Filibuster Is Becoming a Litmus Test for Dem Candidates

“I would be surprised if there’s anyone in any of these competitive states… that would support maintaining the filibuster. Getting rid of the filibuster is as close to a litmus test for our party as I can describe.”

— Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), quoted by Politico, about how Senate candidates are campaigning on the filibuster.

Remember the Filibuster?

“Fast forward to January 2025. Donald Trump has been elected to a second term. The House and Senate are in Republican hands. In the Senate, the filibuster is gone, having been abolished by frustrated Democrats in 2021. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, back for a final term as majority leader at age 82, declares that he will not move to restore it. … Welcome to the apocalypse.”

Ruth Marcus

The Downside of a ‘Talking Filibuster’ — Lindsey Graham

“I would talk ’til I fell over to make sure we don’t go to ballot harvesting and voting by mail without ID. I would talk ’til I fell over to make sure that the Equality Act doesn’t become law, destroying the difference between a man and woman in our law.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by The Hill, threatening to make full use of the so-called “talking filibuster” if Democrats reform the Senate procedural move.

McCain: Supporters of ‘Nuclear Option’ Are ‘Stupid’

“Idiot, whoever says that is a stupid idiot, who has not been here and seen what I’ve been through and how we were able to avoid that on several occasions. And they are stupid and they’ve deceived their voters because they are so stupid.”

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), expressing his is anger that the “nuclear option” will not be avoided in the fight over Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, the Washington Post reports.

Obama Supports Ending Senate Filibuster

Probably the one thing that we could change without a constitutional amendment that would make a difference here would be the elimination of the routine use of the filibuster in the Senate. Because I think that does, in an era in which the parties are more polarized, it almost ensures greater gridlock and less clarity in terms of the positions of the parties. There’s nothing in the Constitution that requires it.

— President Obama, telling Vox the U.S. Senate should eliminate the filibuster.