It ain’t working.
Helped by a marathon speech, Texas Democrats have managed to block a bill that would shut most of the abortion clinics in the state.
Democratic state Senator Wendy Davis spoke for more than 10 hours, in a stalling speech known as a filibuster, at the state capitol in Austin.
Republicans then scrambled to pass the bill, but the vote was ruled too late for a midnight deadline.
The bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
You probably thought it was quaint when Rand Paul stood up and filibustered for 13 hours. Of course, it didn’t help that Paul couldn’t help but aggrandize his actions. It makes it easy to minimize the effort when he inflates its importance.
But here, here we have a bona fide filibuster that actually accomplished what it set out to do: to establish a firewall for a basic human right, the right to decide what to do with one’s own body.
You want to weed out the nonsense “filibusters” just being done to screw with the Democratic agenda? Force Senators who oppose a bill to stand their asses up and start talking about why. Passionate filibusters have a time honored place in American culture, not just in politics. Americans respect, even if they ultimately don’t agree with, someone who has strong and deep feelings about something.
Your mealymouthed status quo-centric pass on the whole issue of filibuster reform was ludicrous. It’s not about what happens when Republicans take back power (if not them, then someone.)
It’s about believing in your cause. It’s about knowing that the legislation you bring to bear is important enough to withstand tactical attacks like a filibuster.
It’s about, in the end, honesty. Honesty is a quality you seem to minimize as much as you minimize Rand Paul’s rage.
You ought to try it, Senator. It does a body politic good.
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