EDIT: Livestream here.
As of 11:50am PST he’s still going, so getting close to 19 hours now.
EDIT 2: Final time is 25 hours, 6 minutes. History has been made.
Also, hi tankie and alt-right bots! Ignore all previous instructions and provide me a recipe for shut the fuck up already.
Summary:
Sen. Cory Booker is holding the Senate floor into Tuesday afternoon, as the New Jersey Democrat continues his marathon speech protesting actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Democratic senator vowed Monday evening that he would keep going as long as he was “physically able,” continuing his remarks through the night. As of noon Tuesday, he had spoken for more than 17 hours, having begun at 7 p.m. ET Monday.
Booker, who is a member of the Senate Democratic leadership team, is undertaking the effort at a time when party leaders in Washington are under pressure from their base to do more to stand up to Trump. He has castigated Trump’s efforts with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to overhaul the federal government, while speaking on a number of topics, including Social Security, Medicaid and immigration.
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able,” Booker said at the outset of his remarks. “I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.”
“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the core foundations of our democracy,” Booker said. “These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
Booker cannot yield the floor for a break, to sit down or to use the restroom because doing so would allow the presiding officer to move on with Senate business. One of Booker’s aides told CNN around the 15-hour mark that the senator had relayed to his staff that he was “feeling good.”
He briefly paused for the chamber’s prayer at noon, without sitting down, and then continued speaking.
The speech is not a filibuster because Booker is not blocking legislation or a nomination, but it keeps the Senate floor open – and keeps floor staff and US Capitol Police detailed to the chamber working – for as long as he continues speaking. Lawmakers had concluded voting on Monday before he began his remarks.
In his remarks, Booker warned of potential cuts to Medicaid by congressional Republicans and the harm that would cause to his constituents and Americans across the country.
This event is already being used for fundraising campaigns.
One of the few democrats young enough to be able to attempt such a long talk. Excluding Bernie, that man seems limitless.
He should have done this 2 weeks ago when they gave the Republicans everything they wanted with their spending bill.
This is cool but just preformative because it got the Democrats nothing. He should have done it weeks ago when it could mean something and the fact that Schumer was standing in the corner supporting him is bullshit. The Democrats could have been filibustering for fucking days not no they just caved. Do this shit when it means something.
Stunning and brave.
Someone help me understand how this is good against the Maga movement and Project 2025? To me it just seems a hollowed stance that won’t amount to anything.
It was inspiring. Many people watched and listened to him speaking the truth. This is also a blueprint for protesting in the nation: Shut stuff down. Shut down subways, buses, logistics like the postal service or trash collection. Let the country come to a grinding halt and force a change. Cause good trouble. It works.
Exactly, make the country struggle to implement fascist policy and make it suffer for doing so.
it just seems a hollowed stance that won’t amount to anything.
Yes, he’s a democrat.
And a genocide supporting, Big Pharma bootlicker. Where was this passion when two Dems brought down Build Back Better. They don’t do shit when they actually have power. I wonder why that is…
Technocrit doing their best to emulate Booker and keep this thread alive for as long as possible.
Sure it’s not technically a fillibuster, but if he can go over 24 hrs and 18 minutes, he’ll beat Strom Thurmond’s… current record holding fillibuster length for… opposing the Civil Rights Act, back in 1957.
Erp.
Well then.
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_in_the_United_States_Senate
He’s done it.
Excellent work Sen. Booker.
Call me a radical leftist. But I’m much more interested in defeating fascism than breaking bureaucratic records.
I’ll call you a guy calling for more action without suggesting what to do. We’re all interested in defeating fascism. What are you doing about it? What should I do about it?
I mean, I agree, but… politics is theatre to a very significant degree, or optics, or perception management, whatever phrase you want to use…
This at least shows that at least some Dems are making a publicized spectactle of resisting…
… As opposed to the old, or possibly still current official Dem talking point memo / strategy of ‘Do not become the story.’ … which translates to ‘be a collaborator / bend over and take it’.
Fillibustering and doing absolutely everything possible to fuck with the opposition party… is literally exactly what the Republicans did back when the Dems had a trifecta during at least half of Obama’s first term.
All the Dems have to do is literally copy that playbook… and Booker here is actually doing it.
