The Filibuster's Untold Story

The Republican Party is trying to use history as a reason to eliminate Senators' ability to filibuster (aka. the "nuclear option"). So I took a little look at the actual history. It is true - the filibuster has been used in some cases for bad causes. But that doesn't mean filibustering itself is inherently bad. What is being left out of the "nuclear option" debate is some of the good things the filibuster has been used for. This by no means is a comprehensive list - but it gives you a flavor of how the filibuster and the threat of a filibuster has been used to forge compromises, protect consumers/taxpayers, and raise important issues in recent history:

FILIBUSTER THREAT PROTECTED CONSUMERS FOR YEARS: In recent years, Sen. Paul Wellstone led filibusters and filibuster threats against the credit-card industry-written bankruptcy bill, delaying this anti-consumer legislation for almost 8 years.

FILIBUSTERING TO STOP THE VIETNAM WAR: In 1970, two senators, Mike Gravel and William Fulbright, filibustered against all military authorizations and appropriations, hoping to force a debate on a resolution to end the Vietnam War. [Source: Sen. Mike Gravel]

THREAT OF FILIBUSTER TO HELP FARMERS: In 1985, farm-state legislators used the filibuster to try to force Congress to address a major crisis in which thousands of farmers were on the brink of bankruptcy. [Source: Washington Post, 2/20/85]

THREAT OF FILIBUSTER TO STOP EGREGIOUS TAX BREAKS TO OIL INDUSTRY: In 1981, Senators Howard Metzenbaum and Edward Kennedy threatened to use a filibuster legislation that to give wealthy oil companies a series of massive tax breaks. [Source: National Journal, 8/15/81]

FILIBUSTER THREAT TO STOP ENERGY DEREGULATION: In 1981, Senators threatened to filibuster radical legislation to deregulate the nation’s natural gas industry - a filibuster clearly ahead of its time, considering the recent energy crises. [Source: AP, 3/11/81]

FILIBUSTER PREVENTED PRESIDENTIAL POWER GRAB: In 1985, UPI reported that President Reagan "request to be granted authority to veto individual items in overall spending bills, the so-called line-item veto." This presidential power grab was successfully filibustered, protecting the 200 year history of checks and balances. [Source: UPI, 8/5/85]

FILIBUSTER PROTECTED WORKERS: In 1995, CongressDaily reported Senators "successfully filibustered the FY95 rescissions bill, which included language to overturn President Clinton's order that prohibited federal contractors from hiring permanent striker replacements." Clinton's order was considered an important way to preserve workers' rights. [Source: CongressDaily, 9/18/95]

NOTE: While I realize the GOP is now saying it only wants to eliminate the filibuster when it comes to judicial nominations - no one should believe that. They will ultimately want to eliminate it for anything that gets in the way of their right-wing agenda. That's why this historical perspective is so important.