Filibusters are normally used by Senators to object to some piece of legislation they do not agree with. It also may occur if there is some nominee that requires Senate approval and, again, the Senator in question wants to make a point of disagreeing with the advancement of said nominee.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) launched an overnight talking filibuster at 7 p.m. on Monday. It lasted over 25 hours. Was it to delay the vote on some piece of legislation as the Democrats did to delay a vote on the 1957 Civil Rights act? No. Was it done to delay a vote on some nominee for an administration post? No. Was it done to delay the advancement to a vote for some nominee for a federal judgeship? Again, no.
So, why did Booker do it? According to Booker, it was because it is “Time to speak up.” Booker used the floor to sharply criticize President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the spending cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency. Booker trotted out the worn-out narrative that PDJT and the Republicans are trying to curtail voting rights. Booker said nothing about the fraud recently uncovered with many thousands of illegal immigrants voting in recent elections.
Booker stated that PDJT and this administration show a “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people.”
“In just 71 days, the president has inflicted harm after harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the foundations of our democracy, and any sense of common decency,” Booker railed. “These are not normal times in our nation. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
This is something that I can agree with. These are not normal times in our country. But what is not normal is what Booker left out. How about the ongoing violence at Tesla dealerships, the Democrat in Boise, Idaho, who allegedly struck a Trump supporter with his car on Saturday, or the man in Flagstaff, Arizona, who reportedly boxed in and repeatedly punched a 61-year-old female Tesla driver.
Then there is the Biden administration’s issuance of Social Security numbers to non-citizens which reached into the millions. Booker also ignored the assault on Executive power from a growing number of rogue judges.
IMO this was a stunt by Booker to create a smokescreen to misdirect the public’s attention. The Democratic Party no longer stands for anything beyond hate and obstruction—a party whose only unifying message seems to be “Trump is evil.”
The Democrats oppose the deportation of criminal gangbangers who have engaged in horrific violence. The Democrats oppose efforts to eliminate waste and outright fraud within the federal government. The Democrats have also shown their disdain for women and girls by opposing bans on biological males competing in women’s and girls’ sports. The Democrats support the mutilation of boys and girls who may be confused about their gender identity.
The Democratic Party’s collective case of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” has left little room for actual governance. Trump is living rent-free inside the heads of most Democrats.
This is why Booker feels the need to “speak up.” It’s too bad he did not upbraid the Democrats to actually engage in true governance.