Here’s Democrat Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii — back in 2017 when Trump was president — explaining to his supporters the importance of the filibuster because “ignoring the other party creates rushed garbage legislation”:
60 votes easier to get than 51. Ignoring the other party creates rushed garbage legislation. When you do 60, it’s a compromise.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) November 17, 2017
And in 2018 he urged lawmakers to focus legislation that “could get 60 votes”:
This week let’s place a premium on ideas that can be enacted into law. Lots of proposals will be made, but let’s ask what ideas could get 60 votes, win in the House and be signed by the President. We should first do no harm.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) February 11, 2018
Of course, now that Dems control the White House, the House, and the Senate, he has other ideas:
The Filibuster is a historical accident not found in the Constitution, used primarily to stop civil rights. There are no functional legislatures on earth with a 3/5 supermajority rule. It’s time to throw the Jim Crow filibuster on the trash heap of history where it belongs.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) February 26, 2021
So, what changed?
You still believe this Senator? https://t.co/sMnVUHt1dx
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) January 19, 2022
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