Booker: Filibuster Is ‘Awful Tool’, Need ‘Real Filibuster’, ‘Right Now’ We’ll Do ‘Everything’ to Sto

[mystery-ak]

Booker: Filibuster Is ‘Awful Tool’, Need ‘Real Filibuster’, ‘Right Now’ We’ll Do ‘Everything’ to Stop GOP

Ian Hanchett 21 May 2026

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Last Word,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) argued that the filibuster “is an awful tool that’s been corrupted.” And “it is time that we reform the filibuster so we can do big things again, like put on the Supreme Court real ethics laws and term limits. But, right now, we are fighting a war against a kleptocrat who is trying to undermine our democracy for his own enrichment. And Republicans in Congress, dear God, they are enablers, and we’re coming after them. We’re going to do everything we can on the floor tomorrow and every other day to stop them.”

Booker said, “I think the filibuster, which in American history has been used in the Civil Rights movement to stop civil rights legislation, it was then suddenly brought back by Mitch McConnell to stop Barack Obama from putting people on the bench. The filibuster is an awful tool that’s been corrupted.”

He continued, “We need to go back to a real filibuster, which, if you want to stop something, stand on the Senate floor, because we are going to get the House and the Senate back and the White House, and then those guys are going to use the filibuster to stop us from making gains on healthcare that the American people want, stop them from changing the rigged tax code that’s allowing 88 of our biggest companies to pay nothing in taxes while Americans pay too much. So, it is time that we reform the filibuster so we can do big things again, like put on the Supreme Court real ethics laws and term limits. But, right now, we are fighting a war against a kleptocrat who is trying to undermine our democracy for his own enrichment. And Republicans in Congress, dear God, they are enablers, and we’re coming after them. We’re going to do everything we can on the floor tomorrow and every other day to stop them.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/05/21/booker-filibuster-is-awful-tool-need-real-filibuster-right-now-well-do-everything-to-stop-gop/

[DefiantMassRINO]

The filibuster's requirement for 60 Senate votes is the only thing keeping the Dems politically relevant.  Otherwise, a simple majority Republican Congress could legislatively steam-roll the Dems.

There's something unsemely about a minority of 41 having the power to overrule a majority of 59.

[Hoodat]

The filibuster's requirement for 60 Senate votes is the only thing keeping the Dems politically relevant.  Otherwise, a simple majority Republican Congress could legislatively steam-roll the Dems.

There's something unsemely about a minority of 41 having the power to overrule a majority of 59.

It's the 60-vote rule that is stupid.  They need to change it to 60% of members present.