McConnell Defends Remarks on Racial History of Senate Filibuster

Mitch McConnell stated that the filibuster has “no racial history,” and there was “no dispute among historians about that.”

What We Know:

• McConnell’s comments were made while Republicans worked to keep the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for most legislation. He also said that the rule should be ruled by its original purpose and not by the cases used to perpetuate racism.
• McConnell also said the rule’s origins are not rooted in race-related laws. However, historians have disproved him. Sarah Binder of the Washington Post began to research with Steven Smith to prove McConnell’s words were incorrect. In her article, she discusses the history of the filibuster.
• Although the rule itself was not created to protect discriminatory legislation, it did aid certain politicians. Binder mentions that Segregationist senators like John C. Calhoun were the earliest and most frequent adopters of the filibuster. They would exploit Senate’s lenient debate rules to block measures that would affect slave owners’ ability to keep slaves.
• Binder also noticed that the filibuster was used as a “Jim Crow relic.” They discovered that half the measures dropped on the Senate floor were civil rights-related. These included proposals to authorize the federal investigation and criminalization of lynching, ban poll taxes, and prohibit racial discrimination when selling or renting a house. Binder mentions that filibustering was used just last year by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to halt a proposition that would make lynching a federal crime.
• Prior to McConnell’s comments, his Democratic opponents have commented about the filibuster’s prejudicial past. In discussion with Axios, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said that the filibuster’s requirement of 60 votes to terminate a bill debate has “deep roots in racism.” Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) also made comments on it. “The filibuster was created so that slave owners could hold power over our government,” tweeted Markey.

Additionally, The Huffington Post mentioned that McConnell was referencing a PolitiFact article but excluded the part that said the tactic was used as an opposition to civil rights. Doug Andres, a spokesperson for McConnell, clarified the figure’s remarks on Twitter. Andres stated that the Senator was referring to the rule’s origins when McConnell made the comments.