Senate Filibuster Tactics

The Senate Filibuster tactic has been used for many years now. It first started in 1826 and is still relevant in 2017. This tactic is used in the U.S Senate to prevent a measure from being brought to vote. The most common form of filibuster occurs when a senator attempts to delay or block a vote on a bill by extending debate on the measure. For example, if a senator does not agree or approve of the bill that is being brought up, then they can speak up against it in order to not get it passed. They felt as though every voice should be heard. The filibuster was created by James Madison and other delegates. The reason for created the filibuster was because Madison and the delegates were worried about “how to protect minority rights from tyranny”
The filibuster is a tactic that is needed in the Senate and actually helps the Senators in the long run. “For example, the filibuster is an essential element in moderating the extremes of our competitive party system” (pg. 171). The filibuster is viewed as crucial to the Senate, because it makes the competitive party system we have become less extreme. A senator being able to delay his or her vote, it gives them more time to think about who they want to vote on because of the fact there are so many individuals who apply for the exact same position. Senators do not just want to give their votes to any random person, they want to make it count. It has even been said the filibuster process helps smooth out “worst abuses of this special interest participation” (pg. 171). Meaning this process does not allow the “Majority Rule” to be used in order to make a decision. Although there is a certain amount needed in order to filibuster something, it gives them the opportunity to be heard if they do not agree with what is brought to the
New York Time’s Will Democrats Filibuster to Try to Block Gorsuch From the Supreme Court? gives an example of how the filibuster tactic was recently used in order to block a nominee. In order to filibuster President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, it was said that 41 Democrats were needed. According to New York Times, 43 Democrats were for the filibuster. Because the democrats used the filibuster, Republicans tried to use the “nuclear option” to try to override the filibuster. Essentially, “the nuclear option would change Senate rules to override the filibuster and allow his confirmation vote to go forward” (Wilson Andrews, Audrey Carlsen, Alicia Parlapiano and Jugal K. Patel). Originally, since Donald Trump is a Republican, 51 of the Republicans were needed to vote yes for President Trump’s nominee Neil Gorsuch. But since the Democrats did not approve of Trump’s nominee, they decided to filibuster the nominee so they would essentially vote against the