On Monday, Democratic House Majority Whip James Clyburn said that if Democrats don’t get rid of the filibuster now in order to pass their voting bill, the GOP will win Congress and “Republicans will get rid of [the filibuster] in the next Congress.”
“I don’t see how we can have unfettered elections in November where every vote will be counted,” Clyburn said if his party’s voting bills aren’t passed.
Clyburn made his comments during an interview on the Peacock TV channel The Choice’s “Mehdi Hasan Show.”
Clyburn: .’I don’t see how we can have unfettered elections in November where every vote will be counted’
Clyburn told Hasan, “I’ve been telling people for some time now that I believe very strongly that the filibuster is on its last leg.”
The Democrat emphasized that this might be his party’s last chance to ditch the filibuster.
“Now, either we get rid of that filibuster business now or we will lose the House and they will get rid of it, the Republicans will get rid of it in the next Congress,” Clyburn said. “Because if we do not pass these bills, I don’t see how we can have unfettered elections in November where every vote will be counted, where the nullification efforts down in Georgia and other places — this is not about suppressing the vote. This is about nullifying the votes that have been cast.”
If the Senate can use the reconciliation process to ensure our nation's full faith & credit can't be filibustered, we ought to have a similar rule for voting rights. The fragile fabric that we call our democracy will unravel if we don't protect the most fundamental right to vote. pic.twitter.com/AgSjdpwvXp
— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) January 8, 2022
Clyburn: ‘This is a throwback to centuries that we thought were behind us’
“That’s what’s in this law that just passed down in Georgia,” he continued. “This is about criminalizing giving people convenience, people standing in line for four and five hours, if you give them a bottle of water, that is considered a criminal offense.”
“That’s what’s going on here,” Clyburn insisted. “This is a throwback to centuries that we thought were behind us.”