Anticipating a November romp, prominent Democrats have been dropping hints that they'd scrap the filibuster for legislation if they win the Senate.
Would they really make such a polarizing move? Any doubt was eliminated Thursday when President Obama, speaking at the funeral for Congressman and civil-rights leader John Lewis, described the filibuster as a "Jim Crow relic" that should be eliminated if it gets in the way of Democratic voting legislation or admitting Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico as states.
Segregationists did use the filibuster to block civil-rights legislation in the 1950s, though that also meant that when strong legislation finally passed in the 1960s it was backed by durable majorities.
In 2017 most Senate Democrats signed a letter supporting the filibuster because "We are steadfastly committed to ensuring that this great American institution continues to serve as the world's greatest deliberative body."
Republicans kept the legislative filibuster intact when Democrats were a minority.
Supporting the filibuster perpetuates the legacy of Jim Crow.
The filibuster is not embedded in the Constitution, and a majority can lawfully eliminate it.
Would they really make such a polarizing move? Any doubt was eliminated Thursday when President Obama, speaking at the funeral for Congressman and civil-rights leader John Lewis, described the filibuster as a "Jim Crow relic" that should be eliminated if it gets in the way of Democratic voting legislation or admitting Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico as states.
Segregationists did use the filibuster to block civil-rights legislation in the 1950s, though that also meant that when strong legislation finally passed in the 1960s it was backed by durable majorities.
In 2017 most Senate Democrats signed a letter supporting the filibuster because "We are steadfastly committed to ensuring that this great American institution continues to serve as the world's greatest deliberative body."
Republicans kept the legislative filibuster intact when Democrats were a minority.
Supporting the filibuster perpetuates the legacy of Jim Crow.
The filibuster is not embedded in the Constitution, and a majority can lawfully eliminate it.
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