Summary
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) broke the record for longest Senate floor speech at 25 hours and 5 minutes, surpassing the 24-hour, 18-minute filibuster by former Sen. Strom Thurmond, who opposed the 1957 Civil Rights Act.
Booker said it “irked” him that Thurmond’s record symbolized efforts to block civil rights.
He used the speech to protest potential GOP spending cuts and Trump-era policies.
Supported by fellow Democrats, Booker remained standing and speaking for over a day, calling his action a symbolic reclaiming of the Senate’s legacy.
Wait, that one was against civil rights?!?
Strom Thurmond ordering breakfast would somehow figure out a way to be against civil rights
You are beginning to irk me, professor.
I am irked! And that will not do.— Dr. Calico (Malcom McDowell; Bolt, 2008)
Clowning aside, while I was already a fan of Booker, that was some classical badassery IMHO.
To preface this question, I just want to clarify I’m not trying to be a troll or stir the shitpot, I genuinely think I’ve missed something here. That being said, I’m confused about why people are so excited about this 25 hour speech. He talked for a little over a day. I thought the main issue we have with democrats is that talking is all they seem to do. I mean, he wasn’t even filibustering anything.
What was it about this particular spell of talking that’s making people appreciative versus all the other hot air from democrats? What did this accomplish?
First of all, it delayed the vote to cut Medicaid. Even if just by a day, it means that someone’s grandma may get coverage for oxygen that would have been cut a day earlier. Second, it shows that Democrats are willing and able to fight. The Senate can’t vote until discussion ends. Cory wasn’t just delaying the Medicaid vote, he was delaying every single item on the agenda after that. It sends a strong signal; come back and work with us on legislation, or don’t come back at all. Another thing to remember is that it takes 3/5ths of the present members to break the filibuster. Cory being able to go that long without being procedurally cut short also sends a clear message of unity, republicans couldn’t break the filibuster.
Edit: oh, and to top it off, Trump’s public address for yesterday got like 20k views total. The single stream that I was in for Cory’s filibuster got over 150k peak views. Trump has got to be pissed about that.
I heard some views got a half a million… and more.
Some have said it was the most viewed political broadcast in history. People are saying it. Many people.
He talked for a little over a day.
There’a a reason there was a 24 hour record to be broken in the first place. Standing and delivering a speech for 25 hours straight is a genuinely incredible physical and mental feat.
The talking is to hold up the Senate, give voices to seniors worried about losing social security, and to draw more attention to the absolutely broken state of our government.
It’s an ideological war. Most of it will look like talking until the talking pushes people to start acting. You can’t just skip ahead to the revolution and push the “riot” button, you have to convince people to act.
Standing and delivering a speech for 25 hours straight is a genuinely incredible physical and mental feat.
So is eating 73 hot dogs in 10 minutes. What does it accomplish?
give voices to seniors worried about losing social security, and to draw more attention to the absolutely broken state of our government
Everybody paying attention is already aware of these things. What does repeating them accomplish?
Most of it will look like talking until the talking pushes people to start acting
Our representatives are the ones who are supposed to be acting. Again, what did this speech accomplish?
I mean, we’re all talking about it, aren’t we? His actions might spur others into taking action.
MLK didn’t really do a ton of direct action, but his speeches were still very influential.
Everybody paying attention is already aware of these things.
They haven’t been paying attention and no, they’re not already aware. Not everyone in the nation is on the same page. Clearly.
I understand why you’re trying to find reasons to be upset, and simplify the situation. But what are you actually trying to find here? What are you contributing?
What did MLK’s “I have a dream” speech accomplish? What did Sophia Scholl’s leaflets accomplish? What are you accomplishing, right here, right now, with this comment?
I am by no means elevating the senator’s speech to that level of historical importance. But the point stands. It’s an ideological war. It has to be fought with ideas. There is no other way.
To fight fascism is to fight especially when it feels like it accomplishes nothing. To fight an ideological war is not just to fight against your enemy - it is to fight for the hearts and minds of your friends.
What are you accomplishing, right here, right now, with this comment?
The function of accounts like the one you are replying to is to encourage cynicism and inaction among otherwise anti-fascist people.
Failing that, they will try to exhaust you with “debate”.
Yeah, I understand the possibility that a comment like that just isn’t worth responding to. Apathy is such a ubiquituous kneejerk response that it’s basically the fediverse’s equivalent of youtube’s “First!!” comments.
But we need more productive discourse, and sometimes that requires addressing all the potentially cynical readers out there who will just read the headline, see the apathy in these comments, and continue on with their doomscroll without a moment’s thought
Agree completely, I also just feel it’s important to highlight that style of inauthentic behavior.
Those psyop bastards are always worth replying to. Unlike reddit, lemmy doesn’t hide highly downvoted comments. So instead you have to very visibly call them on their bullshit.
To fight fascism is to fight especially when it feels like it accomplishes nothing.
Unfortunately, history has shown that fascism can’t be stopped with just words.
It’s an ideological war. Most of it will look like talking until the talking pushes people to start acting. You can’t just skip ahead to the revolution and push the “riot” button, you have to convince people to act.
Starts with words.
This was a direct message to Schumer and the Democratic leadership. What he accomplished was giving the Senate Democrats, AND the rest of America, a look at how Booker would lead if he were to take over as the leader of the Senate Democrats. He went through their entire agenda, point by point, and looked strong the entire time.
Schumer has to leave ASAP, let AOC take his place in the Senate, and have Booker take over the leadership.
Our representatives are the ones who are supposed to be acting. Again, what did this speech accomplish?
Dude, they are in the minority. The only thing they can hope to do is obstruct what Republicans are doing. Holding the floor is a good way to do this. They don’t have to hold the floor physically to obstruct most things, but it’s better IMO…because it gives them a bigger platform to scream from.
