The Filibuster’s Sordid Past and Present with Adam Jentleson
Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast
English - February 02, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MB - ★★★★★ - 7.6K ratingsPolitics News Society & Culture chris hayes government politics nbcnews msnbc withpod the chris hayes podcast why is this happening? Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Come on a journey with us, dear listener, as we learn the little-known origins of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s beloved obstruction tactic. Turns out, we owe the filibuster to the efforts of John C. Calhoun, a virulent racist and spiritual father of the Confederacy, as he tried to protect the power of a minority of Senators who represented slave states. So how did the filibuster go from a tool of the South, to “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, to today, where a single email is enough to block legislation? That’s right – a single email. With prophetic-like timing, Senate insider Adam Jentleson just released a new book examining the history of the filibuster, making the case that it’s partially responsible for turning the Senate into one of the greatest threats to our democracy.
Read Kill Switch:The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy by Adam Jentleson