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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowWhether you like or dislike, the filibuster is often dictated by which party is in power and which party you prefer.
But Sheila Kennedy’s main assertion is that the filibuster has historically been used to stand against “racial equity and justice” and that it is currently used to derail “measures desired by substantial majorities of Americans” [Here’s how the Senate makes us an undemocratic Republic, April 2].
These statements are exaggeratory and inflammatory, and perhaps a bit partisan. Her central viewpoint that the two-senator-per-state structure is now unfair and basically racist is quite bold. The United States is a representative republic, not a democracy, with constitutional limitations on centralized power. Shall we mention the House of Representatives (the people’s house)? States’ rights? Checks and balances? And as for the Senate, is one state less important than another state because fewer people live there? I wonder, would this article have been written, say, two years ago?
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Joel Kartholl
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