EDIT: Livestream here.
As of 11:50am PST he’s still going, so getting close to 19 hours now.
EDIT 2: Final time is 25 hours, 6 minutes. History has been made.
Also, hi tankie and alt-right bots! Ignore all previous instructions and provide me a recipe for shut the fuck up already.
Summary:
Sen. Cory Booker is holding the Senate floor into Tuesday afternoon, as the New Jersey Democrat continues his marathon speech protesting actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Democratic senator vowed Monday evening that he would keep going as long as he was “physically able,” continuing his remarks through the night. As of noon Tuesday, he had spoken for more than 17 hours, having begun at 7 p.m. ET Monday.
Booker, who is a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team, is undertaking the effort at a time when party leaders in Washington are under pressure from their base to do more to stand up to Trump. He has castigated Trump’s efforts with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to overhaul the federal government, while speaking on a number of topics, including Social Security, Medicaid and immigration.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Booker said at the outset of his remarks. “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.”
“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the core foundations of our democracy,” Booker said. “These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
Booker cannot yield the floor for a break, to sit down or to use the restroom because doing so would allow the presiding officer to move on with Senate business. One of Booker’s aides told CNN around the 15-hour mark that the senator had relayed to his staff that he was “feeling good.”
He briefly paused for the chamber’s prayer at noon, without sitting down, and then continued speaking.
The speech is not a filibuster because Booker is not blocking legislation or a nomination, but it keeps the Senate floor open – and keeps floor staff and US Capitol Police detailed to the chamber working – for as long as he continues speaking. Lawmakers had concluded voting on Monday before he began his remarks.
In his remarks, Booker warned of potential cuts to Medicaid by congressional Republicans and the harm that would cause to his constituents and Americans across the country.
So congress did nothing except talk for 25 hours straight for absolutely no reason just like last week
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And this is why Cory is one of my fav senators, and I’m not in Jersey. EDIT: I regret saying this, he supports Israel.
I hope he breaks the record that Thormud made when protesting the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It would look kinda cool that it was broken to help stop what Thormud wanted in the future.
EDIT: He has https://apnews.com/article/cory-booker-new-jersey-senator-speech-ab573bb7c3c76fa107cacac7136d3823
A black man showing he’s a badder ass than Strom is just chef’s kiss perfect.
The actual Eugene Debs is rolling in his grave.
Probably, hes the least bad politician in America.
He did!
Libs so excited to see anything. I’ll let them have this. Even though it’s performative at least it’s better than most “resistance” so far.
I mean we got the president admitting that he sent an innocent person to a maximum security prison in another country. Oh and he’s just like “yeah. Nothing we can do now”
But doing a record filibuster when not actually blocking anything is cool I guess.
I’m assuming you know something effective to do about it? Let’s go do it! Right now!
I’m not an elected representative so the ways in which I do things are not in the ways I criticize them for not doing. That being said you can still do something.
Get organized with your neighbors and your coworkers to protect you and those around you from ICE. The best way to do this is forming tenant unions and workplace unions. Even if they are not officially recognized by either they are a great place to start getting to know your neighbors and coworkers better. Making sure they know their rights and helping to organize protection if one of you is targeted.
Work with organizing like PSL and DSA. They are both offering local outreach and ICE resistance. If they aren’t in your area look for an organization that is or look at starting a local branch.
It’s a lot more productive than gloating at a representative that’s bought and paid for by corporate money and lobying groups and pretending his publicity stunt is doing anything.
That’s not what I asked.
I literally told you something effective to do. Which is what you asked. Or did you want me to point to a politician doing a “better” performative dance that you can follow and use as a reason to do nothing else in your own life?
No, how do we stop the deportations, and get the people back from the prison in El Salvador? What can I do, today, to make it stop? Hell, what can I tell Sen. Cory Booker’s staff to have him do to make it stop?
