As former President Obama made a passionate case for honoring the legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) by expanding voting rights, he said that the Senate filibuster should be eliminated if it stands in the way of measures that protect the right to vote.
“If all of this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that’s what we should do,” Obama said.
Obama has called for filibuster reform in the past. But the debate over whether to outright get rid of the tool — which allows 41 senators to block passage of legislation favored by a majority — has gained prominence in Democratic circles, as they contemplate a world in which they win the White House and both chambers in 2020, but Senate Republicans stymie all aspects of their legislative agenda.
Obama calls for ditching the filibuster if it's used to block measures to expand the right to vote: "If all of this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that's what we should do." pic.twitter.com/Ype0ZVSd4U
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) July 30, 2020