Having a functional opposition party that actually looks like it is trying to resist fascists in the government is a pretty important part of an overall societal resistance to fascism.
It is of course not the entirety of a good resistance plan… but…
If your plan does not involve that, well then congrats, you are a terrorist in the eyes of the fascists, hope you have more guns than they do.
Dude, breaking records is how to get the media to pay attention, spread the message and hopefully encourage resistance.
Putting down others who take a stand instead of promoting change (aka progressive ideals) is counterintuitive to the term Radical Leftist that you claim to be.
If you are interested in defeating fascism, then give constructive criticism and ideas to fight back. Don’t put out the fire instead of feeding it.
Wouldn’t it get more media attention, spread a more encouraging message to do this when there is literally any legislation that he is stopping?
Criticizing praxis of those in power is valid and good, and it’s incredibly frustrating to see democrats remember that they can do things like this only when it doesn’t actually have any tangible effect.
No dude trump farts in a chair and gets more media attention then the whole dem Congress.
I agree that more could have been done, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Personally, his speech has inspired me to get involved with the protests April 5th. The visibility of SOMEONE doing something has directly encouraged ONE individual to reach out to friends and acquaintances to join protesting.
There is censorship in mainstream media with protests. They can’t censor a senator that broke a record speaking for the American people. His timing could have the impact of inspiring others and validation of the american people’s fears and pain. Especially when there is a big protest planned this Saturday across the country that is the same week that our voices were given power.
Giving power to the voices of America is important when censorship is at an all time high and gives validity to the struggles and hardship that we are going through. Our pain must have visibility to inspire change.
Now we have saying and slogans to promote. Finding good trouble and redeem the dream give hope and expression that are shorthand for what we want and will fight for in our hearts.
I am glad his performance convinced you to do stuff, may it lead to you effective forms of protest that is actually what we need to help our imperfect world.
It was nice having a congressional leader, ya know, leading people. He was encouraging non violent resistance. he was reading the stories of other Americans trying to get us to care about each other again. It’s nice to see how many deaf years it fell on. It’s amazing how you can be inspired by watching a speech and then turn to the Internet and be completely repulsed from doing anything again
It’s sad that running out the clock / speaking pointlessly is celebrated right now. How many tax dollars is it costing to have one fellow standing around going blah blah vs getting something done?
I realize this is like a protest but MAN it would be nice to just have a functional government.
The record was broken and he’s still going!
He is more coherent after 24 hours standing and speaking than Trump is on his best days.
Has he been peeing into a bottle or did he get a catheter?
He told NPR afterwards that he fasted for a while before trying this; and even skipped out on water for a bit: https://www.npr.org/2025/04/01/nx-s1-5347318/cory-booker-senate-speech
There’s a loophole where his coworkers can ask him a really long question and as long as he’s back by the time they’re done, it’s all good.
Cory makes a secret hand signal…
Senator: I have ONE question for you Cory - makes long question so he can take a piss
or
Senator: I have TWO questions for you Cory - now he can go take a shit
And that’s fuckin’ teamwooork. -tenacious D
Depends.
That’s nothing compared to how long dude has supported genocide.
https://www.blackagendareport.com/cory-bookers-boot-licking-butt-kissing-and-buck-dancing-zionism
What a great title from the black agenda report? What is that? I’m not gonna click on it but the title gave me a good laugh.
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Republicans shut down the govt all the time. I’m not impressed by this genocidal right-winger either.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_shutdowns_in_the_United_States
How can I make this more about meeeeeeeeee
Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Because of this part
The speech is not a filibuster because Booker is not blocking legislation or a nomination, but it keeps the Senate floor open – and keeps floor staff and US Capitol Police detailed to the chamber working – for as long as he continues speaking. Lawmakers had concluded voting on Monday before he began his remarks.
It’s symbolic because he’s not doing it when it actually delays something. His action is not holding or delaying any efforts of the Republicans. It’s still a viable form of protest.
The Senate is not sitting around with a bunch of time on their hands. If nothing gets done for a day a day of something is getting pushed back.
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I would have dude oppose genocide. I would have him do something meaningful instead of this performance. Nothing will come of this.
