Over 350 Scholars And Historians Urge Filibuster Reform To Restore Representative Government

[Nevilledog]

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Kevin M. Kruse
@KevinMKruse
The recent filibuster of the bill for a bipartisan inquiry into the Capitol insurrection shows how the filibuster is badly weakening America and undermining democracy.

I and over 350 other scholars explain here why this is untenable.

Over 350 Scholars And Historians Urge Filibuster Reform To Restore Representative Government
talkingpointsmemo.com
8:35 AM · Jun 2, 2021

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/historians-scholars-filibuster-reform-letter

Over 350 scholars, historians and political scientists urge Congress to take action on filibuster reform in a new letter first obtained by TPM, arguing that the Framers never intended for the Senate to rely on supermajorities to pass even routine, bipartisan legislation.

The group includes such prominent historians as Pulitzer Prize winners Jack Rakove, Gary Wills, David Hacket Fischer, Daniel Walker Howe, Ron Chernow and Debby Applegate.

They wrote that the Framers “explicitly rejected” the supermajority requirement for most legislation after observing the gridlock caused by the Articles of Confederation mandating the higher threshold for a whole host of federal action. At the Constitutional Convention, the scholars wrote, the Framers nixed the supermajority threshold for all but impeachment, treaties and amending the Constitution.

“Today, the Framers’ vision of the function of the Senate has largely been inverted,” the scholars wrote, pointing out the decline in debate and legislative productivity.

They outlined the heavy usage of the filibuster first by pro-slavery lawmakers and, later, by segregationists blocking civil rights legislation during the Jim Crow era.

*snip*


Letter it at the link

[FoxNewsSucks]

1. If only we could trade Joe manchin for one of them

[marble falls]

2. Get the filibuster back to what it was when FDR was Prez.