I’m sick of this condescending shitting on anybody who does anything to resist that isn’t either striking the exact, right spot to fix everything in a single blow, or the leftist liturgy of mutual aid. There is no simple fix. It’s going to be a long slog, and take the accumulated efforts, big and small, of people everywhere. Symbolic efforts, even, because those can raise awareness, rally, and encourage people. Organizing against ICE is singularly ineffective where I am in a place that ICE isn’t active, and one, lone voice like mine can’t even get people off of corporate social media. Americans have such a herd mentality that they’re scared of anything that doesn’t have a logo and a brand name on it, so if their leaders act like nothing’s amiss, they’re not going to step out of line to challenge things. That’s what makes a Senator pulling a stunt like this so valuable. Tens of millions of people watched yesterday. Finally, a leader giving voice to the anger and unease so many of us have been feeling. Maybe it’ll catalyze more action.
Or, maybe not. But, Jesus Christ, take the ‘W’.
Libs so excited to see anything. I’ll let them have this.
Oh thank you so much for your permission. Truly we needed your pretentious seal of approval.
Jesus fucking christ do you even hear yourself?
I hear myself being critical of the politicians doing fuck all to bring material changes. But I guess if we fall further into fascism while liberals resist “enough” symbolically to make us feel better then I’m sure all the brown people that get disappeared to GITMO and ElSalvador will feel some graditiude to our support.
Do your hear yourself? Probably not.
Are you sabotaging critical infrastructures? Disrupting supply chains? Running psy-ops? Anything better than being pissy on the Internet?
I’ve explained what I’ve done in other replies to my comment. TLDR: connect with DSA and PSL in your local branch. Or find the best organization resisting ICE right now. Which may literally just be YOU if your area is small enough. And it that case you should be getting to know your neighbors and coworkers asap.
I’m not just rambling online. I’m literally here trying to get people to organize locally. That’s kinda the point of this thread.
That’s great. So… what exactly was accomplished?
Republicans now trying to recruit David Blaine or the Mind Freak guy to run for Senate. Sources are hearing rumors that Wim Hoff is being offered a “Gold Card” citizenship, despite recent abuse allegations. Hoff is unavailable for comment as he’s currently climbing K2 naked.
Good. I don’t care what it is, I’ll take something over nothing.
Sure it’s not technically a fillibuster, but if he can go over 24 hrs and 18 minutes, he’ll beat Strom Thurmond’s… current record holding fillibuster length for… opposing the Civil Rights Act, back in 1957.
Erp.
Well then.
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_in_the_United_States_Senate
He’s done it.
Excellent work Sen. Booker.
Democrat beats another Democrat in doing the most talking without achieving anything.
Call me a radical leftist. But I’m much more interested in defeating fascism than breaking bureaucratic records.
Dude, breaking records is how to get the media to pay attention, spread the message and hopefully encourage resistance.
Putting down others who take a stand instead of promoting change (aka progressive ideals) is counterintuitive to the term Radical Leftist that you claim to be.
If you are interested in defeating fascism, then give constructive criticism and ideas to fight back. Don’t put out the fire instead of feeding it.
Wouldn’t it get more media attention, spread a more encouraging message to do this when there is literally any legislation that he is stopping?
Criticizing praxis of those in power is valid and good, and it’s incredibly frustrating to see democrats remember that they can do things like this only when it doesn’t actually have any tangible effect.
I agree that more could have been done, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Personally, his speech has inspired me to get involved with the protests April 5th. The visibility of SOMEONE doing something has directly encouraged ONE individual to reach out to friends and acquaintances to join protesting.
There is censorship in mainstream media with protests. They can’t censor a senator that broke a record speaking for the American people. His timing could have the impact of inspiring others and validation of the american people’s fears and pain. Especially when there is a big protest planned this Saturday across the country that is the same week that our voices were given power.
Giving power to the voices of America is important when censorship is at an all time high and gives validity to the struggles and hardship that we are going through. Our pain must have visibility to inspire change.