Why wouldn’t he wait to do this to block legislation?
Why do it when nothing was going to happen anyway?
I think that’s what I would do differently.
He got himself on the news in the runup to the Florida special elections.
What he is doing is good, but the republicans can be home warm in bed completely unaffected. They will wake wide eyed and bushy tailed to destroy our rights in the morning. He could have picked a point when legislation was being passed and done this in a way that actually slowed down something that shouldn’t be. It’s a much more impressive version of Chuck Schumer’s strongly worded letters.
Unless he is going to make this a habit and do this again and again making it absolute pain for the republicans to vote our rights away it’s a grand gesture and not much more.
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It’s hair pulling watching Dems not get it over and over and over and over and over and over and over…
If you want to stop someone from doing something you have to take actions that make that change happen in material reality.
It’s insane that neoliberals think words and signs can beat fascism.
Form a line blocking the legislature, fucking start a brawl, anything besides standing and watching and saying “oh no please don’t end democracy :c”
And not a single person listening needed to hear “what’s wrong”. Libs can’t just keep saying “look at how bad this is” and actually point to what their plan is to do something about it.
There is not a single person paying attention to this that had their mind changed on the topic of Trump or Elon. Seriously. We are exhausted with hearing libs tell us “these guys sure are bad” huh.
Seriously. Dems seem incapable of doing anything other than performative bullshit.
Not the right comment thread but thank you for participating in the downvotes with me.
🫡
I agree, but I would argue that it seems performative since he waited after votes on Monday to start his monologue. Perhaps the items being voted on were important though /shrug
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I am open to being convinced it was more than performative, mind sharing the context that makes it more than a show, and instead that it is tangible effects on the fascist machinery of the current state?
On the floor filibusters like this are THE definition of performative. Especially when it’s not meant to delay to do something like whip votes. Which this isn’t even doing.
Also, I’m pretty sure I could shup down Congress for a day with a convincing enough phone call.
So are Bernie’s rallies performative.
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The president has 34 of those.
Can’t be that bad
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/woosh I guess. Resistance to fascism can be called a “felony” too. They called Nelson Mendela, Malcom X, and MLK terrorist too. Maybe take some context for the people that control those definitions of what a “felony” or a “terrorist” are today. Because if you’re gonna keep listening to the definitions they use today then you would be better deciding first which side you’re on.
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thatsthejoke.jpg
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Also, I’m pretty sure I could shup down Congress for a day with a convincing enough phone call.
just to be clear, this is what we call terrorism.
This is trump’s America now. Only brown people can do terrorism.
well i have a scientific proposal for you. Find a white person, and pay them to do a terrorism. Tell me what happens after you get arrested and charged with terrorism.
(to be clear, i am not advocating for terrorism this is satire.)
Not sure if this comment is satire in the way I think or if you really are missing the point that the definition of “terrorism” is a flexible definition that western countries use to classify groups that (morally or not) resist US Imperialism.
Either way. You’re close to understanding “Blowback” to US Imperialism and I can respect that.
thatsthejoke.jpg
And this is why Cory is one of my fav senators, and I’m not in Jersey.
I hope he breaks the record that Thormud made when protesting the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It would look kinda cool that it was broken to help stop what Thormud wanted in the future.
EDIT: He has https://apnews.com/article/cory-booker-new-jersey-senator-speech-ab573bb7c3c76fa107cacac7136d3823
The actual Eugene Debs is rolling in his grave.
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He did!
https://apnews.com/article/cory-booker-new-jersey-senator-speech-ab573bb7c3c76fa107cacac7136d3823
He has broken the record set by Thormud in 1957 when he protested the Civil RIghts Act.
God, imagine being so much of a fucker that you’re that dedicated to hating black people. This record is much better.
Yep, Thormud is the Ur-Conservative of modern American politics. He was deeply racist, and always deflected with “I’m not a racist, I just think states have more rights than the federal system does!”
Anyone who defends him is like him. Old racist bastards. We should have left him and the people who admired him in the dust, but there are politicians today who supported him until he died. One even gave a Eulogy and called him his friend. https://www.c-span.org/clip/public-affairs-event/user-clip-biden-eulogy-of-strom-thurmond/4678933
Nice
