We’re Stuck With The Filibuster

Cal Cunningham is making abolition of the filibuster a major part of his campaign the North Carolina Democratic Senate nomination. Personally, I think he’s mostly interested in it as a way to differentiate himself from his competitors but it’s a noble cause. There must be some part of Cunningham that actually sees how antidemocratic the filibuster is.

The question is whether coming out vocally against the filibuster will help him clinch the nomination. According to PPP polling Cunningham is polling behind frontrunner Elaine Marshall by double digits, but it’s still early. If North Carolina voters don’t like the filibuster, Cunningham could very well become the frontrunner. On the other hand, in a state like North Carolina, with plenty of conservatives (Democrats and Republicans) who are against health care reform and climate change policy, the filibuster is probably pretty popular these days.

That’s what’s tricky about ending the filibuster. It’s almost always going to appeal to the party out of power. And that makes it really harder to kill since, of course, 67 senators are requires to get rid of the system once and for all. Everything about it is undemocratic. If you have 66 senators —a huge majority these days— that’s still not a majority where the filibuster is concerned. And if you have 59 votes on a certain piece of legislation, if hte opposition is opposed enough to it, that’s not a majority according to the filibuster either. The truth is that the senate runs on filibuster math these days, not real math. As sad as I am to write it, I’ve got a feeling that the filibuster isn’t going anywhere.

–Daniel Strauss