Anti-Democractic
At its core, the filibuster is anti-democratic because it allows a minority of senators to block legislation that a majority of the American people support.
“The procedural maneuver, long used by Senate minorities to block civil rights legislation, is now poised to stop democracy reforms supported by broad majorities. If the Senate is to be responsive to the popular will, the filibuster must go.” 1
“It was, on the surface, a routine political process: The U.S. House of Representatives sent a resolution to the Senate calling for establishment of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The measure was placed on the Senate calendar, came to the floor and provoked passionate debate. In the end, the vote was 54-35 in favor, with support from both Democrats and Republicans. But in technical terms, this was not a vote on the commission itself. Republicans had launched a filibuster on the resolution, and by Senate rules, 60 votes would be needed to break its hold. And so, although the resolution won by a wide margin, it failed.” 2
- The Brennan Center, Caroline Fredrickson, October 30, 2020 – The Case Against the Filibuster
- Berkeley News, Edward Lempinen, June 15, 2021 – The filibuster: A tool for compromise, or a weapon against democracy?
