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.
Because of this part
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.
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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.
I would have dude oppose genocide. I would have him do something meaningful instead of this performance. Nothing will come of this.
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”
“Raising awareness” activism has been such a pernicious tool of pacification for the current era.
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.
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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.