Intolerance in the United States: These are the reasons for the debate

[Est artículo es un extracto de The Morning, el boletín diario de noticias del Times, en inglés]

Checking in history Whisk Or parliamentary obstruction – a Senate ruling requiring an overwhelming vote on many bills, rather than a simple majority – something comes to the fore: The political right has benefited far more than the left in America.

• In the 1840’s (before the term “procrastination” was introduced), Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina used this technique in Slavery protection.

• Over the next century, Southern Democrats repeatedly used blocking to prevent black Americans from voting and defeat anti-lynch bills.

• From the 1950s to the 1990s, Republicans in the Senate, working with some conservative Democrats, blocked the passage of laws that would Unions helped organize workers.

• Over the past two decades, disruption has allowed Republicans to reject a file Long list of progressive bills On climate change, oil subsidies, campaign finance, Wall Street regulation, offshoring for offshore companies, arms control, immigration, equal wages for men and women, and Medicare expansion.

The early days of Joe Biden’s presidency, with Democrats narrowing control of the Senate, intensified the debate over whether the party should remove parliamentary obstruction. If Senate Democrats did, they could try to pass several bills – for example, on climate change, the right to vote, expansion of Medicare, and tax increases for the rich – by 51 votes, instead of 60.

As part of the debate, many observers noted that both parties used dislocation, and both could suffer if it disappeared. Democrats, for example, have used parliamentary blockages against some of President George W. Bush’s judicial appointments, as well as to oppose restrictions on abortion and lowering property taxes. The Senate without the current procrastination can sometimes cause problems for the Democrats.

However, there is no doubt which party benefits the most from procrastination. Republicans do, not by a narrow margin.

Dictionary test

This also makes sense. Let’s look at the words A reservation And the gradual. The conservative tends to favor the status quo, while the progressive tends to favor change. “Filibustering is a tool for maintaining the status quo and making change more difficult,” says Adam Gentelson, a former Democratic adviser in the Senate and author of the book Kill switchNew book on disruption. (I read the book and recommend it).

Jentleson documents that America’s founders did not intend that most legislation required an absolute majority and that procrastination did not Originated Until the nineteenth century. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison They have written emotional defenses of simple majority rule. They protected minority rights by forming a government – with a president, two houses of parliament, and a judiciary – in which legislating even with a simple majority was a struggle.

“What may seem at first glance like a cure”, Hamilton Books, Referring to the majority rule, “It’s actually poison.” He made it clear that if the majority could not rule, it would lead to “boring delays. Continuous negotiations and intrigues. The privilege of the public good.”

And now this?

The disruption has not disappeared yet. Some former Democratic backers of the procrastination – such as Senator John Tester of Montana and Biden himself – said they might consider eliminating it if Republicans continued to refuse to compromise. Others – like Joe Manchin and Kirsten CinemaThey say they continue to oppose it.

But the question will not be settled abstractly, as the Republican strategist indicated. Liam Donovan. The next time the Senate considers a particular bill that has the support of a majority but not a great majority, this will be the turning point.

RelatedJamila Bowie, a columnist for The Times Opinion Division, defended the repeal. In The Washington Post, Carl Levin, former Senator, and Richard Arrenberg They advocated for preservation. And the Molly Reynolds, From the Brookings Institution, how do you fix it.

David Leonhart writes The Morning, The Times’ flagship daily newsletter. Prior to that, he was head of the Washington bureau, founding editor of The Upshot, opinion columnist, and led the 2020 Project on the Future of Writing for The New York Times. She won a Pulitzer Prize in the commentary category in 2011. Embed a Tweet The social networking site Facebook