my eyes rolling? Let me set things straight. If Republicans choose not to eliminate the filibuster now, Democrats will ultimately do it, and blame Republicans for putting them in that position. Ironic, isn’t it?
"They [Republicans] only need 50 votes to get the stuff they care about done, which is nominations to the Supreme Court and tax cuts," Murphy said. "So all we would be doing is updating the Senate rules so that Republicans' priorities can get done with 50 votes and Democrats' priorities can get done with 50 votes. But right now, it's the, it's the Democratic priorities that the filibuster primarily stands in the way of."
It goes without saying that he’s lying. Democrats were the ones who abused the filibuster under George W. Bush, then nuked it when Republicans responded by using it the same way they had. The filibuster is a tool of the minority party, regardless of which party it is. Pretending that the filibuster is some uniquely Republican advantage when it is Democrats using it to block the SAVE America takes a lot of chutzpah.
Now, remember, this isn’t new information. Democrats have tried to kill the filibuster in the past, so we have known for years that this was inevitable. Under President Biden, they nearly succeeded, had it not been for Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) refusing to go along, which saved the country from the outcome. Had they caved, Democrats would have passed the Freedom to Vote Act, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the For the People Act, a trifecta that would have mandated universal mail-in voting, accepted ballots long after Election Day, implemented automatic voter registration, enfranchised felons, and abolished the Electoral College.
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President Trump has told Republicans for months to eliminate the filibuster before Democrats do it to them first, and Murphy just proved him right. Trump made the point again during his Independence Day address at Mount Rushmore.
"We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms, if we are foolish, stupid, and unwise," Trump said.
"But if we terminate the filibuster, as we should do and immediately vote for the SAVE America Act, then we will not lose an election for a hundred years," Trump said. "We do that, we're not gonna lose an election for a hundred years."
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, enough to eliminate the filibuster without a single Democrat vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has repeatedly claimed there aren't enough Republican votes to do it.
Murphy just made that excuse obsolete.
The filibuster is dying either way. Republicans might as well be the ones who kill it. At least then we can pass the SAVE America Act.
