When senators like Manchin defend the filibuster by invoking Senate tradition, they should be pressed on what they mean. The filibuster was not created by the Framers, it was forged later for the "tradition" of preserving slavery & blocking civil rights... news.yahoo.com/manchin-counte…
Today the filibuster blocks progress on every issue under the sun including civil rights. While it blocks some conservative bills, it disadvantages progressives far more, in keeping with its tradition of empowering a minority of reactionary whites to impose their will on America.
The filibuster is the tradition of reactionaries. The Framers favored limited minority protections but at every decision point, the majority was to rule. Henry Clay railed against the filibuster in the 1840s. It's the "tradition" of Calhoun, Russell & McConnell, not the Framers.
For the first half of the 20th century, the only issue the filibuster stopped was civil rights. The small handful of other bills that ever encountered filibusters eventually passed. That is its “tradition” and any senator who defends it on that basis should have to answer for it.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
