![]() ![]() Yet, as Jentleson reveals, the filibuster was not a feature of the original Senate and, in allowing a determined minority to gridlock the federal government, runs utterly counter to the Framers’ intent.įor much of its history, the filibuster was used primarily to prevent civil rights legislation from becoming law. From John Calhoun in the mid-1800s to Mitch McConnell in the 2010s, their primary weapon has been the filibuster, or the requirement that most legislation secure the support of a supermajority of senators. In Kill Switch, Senate insider Adam Jentleson contends that far from reflecting the Framers’ vision, the Senate has been transformed over the decades by a tenacious minority of white conservatives. ![]() Once known as “the world’s greatest deliberative body,” the Senate has become one of the greatest threats to our democracy. Although they do not represent a majority of Americans-and will not for the foreseeable future-today’s Republican senators possess the power to block most legislation. Every major decision governing our diverse, majority-female, and increasingly liberal country bears the stamp of the United States Senate, an institution controlled by people who are almost exclusively white, overwhelmingly male, and disproportionately conservative. ![]()
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