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Mitch McConnell Is Wrong About The Filibuster, The U.S. Senate Is Broken

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Thursday, August 22, 2019

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Mitch McConnell Is Wrong About The Filibuster, The U.S. Senate Is Broken

WASHINGTON, D.C.51 for 51, the grassroots coalition working to make Washington, D.C., the 51st state with just 51 votes in the Senate, released the following statement from campaign manager Stasha Rhodes, in response to a New York Times op-ed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warning Democrats against making changes to the filibuster:

“No one in the history of our politics has done more damage to the norms of the Senate than Mitch McConnell. As soon as President Obama was elected, McConnell made it clear that he would use every tool at his disposal to hamstring the president’s agenda—including filibustering nearly every nominee and piece of legislation the Senate took up.

“What was once a rarely-used tool to protect the rights of the minority became, in McConnell’s hands, a one-size-fits-all method of obstructing a popularly elected president’s agenda. Now, McConnell is “warning” Democrats not to tamper with the filibuster if and when they take back the Senate.

“McConnell is an arsonist, bemoaning the fire he started.

“Support for the filibuster is the wrong lesson to learn from McConnell’s reign as leader of the Senate Republicans. If and when they take back the Senate, Democrats should take a page from McConnell’s playbook and circumvent the filibuster when it’s necessary to achieve their goals. Foremost among those goals should be giving 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C., a voice in Congress by making the District the 51st state—even if it means bypassing McConnell’s cherished filibuster.”

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51 for 51 is a coalition comprised of D.C.-based and national groups committed to equal representation rights for D.C.’s over 700,000 residents. The coalition of 20 progressive groups says American citizens living in the District deserve a voice in Congress and control over their own local laws.

51 for 51 has been endorsed by 13 presidential candidates, including former candidates Gov. John Hickenlooper, Rep. Eric Swalwell and Gov. Jay Inslee:

Additional Information
Website: https://www.51for51.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/51for51

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