In an attempt to pass Democratic voting reform legislation through Congress, President Biden made an angry speech urging the Senate to repeal the filibuster.
Biden stated that he has had private discussions with Democratic lawmakers in the past months regarding changing filibuster rules.
He expressed frustration that Republicans had used the procedure in blocking a sweeping effort to nationalize elections.
“I’ve been having these quiet conversations with members of Congress for the last two months. I’m tired of being quiet,” he said, slamming his hand on the podium.
“I support changing the Senate rules, whichever way they need to be changed to prevent a minority of senators from blocking actions on voting rights,” the President added.
Biden the implied that opposition to the Democrats’ bill was tantamount to being a segregationist or Confederate.
“Do you want to be the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Are you ready to take on the role of John Lewis, Bull Connor or Bull Connor. Do you want to be the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?” Biden asked.
While yelling about having “quiet conversations” about voting rights, Biden slams his hand down and says “I’m tired of being quiet!” pic.twitter.com/qH6rCCLNbe
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 11, 2022
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Biden Calls Getting Rid of the Filibuster Dangerous
First off, wanting to preserve some power for the minority doesn’t in any way equate to lawmakers siding with past racist figures.
A second point to be made is that Jefferson Davis was a Democrat, as were Bull Connor and George Wallace.
Then, of course, there is the little matter of Biden’s past record on changing the filibuster.
In 2005, Biden called the “nuclear option” to weaken the filibuster an “arrogance of power,” and said eliminating it “would undermine the protections of a minority point of view” and have “long term consequences.”
More recently, in 2019, President Biden called ending the filibuster a “very dangerous thing to do.”
Even more recently, in 2020, Biden said he did not support “abolishing the legislative filibuster” because “it raises problems that are more damaging than the problem that exists.”
FLASHBACK — Presidential candidate Joe Biden in 2020 was asked which of these ideas he supported: expanding the size of the Supreme Court, setting term limits for justices, abolishing the legislative filibuster.
“None.” – Biden responded.
Joe Biden ought to be listening to Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/9IJiQSU88Y
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) April 15, 2021
RELATED: Krysten Sinema Defends Filibuster, Argues Democrats Are Hypocrites After Using It Repeatedly
Democrats have used the Filibuster Again and Again
Two years ago, when Donald Trump became President, Democrats used the legislative filibuster only 327 times.
Senator Kyrsten Silena (D-AZ), wrote an opinion reminding her party of the fact that she used the filibuster to change a bill on police reform and relief legislation for COVID.
“Those filibusters were mounted not as attempts to block progress, but to force continued negotiations toward better solutions,” she argued.
After @POTUS @JoeBidenAfter last year’s outrage at the abuse of filibuster, we decided to do some digging. It was used once by Republicans. It was used 327 times by Democrats. @FoxNews
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) March 26, 2021
Biden also rants about nuking filibuster in order to pass legislation to expand mail-in voter, give federal control over elections and make it easier to obtain voter ID laws. He tells a strange story about his participation in civil rights movements.
Official transcript from the White House
However, I didn’t walk on the same ground as generations of students. However, I did walk other areas. Because I’m so damn old, I was there as well. (Laughter.)
You think I’m kidding, man. (Laughter.) It feels like yesterday that I was arrested. Anyway — (laughter).
I was not aware that Joe biden had been arrested during a civil right demonstration. pic.twitter.com/qFbjdcPVXg
— Justin Sink (@justinsink) January 11, 2022
Biden’s civil rights claim has been made before. He had to clarify some of his remarks in the past.
“I was not down marching. Selma wasn’t my downfall. I didn’t live anywhere else. I was a suburbanite kid who got a dose of exposure to what was happening to black Americans in my own city,” he said.
Biden claimed that he was also arrested multiple times while on a visit to Nelson Mandela, South Africa.
Biden admitted it had never occurred during a CNN interview.
“I wasn’t arrested, I was stopped. I was not able to move where I wanted to go,” he said.