Reference no: EM133707958

The Filibuster is a rule exclusive to the US Senate. It has evolved over time, but currently states that any Senator can prevent certain types of legislation from coming to the floor for a vote without the approval of 60 fellow Senators. So the Filibuster rule has generally meant that most legislation requires a 60 vote margin to pass. The filibuster has a long history in the Senate. The filibuster refers to each Senators privilege to "take a stand" against any legislation they disagree with. Though much of the controversy is tied to its use in by Senators of the Antebellum South. Southern Senators used the Senate rules, the filibuster among them, to prolong the Jim Crowe era and postpone the implementation of civil rights reforms in the south.

Watch the NPR video and read the article on the filibuster. What is the filibuster, explained in simple terms : NPR

In the last dozen years both parties have made exceptions to the filibuster rules in order to pass priorities (The Affordable Care Act for the Democrats, Supreme Court justice nominations for the Republicans) and now the filibuster rule itself are in question.

Many Democrats believe the filibuster should be eliminated. Most Republicans and some moderate Democrats believe it is in important protection for the minority party. If the filibuster is eliminated by the Democrats now, it will make it more likely that Republicans will be able to pass more legislation with a 50 vote majority if they take the House and possibly the Senate in 2024?

Imagine you are a Member of Congress, would you take to this political calculation into account? why or why not? Do you believe the filabuster is a good way to force leadership of the majority party to negotiate with minority members? Or do you think that the majority represents the majority of States and therefore should be able to get their priorities passed and keep the country moving forward?