#1411 Our Democracy is Filibusted, Time to Kill the Filibuster
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2021
⏱️ 73 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date 4/14/2021
Today we take a look at the one element of our government that, above all others, has contributed to the absolute disfunction of our democracy. The filibuster was never intended by the founders, always anti-democratic, often used for racist ends and is now being abused at a rate never before seen.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Filibuster - Last Week Tonight - Air Date 9-9-19
John Oliver explains why filibusters exist, why they shouldn't, and why it's stupid to drink coffee like a cat.
President Joe Biden has promised swift action on the pandemic, the economic crisis and more, but much of his agenda hinges on whether he can get enough support in the Senate.
Mitch McConnell is on a warpath, and he's getting all his favorite lies lined up. Sam Seder and the Majority Report crew discuss this.
Adam Jentleson, who served as a former senior aide to Sen. Harry Reid, joins Mehdi Hasan to explain the history of the filibuster and how, according to Jentleson, it helps conservatives override the nation's democratic system.
Ch. 5: Is Filibuster Reform Mitch McConnell's 'Kryptonite?' - Zerlina. - Air Date 3-16-21
Rep. John Yarmuth thinks so. He explains to Zerlina Maxwell why the rule is so important to the Senate Minority Leader, and why McConnell is “scared to death” about the possibility that Democrats will abolish it.
Ch. 6: What Is Manchin's Real Agenda w/ David Sirota - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-11-21
David Sirota explains the motivations and unseen pressures playing on Joe Manchin as he continuously pivots his position on the filibuster.
Ch. 7: Activism: Support No Excuses PAC and W.V. Cant Wait - Best of the Left - 4-14-21
Ch. 8: Now Is the Time to End the Filibuster - Breaking the Sound Barrier by Amy Goodman - Air Date 3-18-21
Amy Goodman gives a commentary explaining the need to end the filibuster.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Adam Jentleson, former deputy chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, talks with Rachel Maddow about why it's a good idea for Senate Democrats to reform the filibuster and pass popular legislation
Ch. 10: Reid Calls for Filibuster Reform to End Gridlock - Nevada Senator Harry Reid - Air Date 11-22-13
On the Senate floor, Senator Reid laid out why we need to reform the rules to ensure qualified presidential nominees get up-or-down votes.
Ch. 11: What Is Manchin's Real Agenda w/ David Sirota Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-11-21
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 12: Wading into the discussion on the child tax credit - Dave from Olympia, WA
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 13: Final comments on racism and population
TAKE ACTION!
EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE
Parliamentarian Rules Democrats Can Officially Bypass the Filibuster (Truthout)
Inside the West Virginian Movement to Push Joe Manchin to the Left (The New Republic)
Progressive PAC kick-starts search for challengers to Manchin, Sinema (Politico)
Researched & Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
- Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
- Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
- Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard
- Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Cartoon version of Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell holding a chart that says "Republican Filibusters." The horizontal bar graph below the title shows an X axis starting with "88th term 1963-64" and ending with "110th term 2007-2008." The bar values range from 3 at the beginning of the time-line to "153 Projected for end of term" at the end.
Credits: "Mitch McConnell, Filibuster King" by DonkeyHotey, Flickr | License | Changes: Increased white background to make vertical image square, smudged existing shadow to extend farther, dark blue border added
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left Podcast in which we shall learn |
| 0:07.5 | about the one element of our government that, above all others, has contributed to the |
| 0:13.2 | absolute dysfunction of our democracy. |
| 0:16.4 | For a quick overview, the filibuster was never intended by the founders, always anti-democratic, |
| 0:22.5 | often used for racist ends, and is now being abused at a rate never before seen. |
| 0:28.6 | The clips today are from last week tonight with John Oliver, Democracy Now, the Majority |
| 0:33.6 | Report, the Medihassan Show, Zerlina on MSNBC, Breaking the Sound Barrier with Amy Goodman, |
| 0:40.7 | the Rachel Mano Show, and our old friend, Nevada Senator Harry Reid. |
| 0:51.5 | The modern filibuster is nothing like the Jimmy Stewart version. |
| 0:54.6 | It's become an overused tool of obstruction, and in practical terms, it is essentially |
| 0:58.6 | means that a simple majority of 51 votes isn't nearly enough to pass legislation. |
| 1:04.4 | If you don't get 60 votes for a bill, it's dead. |
| 1:07.7 | Which means theoretically, sentences from the 21 least populated states, representing |
| 1:12.4 | just 11% of Americans could overrule everyone else, which seems pretty extreme. |
| 1:18.7 | So to quote everyone who's ever sat in a bathroom store with a three-inch gap in the door, |
| 1:23.3 | why on earth was it designed this way? |
| 1:26.8 | Well, people often claim that it goes back to the founding of the country. |
| 1:32.4 | It's an argument that runs like this. |
| 1:34.6 | You may wonder why the Senate has this 60-vote rule when it's a straight-majority rule |
| 1:41.0 | in the House. |
| 1:42.0 | Well, the answer is that the founders meant it that way. |
| 1:45.9 | The Senate was designed to be the cooling saucer, where the two parties were forced to work |
... |
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