| Senate Chamber c1873/ Wikipedia |
By Sean Monahan
Ending the filibuster isn’t enough, we should demand the end of the Senate itself.
Socialists correctly insist that the only way to truly “get money out of politics” is to get money out of society – nothing short of the abolition of class and the overthrow capitalism will allow for true political democracy in the republic. However, it is clear that overturning the Supreme Court decision Citizens United, which allows basically unlimited campaign spending by the super-rich, would take a hugely important step towards reducing the capitalist class’ ability to hijack our elections in the meantime.
Last week, 54 US Senators, representing 55% of the American population attempted to pass a constitutional amendment that would do just that. This noble effort, however, was thwarted by 42 Senators, representing just 37% of the country’s people (with four others abstaining, representing the last 8%). Recent polls show that an overwhelming majority of US citizens favor this constitutional amendment (73% in favor to 24% against), yet on this issue the will of the people once again has failed to translate into legislation. This was just the most recent of many democratic proposals to be killed in the Senate by the filibuster.
This perpetual frustration has led many writers and activists to demand the “nuclear option” – the abolition of the filibuster in the Senate. They’re right, but they also miss the bigger picture. An even greater obstacle to realizing the democratic ideal of majority rule on Capital Hill is the very existence of the United States Senate itself.
Source: Want Democracy in the United States? Abolish the Senate!
