Donald Trump has demanded that the Senate abolish the filibuster.
"THE CHOICE IS CLEAR – INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER," Trump demanded.
The Senate Republicans politely declined to cooperate. A spokesman for Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune remained unmoved: “Leader Thune’s position on the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged." Thune has consistently spoken against ending the filibuster or reforming it.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who doesn't have stake in the debate, nevertheless pointed out the consequences of getting rid of the filibuster, listing action items the Democrats would be able to pass with a simple majority.
“They would pack the Supreme Court, they would make Puerto Rico and DC states. They would ban firearms. They would do all sorts of things that would be very harmful to the country,” Johnson said,
Trump's anger and frustration at not being able to get his way, even with House and Senate Republican majorities, are understandable. He's not alone. Almost every president since 1806 has expressed frustration with senators' inability to "end the previous question" and cut off debate on a bill. That year, the rule change meant a simple majority couldn't end the discussion. It was in 1837 that the first formal use of the filibuster was initiated. More rule changes over the next 70 years eventually made it necessary to collect 67 votes to "call the question" and move the legislation along. In 1975, the number was reduced to 60, which is where we stand today.
Every time party majorities in both Houses of Congress change, there are calls to end the filibuster. It's not hard to understand that almost all of these calls come from the majority. "Obstructionism" might be political deadweight, but it works.
The reason why it works is built into the DNA of our republic.
Trump’s impatience, however, is understandable. The notion that almost any legislation can be stymied because it requires a minimum of 60 senators to advance it is fundamentally undemocratic. Trump may well increase the pressure on Republicans in coming weeks as Americans become increasingly restive over the shutdown. Flight delays are bound to increase. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are about to expire. Alaskans are stockpiling caribou and moose. And so on.
If Trump were to prevail in overturning the filibuster, he would be doing Democrats an inadvertent solid. They could disclaim responsibility for the federal budget and point to the mounting healthcare costs that consumers are about to experience in the coming weeks. Above all, they would be positioned to enact their own sweeping reforms in the future. Say hello to statehood for Washington, DC and Puerto Rico and to sweeping firearms restrictions, among other things.
The most important thing the filibuster accomplishes is forcing the majority to compromise. In a nation of 340 million people, compromise means survival. That's because no matter which party is in the majority, the right of the minority to have a voice in government must be maintained. Otherwise, we end up with either the gridlock we see today, or the "tyranny of the majority."
Imagine the Democrats’ 'voting rights reform' bill, which they tried to pass in the Senate by seeking an exemption to the filibuster that would have allowed a simple majority to approve it. The bill would have federalized local elections, eliminated voter ID, and banned every common-sense measure to maintain the integrity of the vote. It was a party-killer, and the dead party would have been Republicans.
Republicans like Thune oppose ending the filibuster because they know that they will be in the minority again someday, perhaps sooner than later. The filibuster certainly came in handy when Barack Obama and Joe Biden each tried to fundamentally alter the character of our government and create ruinous new rules that would have destroyed our economy and our very way of life.
It will likely come in handy again.
The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member