For some reason @LeaderMcConnell thinks the filibuster has no racist history. Here are some of the times the #JimCrowFilibuster has been used by racist senators in the past. (Thread)
The filibuster was first used by John C. Calhoun, a racist senator who believed that the institution of slavery was a “positive good”. He used the filibuster to delay bills that threatened the power of slave states, including the establishment of Oregon as a free state.
In 1922, racist senators used the #JimCrowFilibuster to block a bill that would have punished law enforcement leaders and elected officials who allowed lynchings to take place in their states. This wouldn’t be the last time a filibuster blocked anti-lynching legislation.
Richard Russell was the next senator to routinely weaponize the #JimCrowFilibuster to serve his own racist agenda. Russell believed that “Any southern white man worth a pinch of salt would give his all to maintain white supremacy.”
Russell leveraged the #JimCrowFilibuster to block bills that would have outlawed poll taxes in 1942, 1944, and 1946. He was also key in blocking anti-lynching bills in 1937 and 1940. The US still has no federal anti-lynching law.
Now we have Mitch McConnell who has taken this racist playbook and used the #JimCrowFilibuster to block immigration reform, minimum wage increases, and background checks on gun purchases. He’s also threatening to use the filibuster to block the important For the People Act.
It’s not surprising that Mitch McConnell would rely on a revisionist history to protect the #JimCrowFilibuster. But, some Senate Democrats are choosing to honor the legacy of John C. Calhoun, Richard Russell and Strom Thurmond by protecting the filibuster.
Tell your Senator that we can’t wait any longer for meaningful immigration reform, common sense gun laws, or protections for Black voters. Tell them to reform the #JimCrowFilibuster act.newmode.net/action/color-c…
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