This year, America turns 250 years old, and it deserves a birthday present – secure elections brought about by the SAVE America Act. It is time for the Senate to shake off the dust and use the only viable mechanism it has to pass the SAVE America Act – the talking filibuster.
Our Senate doesn’t talk much anymore. The talking filibuster, in which each member is able to speak for as long as he or she is physically able, without rest or food, has become a ghost of the past, its death brought about by the current practice of only bringing bills to the Senate floor when they are already guaranteed enough votes to pass.
The talking filibuster has died quietly, and with it the former glory of senators waxing eloquent for hours, fighting for what they believe in.
Most of us have seen the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” We watched riveted as the junior senator filibustered adamantly for hours and hours, no matter the cost physically, mentally, and emotionally. And yet in the end, his herculean effort, his willingness to sacrifice publicly for what he believed in, was the key to unlocking his success; for as the film closes, he claims victory through the sheer willingness to give so much for what is most important.
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