Calls to eliminate the Senate filibuster have resurfaced yet again, this time fueled by impending deadlines on spending bills and questions over the future of Obamacare subsidies. On Chicago’s Morning Answer, Dan Proft explored the renewed debate with Heather Higgins, CEO of Independent Women’s Voice and president of Persuasion Insights, whose recent op-ed in The Hill argues—surprisingly—that Republicans should consider ending the filibuster themselves.
Higgins made clear from the outset that the headline attached to her column overstated her position. She doesn’t believe the republic hinges on the fate of a Senate procedure. But her deeper point was unmistakable: the political landscape has shifted dramatically, and so has her thinking.
Originally intending to write a defense of the filibuster, Higgins said her research into both parties’ rhetoric over the last several years changed her mind. The analogy she offered was blunt. If your opponent repeatedly announces they intend to bring a knife to a boxing match, she said, “showing up with boxing gloves tied on is just stupid.” In her view, Democrats have been transparent about their intentions—eliminating the filibuster, expanding the Supreme Court, and making Washington, D.C. a state to secure long-term Senate dominance.
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