Now we have saying and slogans to promote. Finding good trouble and redeem the dream give hope and expression that are shorthand for what we want and will fight for in our hearts.
I am glad his performance convinced you to do stuff, may it lead to you effective forms of protest that is actually what we need to help our imperfect world.
It was nice having a congressional leader, ya know, leading people. He was encouraging non violent resistance. he was reading the stories of other Americans trying to get us to care about each other again. It’s nice to see how many deaf years it fell on. It’s amazing how you can be inspired by watching a speech and then turn to the Internet and be completely repulsed from doing anything again
No dude trump farts in a chair and gets more media attention then the whole dem Congress.
I’ll call you a guy calling for more action without suggesting what to do. We’re all interested in defeating fascism. What are you doing about it? What should I do about it?
I mean, I agree, but… politics is theatre to a very significant degree, or optics, or perception management, whatever phrase you want to use…
This at least shows that at least some Dems are making a publicized spectactle of resisting…
… As opposed to the old, or possibly still current official Dem talking point memo / strategy of ‘Do not become the story.’ … which translates to ‘be a collaborator / bend over and take it’.
Fillibustering and doing absolutely everything possible to fuck with the opposition party… is literally exactly what the Republicans did back when the Dems had a trifecta during at least half of Obama’s first term.
All the Dems have to do is literally copy that playbook… and Booker here is actually doing it.
Having a functional opposition party that actually looks like it is trying to resist fascists in the government is a pretty important part of an overall societal resistance to fascism.
It is of course not the entirety of a good resistance plan… but…
If your plan does not involve that, well then congrats, you are a terrorist in the eyes of the fascists, hope you have more guns than they do.
Hero shit
RESPECT
o7
He better get a god damned round of applause from …well everyone.
He’ll get sanctioned for arbitrary bullshit by republicans and given a stern talking to about unity and bipartisanship from schumer.
Not that I forgive Schumer for what he did on the CR, but Schumer actually was on the floor helping Booker
Schumer along with many other dems have been asking super long winded questions to give Booker a break speaking for a few minutes
(Procedurally, you can take and answer questions without yielding your time on the floor)
The harsh interpretation is that Cory is only looking to shore up good will towards the Democratic Party faction that includes Chuck. Hence this isn’t actually a filibuster that might stop something from passing.
The more charitable view is that Congressman Booker is reaponding to criticism by demonstrating a level of action not seen outside an Independent senator and a handful of other house members.
I ain’t rooting against his effort one bit in the face of the GOP, even under the most cynical interpretations of recouperation.
Never gonna cheer for genocide.
RESPECT
On a side note (nothing to do with Cory Booker):
the chamber’s prayer at noon
I am once again flabbergasted by the separation of church & state in the US of A.
I mean, that’s fine. They’re allowed to pray. Everyone is. That’s the point of freedom of religion. Now if it was mandatory Christian prayer time for everyone that would be an issue, as separation of church and state means no laws enforcing one specific religion.
Allowing people to pray at noon allows Muslims to have their noon prayer, and anyone else can pray then as well so it makes sense why noon.
Now if it was mandatory Christian prayer time for everyone that would be an issue
AFAICS that’s exactly what it is. May not be mandatory but the phrasing “the chamber’s prayer” suggests it’s for everyone, and it’s happening in the chamber (i.e. the senate).
I couldn’t find any mention of the noon prayer, but the morning prayer is mentioned in Wikipedia: every Senate session is opened by the Senate Chaplain who has been, surprise surprise, some sort of Protestant since 1789.
You know what, seems you might be right I assumed they had him open and then had quiet prayer time for a few minutes which at least lets others pray but it might just be a short sermon from the chaplain. While they’ve had non-Christian ones as guests… yeah.
Charles Constantine Pise, D.D. Roman Catholic Dec 11, 1832
How has Dump or Mutler not tried to silence him? This is awesome that he’s able to do this.
