I was always a proponent of keeping in place that Senate institution, the filibuster. I always thought it should have gone back to a talking filibuster, where one had to actually stand up there and hold the floor for however long it took, instead of the current silent thumbs-up-their-fourth-points-of-contact version, but I was always in favor of keeping the filibuster in place. The Senate, after all, is the upper chamber of Congress. It's not supposed to be prey for the passions of the moment, like the larger and more volatile House of Representatives, although that role as a "cooling saucer" was in part nullified by the ill-advised 17th Amendment. The Senate, after all, was supposed to represent the various state governments, not the population; another notion that got whacked by the 17th Amendment. But the filibuster remained, and I always was a supporter of that.
You'll notice I used the past tense in all that. I'm changing my mind on the filibuster now; here's why, and I'm going to tell you.
Our elections are a mess. Mail-in voting, no ID requirements, people who shouldn't be voting, voting, shady vote-counting processes; it's hard to have much, if any, faith in our elections. The SAVE America Act aims to fix that, in large part by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and requiring the presentation of a government-issued ID to vote. States are already free to put those practices into effect; here in Alaska, at least in the Mat-Su, we have to show an ID to vote, and also have to sign off on the voter registration log. But some of our larger states, some of our bluer states, are working to make elections as fuzzy as possible. The SAVE America Act will change that - if we can get it passed. That's where the filibuster comes in.
A recent piece at the American Spectator makes some good points:
The U.S. House has handed Senate Republicans yet another reason to bury the beloved, albeit obsolete, filibuster. The House, on Feb. 11, passed the SAVE America Act. It would give this country’s too-often dirty elections the power-washing that they desperately need. Before every federal election, it would make states scrub their rolls of duplicate registrations and non-resident, relocated, deceased, or otherwise ineligible voters.
Currently registered voters would be unaffected, but new ones must prove US citizenship. And everyone must present a photo ID to vote. Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer of New York calls this “Jim Crow 2.0.” (RELATED: The SAVE Act: Why Are Senate Republicans Dithering?)
Disgusting!
How dare Schumer trivialize the pain of black Americans who faced segregated “but equal” bathrooms, whites-only bus benches, and noose-filled trees? When blacks show photo ID at airports today, is that Jim Crow 747?
And shame on Schumer for whitewashing this key detail — during Black History Month, no less: The Jim Crow laws that tormented blacks between the 1870s and 1964 were written, enacted, and enforced by Democrats.
Of course, with Democrats, it's all about keeping elections fuzzy. It makes it easier for them to cheat. But this is an issue that may well backfire on them. The American Spectator also kicks in with some numbers we've seen around before:
According to Pew Research, 76 percent of blacks and 82 percent of Hispanics spurn Schumer’s racial slurs and historical revisionism. Instead, they favor photo ID. So do 83 percent of Americans, 95 percent of Republicans, and even 71 percent of Democrats. (RELATED: Save the SAVE Act: A Necessary Solution to a Real Problem)
“A photo ID to vote is not controversial in this country,” said CNN analyst Harry Enten. “It is not controversial by party, and it is not controversial by race. The vast majority of Americans agree.”
No, voter ID is not controversial. Unless, that is, you want to leave the window open to cheating. It's hard - nay, impossible - to see any other reason to oppose this. Democrats would, given the chance, make our elections about as honest as those held in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Read More: New: Collins Commits, SAVE America Act Hits 50 Votes!
SAVE Act Clears Last Procedural Hurdle, Heads to the House Floor for Vote
So, back to the filibuster.
Democrats in the Senate have vowed to kill the filibuster at their first opportunity, and sooner or later, they will have the opportunity. This isn't something that requires legislation. The filibuster isn't in the Constitution. It's just a tradition, a tradition that can be voted out by a rule change. Democrats, the very next time they hold House, Senate, and presidency - they will, sooner or later - will use this to usher in every loony-tunes woke horse squeeze legislation they can dream up. Boys in girls' sports? You bet. Taxpayer-funded "gender-affirming" care? Why not? Trillions in reparations for slavery, to be paid to people who were never slaves by people who never owned slaves? Of course! You name it, if there's a leftist fever dream about it, they'll jam it through.
So why not beat them to the punch?
There's a wonderful old Andy Capp comic, showing the famous protagonist being arrested, explaining to the cops, "He was going to hit me, so I hit him back first." That's what the GOP should consider, right now. The Democrats are going to hit us with this at the first opportunity. Let's hit them back first. Let's get the SAVE America Act passed and on to President Trump's desk, where he is anxiously awaiting the chance to sign it. Let's fix our elections, and perhaps, the chances of Democrat loony-tunery in Congress will be lessened because honest elections don't favor the nutbars.
Yes, I've changed my mind. This has to be done. It will be used against us in the future. But at least our elections will be secured - for a while.
