Minorities. They built America, and America was built for them. There will always be unheard minority voices, not just in our
nation at large, but in our nation’s government as well. As long as our country operates under a two-party system, there will be an
unheard voice, and Republican Sen. Bill Frist would do well to remember this fact. As
current Senate majority leader, Frist is
heading the imminent movement to shut down filibusters against President Bush’s
judicial nominees.
Adhering to the belief that any senator should be allowed to speak as long as necessary, a filibuster is a tactic wherein a Senate member, usually from the minority party, continues to speak for days on end, holding up debate on other issues and effectively nullifying the motion under discussion. In this manner, the minority party can prevent a vote that they know the majority party will win by way of sheer numbers. Right now, democrats are using the power of filibuster to avoid a vote that would place a sharply conservative judge next in line for the Supreme Court.
It takes 60 votes to shut down the filibuster; Republicans hold only 55 seats in the Senate. If Frist has his way, Senate rules will change for judicial nominations so only 51 votes are necessary to move along a vote.
Stepping outside party lines for just a
moment, the dangers of limiting a minority voice should be painstakingly obvious to all politicians. Even some fellow Republican
Senators disagree with Frist’s proposal, commenting that at some future point the tables will be turned, and it will be the Republican party relying on filibuster until judicial
nominees leaning more toward the middle can be selected.
It is also significant that Frist is not asking to change the rule on all filibusters, just those related to approving justices. Of all the reasons to filibuster, it seems that the minority power to halt debate is most important when it comes to the Supreme Court. There are almost no circumstances under which a justice will leave the court; appointees last a lifetime. It hardly seems fair or democratic for the majority party, be it Republican or Democrat, to choose justices leaning so far from the middle that the minority party would wish to filibuster in the first place.
If you consider yourself a liberal, think about it this way: Without the ability to filibuster, current Senate Democrats will be powerless to prevent a Conservative justice from being appointed to the Supreme court, who could then sway the court into finding Roe v. Wade unconstitutional. A disappearance of the filibuster could easily result in a disappearance of the right to abortion.
If you consider yourself a conservative, think about it this way: Without the ability to filibuster, future Senate Republicans will be powerless to prevent a liberal justice, who could sway the court into legalizing gay marriage. Although stopping a filibuster may sound like a good idea for your party right now, a long-term consideration shows that making it difficult for the minority Senate group to filibuster is a bad idea all around. Maybe someone should tell that to Bill Frist.
Oregonians of every political persuasion should call their senator, Gordon Smith at (202) 224-3753 in Washington D.C. or (503) 326-3386 in Portland and proclaim the importance of the filibuster.

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