Cotton Uses Schumer's Own Words Against Him, Reads Speech Verbatim Against Nuking Filibuster

the senator from arkansas right now we are on the precipice of a constitutional crisis we're about to step into the abyss i want to talk for a few minutes why we're on that precipice and why we're looking into that abyss let me first ask a fundamental question what is the crisis that calls for the undoing of two centuries of tradition are senators merely doing their jobs as legislators responding to a generalized public calling for the abolition of the filibuster clearly not it is not the american people at large who are demanding detonation of the nuclear option the nuclear option is being pushed largely by the radioactive rhetoric of a small band of radicals who hold in their hands the political fortunes of the president constitutional scholars will tell us that the reason we have these rules in the senate unlimited debate two-thirds to change the rules the idea that 60 have to close off debate is embodied in the spirit and rule of the constitution that is what the constitution is all about and we all know it it is the senate where the founding fathers established a repository of checks and balances it's unlike the house of representatives where the majority leader or the speaker can snap his fingers and get what he wants on important issues the founding fathers wanted and they were correct in my judgment that the slimmest majority should not always govern the senate is not a majoritarian body the bottom line is very simple the audio logs in the senate want to turn the founding fathers what the founding fathers called the cooling saucer of democracy into a rubber stamp of dictatorship they will make this country into a banana republic where if you don't get your way you change the rules are we going to let them it will be a doomsday for democracy if we do i for one hope and pray that it will not come to this but i assure my colleagues at least speaking for this senator i will do everything i can to prevent the nuclear option from being invoked not for the sake of myself for my party but for the sake of this great republic and its traditions those are powerful words but they're not mine every word of my speech today was originally spoken by our esteemed colleague the senior senator from new york chuck schumer senator schumer spoke so eloquently in defense of the senate's rules customs and traditions when the fortunes of his party looked a little different my how times have changed now it's senator schumer's fingers that are hovering over the nuclear button ready to destroy the senate for partisan advantage think about it the narrowest majority in senate history wants to break the senate rules to control how voters in every state elect senators could there be a better argument to preserve the senate's rules customs and traditions so before it's too late let us reflect on the wise and eloquent words of senator schumer words that are as true today as they were when he spoke them even if senator schumer is singing a different tune today

Channel: The Hill

Views: 658,382

Keywords: Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. Chuck Schumer

Id: XQhV6Y6GuWE

Length: 4min 38sec (278 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 12 2022