If Biden wants to have a good legacy, he should abolish the filibuster
Abolishing the filibuster would allow the American President and the elected party to fulfil their mandate and the promises they made to the people.
The polls currently suggest Joe Biden is on course to win the presidency unless something remarkable happens for President Trump in the next four weeks. At the same time the Democrats are almost certain to hold onto the House of Representatives and are likely to increase their majority in the chamber. But along with this the Democrats look like they are going to gain back control of the Senate and be in the same position as the Republicans were in 2017 in holding all three elected parts of the federal government. Unlike the Republicans though, the Democrats need to seize the opportunity in getting their domestic agenda into legislation.
Dissatisfaction in politics in America has been caused by the fact that deadlock and paralysis seem to dominate federal government. As a result of having to get legislation passed through various stages in both chambers of Congress, along with the Presidential ratification, legislation frequently fails to make it to the statute book.
Proponents of the Constitution and originalist conservatives would argue this is to ensure limited government, whilst classic liberals argue that it protects American citizens from tyranny of the minority. However for those of us who believe in radical liberalism that embraces the rationalism of the people and therefore the power of democracy, the system needs to change in a way that not only protects the Constitution but actually empowers governments to get their platforms enacted.
When Donald Trump was elected in 2017 his party controlled all three branches of the elected government. However the one congressional session in which this happened saw the Republicans fail to achieve anything substantial as a legacy other than squeezing two Supreme courts justices onto the court, and a tax reform bill. Key parts of the Trump programme from replacing the Affordable Care Act to getting congressional approval for the wall were blocked by Congress and therefore have stopped the elected President from fulfilling the mandate he was given by the electorate. The Democrats need to learn the mistake that the Republicans made, starting with abolishing the filibuster.
The filibuster was originally created by the Senate as a way of protecting states that disagreed with a federal policy by allowing one state to block the policy from making it to the statute book. This has, however, ensured that the USA has become a deadlocked country, relying on budgets from years before being allowed to extend to avoid the increasingly frequent government shutdowns.
Abolishing the filibuster would allow the American President and the elected party to fulfil their mandate and the promises they made to the people. For Biden, this could be the adoption of the public option and full extension of Obamacare so that it is properly funded and protects millions of Americans, or the desire to pass radical budgets that abolish the debt ceiling and allow for a radical Keynesian stimulus agenda that ensures those that felt the need to vote for Trump in 2016 as a cry for help can be provided with the economic support they need. Abolishing the filibuster would allow Congress to pass gun controls and challenge the Supreme Court to strike down laws passed by the elected legislature.
Abolishing the filibuster would be a bold move but would ensure a truly democratic society along radical liberal lines- one that supports the rationality of the electorate rather than fears it.
