Many Nebraskans — ourselves included — have expressed frustration at times in the past over the use of a filibuster to derail a legislative proposal. Former state Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha was a master at its use.
Given that, one might think that we would favor the current effort by many Democrats in Congress to eliminate the filibuster as a tool in the U.S. Senate. But that’s not the case, and it’s not just because those same Democrats are pushing for the filibuster’s elimination as a way to pass their far-reaching progressive agenda.
No, it’s because the push to kill the filibuster stands in stark contrast to how the U.S. Senate has operated since this nation’s birth.
As Mario Lopez, president of the nonpartisan Hispanic Leadership Fund, recently wrote, “One of the core tenets of our legislative branch is bipartisanship — to pass legislation that is representative of not just a ruling majority, but of all the American people. Without the filibuster, every bill would pass without any real debate or input from the minority party.”
Mr. Lopez is correct in pointing out that the Founding Fathers strongly advocated for bipartisanship in the legislative branch. In Federalist Papers No. 10, James Madison began by stating, “Among the numerous advantages promised by a well-constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.”
Mr. Madison understood the importance of forging compromise rather than having parties cut others out of the equation, as well as the role that protecting the sanctity of our democratic process plays in promoting stability.
Over the years, members of both parties have defended the filibuster in the face of attempts to weaken or eliminate it.
For example, Sen. Chuck Schumer, the current Democrat leader in the Senate, added his voice in 2005, at a time when some Republicans were promoting the “nuclear option,” a procedural maneuver that would have eliminated the filibuster. Sen. Schumer implored his colleagues to consider the damage of such a move.
“The checks and balances which have been at the core of this republic are about to be evaporated — the checks and balances which say that if you get 51% of the vote, you don’t get your way 100% of the time.”
The filibuster creates an environment that forces majority parties to reach across the aisle and gain support from members of the minority to pass legislation. It therefore encourages more robust debate and establishes the need for compromises within the legislative process.
In the long term, the filibuster unquestionably promotes a healthier environment that the Senate itself is supposed to represent.
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Oft-decried legislative tactic deserves to be retained for the betterment of all - Norfolk Daily News
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