Poll: Majority Want Filibuster Gone

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

A new poll shows that a slight majority of Americans are as frustrated with the filibuster as many politicians in Washington. The latest CBS News/New York Times poll asked more than 1,000 adults if the Senate filibuster rules should remain in place. Fifty percent said no, and 44% said yes. The poll, taken from Feb. 5-11, has a margin of error of 3%.

Support for the filibuster breaks along party lines. With their party in the minority in the Senate, 61% of Republicans want to keep the filibuster while just 32% want to drop it. Among Democratic respondents, 68% want the filibuster gone while only 26% want it to remain part of Senate rules. Independents are split, with 46% saying they’d keep the filibuster as it is, and 49% saying it should be scrapped.

In recent years, the filibuster has become standard practice in the Senate, leading many political observers and even President Obama to question how it’s being used. Some Democrats have proposed ways to alter or eliminate the current filibuster, but most observers say a change to the rule is unlikely in the short term.

Latest DC
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: