ICYMI - From Vox: Whatever You Thought About The Filibuster Before, McConnell’s Actions Have Made Clear That It Must Be Eliminated

Today, in a piece for Vox, editor-at-large Ezra Klein highlighted the case that Fix Our Senate has been making for months: protecting the filibuster has become an untenable position in the Democratic Party. It has become clearer than ever that Mitch McConnell has broken the Senate and weaponized the filibuster, and that unless this is addressed, progress won’t be possible to restore our democracy or tackle the major crises facing our nation. From Klein:

• "Over the past few months, I’ve been talking to Senate Democrats about the future of the filibuster. To my surprise, something had cracked in the ice. Moderate members who used to dismiss calls to abolish the filibuster were taking them seriously, predicting or even advocating its fall. And the reason they gave me was always the same: Mitch McConnell.”
• "What Democrats now believe is McConnell won’t let them govern if they win, and in the aftermath of Garland and of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, he won’t show them any quarter if he wins.”
• "[McConnell] has created a parliamentary environment in an institution where the rules were designed for comity and cooperation. The result has been gridlock, fury, and confusion."

Klein is right. McConnell’s use and abuse of Senate rules to push through a partisan, extreme agenda while he is in power and block everything Democrats try to do when they have the majority  has led a growing number of Senate Democrats to the logical response: if we want any chance of restoring our democracy and making progress on the many issues facing our nation, the filibuster and McConnell’s ability to obstruct from the minority must be eliminated. 

If the American people decide in November that Mitch McConnell should no longer be in charge of the Senate, then Mitch McConnell should no longer be in charge of the Senate. But leaving the filibuster in place would allow him to thwart progress at every turn. The filibuster is an undemocratic relic of the past and should not impede the Senate’s ability to govern and deliver on the promises made to the American people.

You can read Ezra Klein’s whole piece here.