If I were a democratic senator, I’d be setting up to physically filibuster everything the whole session and use the time on the floor to have a parade of people continually shit talking Trump. It generates headlines and diverts attention, and gets people talking. All good things IMO.
I’m irritated with Democrats most often because they seem to not give a shit about fighting when they don’t have the votes. Booker’s actions are a step in the right direction.
It accomplished the blocking of Senate business for a full 25 hours. The Republican majority couldn’t do anything while Booker had the floor. That’s significant. Democrats are not in power, so obstruction is one of their only options. The Republicans are great at it, so I’m glad Dems are finally trying it too. Look how much the Republicans prevented Obama from accomplishing. I think they would consider their obstruction at that time to be an accomplishment.
There is very little that Democratic senators can actually accomplish from the minority. They certainly can’t pass their own bills, that’s how the Senate works unfortunately. So for now, this is what an accomplishment looks like.
So is eating 73 hot dogs in 10 minutes. What does it accomplish?
Eating hot dogs and bringing infringement of rights and a declining quality of life to attention by breaking a record set 68 years ago are very, very different things.
The person you’re responding to already answered your question. It accomplished holding up the senate and making national news, which brings attention to the issues. Any attention to our current problems is a good thing. It activates people. Activated people act.
Like the person you responded to said. You don’t just cheat code your way to the revolution. It’s a process. A lot of people have to be convinced first.
I hear you, and I can see why you would think this was an empty political gesture that Dems are famous for. I can also agree that all the excitement for him “breaking the record” is stupid. If people could get past that bullshit, they’d realize what the real objective was.
The objective was for Cory Booker to audition for Chuck Schumer’s job by laying out what the Democratic agenda would look like under Booker’s leadership, including exhibiting strength. Does anyone believe that the simpering, spineless, weakling Schumer could have spoken like that for even an hour, no less 24?
It is long past time for Schumer to go. Nobody on either side, anywhere in the government, respects him. He’s used his position to gain enormous wealth, and now that his weakness has helped MAGA to gain power and destroy our nation, he STILL wants to hang around and pad his bank account. What other reason could there be? He certainly isn’t offering ANY opposition to the Nazis, just appeasement and compliance.
I’ve hated him with a white-hot passion ever since he cooperated with the Republican smear campaign against Al Franken, destroying his career and his life, just so he could clear the decks for his friend Gillibrand to run for president. Then her camaign flamed out in weeks. They ruined Al Franken’s life for NOTHING. Fuck this Vichy piece of shit.
If he was in front of me, I would happily say all of this to his stupid Nazi collaborator face. I wish I had that chance.
Schumer needs to go, and make way for AOC, and let Booker run the show. I’m not a huge fan of Booker, but he’s light-years ahead of Schumer.
As an Australian living in Canada, I’m far from an expert on this stuff, but it seems to me the main benefit of something like this is visibility - he had (I believe) 10s of millions of views over the various platforms it was streaming on. Hopefully some of those people were not previously engaged and now are. It’s a start.
He took the high score from a dick so it wasn’t up there anymore with his name.
Move along; this isn’t the thing you need to hyper-focus your anger on about the party that has been given no ability to stop the halfwit aristocracy led by a felon and maybe a traitor and somehow isn’t using that lack of options to magically save the people who sat back and abdicated or voted a serial rapist and felon in over the likes who would have put him in prison.
This guy’s fucking-around has nothing to do with your continued finding-out.
Because this is the best the Democrats can come up with.
It’s also all they have, because they’re never going to be the party to start an active resistance.
Sure I mean I’ll take this over the do-nothing strategy, but yeah he’s already pivoting to identity politics. Like bro…that’s not what this is about, stop huffing your own senator chamber farts for fucks sake.
Curious what he had to say about the corrupting influence of big pharma or commercial real estate bribe money during this speech. Anything? Bueller?!
I’m confused about why people are so excited about this 25 hour speech.
These pointless theatrics are the only thing that liberals have, because they’re so far right that they literally promote genocide. What else can they do when they support 99% of Trump’s policies?
More than one issue exists.
Yup. Rather than organizing worker protests, consumer boycotts, and civil disobedience they are doing performance art
I’m sure “irked” was not the word he wanted to use.
I’m sure making it into a headline was not intended to compliment him.
He’s sure talking some trash about Bidens “closest friend”.
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-biden-strom-thurmond-civil-rights-act-808498993375
I mean it is a great record to break. Especially right now.
The question is, will it help galvanize the DNC? I won’t be holding my breath but there’s another sliver of hope.
He should have done a filibuster and broke the record.
Who holds the guiness record for longest pointless chatter?
I feel like the more effective form of resisting fascism would be simply to oppose genocide.
https://www.blackagendareport.com/cory-bookers-boot-licking-butt-kissing-and-buck-dancing-zionism
Who holds the guiness record for longest pointless chatter?
Honestly, your comment might qualify.
I saw his interview about preparing by fasting, but I still have more questions because what he did was abnormal and damaging his health.
When did he wake up the day before? That means he stayed awake for more than 25 already. Was he sipping coffee or did he take amphatamine speed to stay up standing up not allowed to sit and talking for 25+ hrs without bathroom or food? was he pissing in bottles? was it withdrawals from some legal/illegal substance that kept him awake? and such law that does not allow bathroom breaks is stupid and hurtful.
he risked his health to make a point. no one should need to do this.he risked his health to make a point. no one should need to do this.
i have terrible news for you about what the rest of us in America will need to do
He did take food and bathroom breaks, iirc, there was another senator who basically held the podium for him I think
Probably used modafinil, or whatever the current version of that is.
