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OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 9/14/21

The Filibuster: Should America Try Democracy?

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The filibuster by preventing both Democrats and Republicans from doing the things they say they want to do has totally blurred those lines. Because only the base voters of either party are listening to the rhetoric from the parties while the filibuster blocks any actual implementation, the majority of Americans think "both parties are the same" or are just hopelessly confused.

If we really believe in democracy, we'd want whichever party has majority support to be able to put their policies into action and let the voters see how they work and then say what they like or don't like. Instead, we have mush because everything that goes to the senate from either party dies and Americans rarely experience the consequences of their votes.

Ending the filibuster would (while noting that Democrats in the Senate already represent 41 million more Americans that Republicans) let America see how each party's policies actually play out.

And, of course, there's still the counterweight, the check-and-balance, of the House of Representatives and the presidential veto.

Look at what's happening with abortion in Texas right now, as an example of how democracy should work.

The GOP had been very, very happy for the past 50 years to give lip service to ending abortion and got the benefit of anti-abortion voters staying with them while abortion-rights voters never took them seriously, leaving the pro-choice vote far less engaged.

Now that things have gotten real for Texas voters, the next election democracy will tell us what voters think about it. And today's headlines give a clue:

On the other hand, look at the states where Democrats have put into place many of the policies they'd like to take national.

  • Oregon has had all-mail-in elections for over 20 years and has one of the highest voter participation rates in the nation without a whiff of scandal

  • Colorado and Washington State were the first to legalize marijuana in 2012 and the trend of legalizing this less-toxic-than-alcohol intoxicant is now going national

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Thom Hartmann is a Project Censored Award-winning New York Times best-selling author, and host of a nationally syndicated daily progressive talk program on the Air America Radio Network, live noon-3 PM ET. www.thomhartmann.com His most recent books are "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight," "Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights," "We The People," "What Would Jefferson Do?," "Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle (more...)
 

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