Winning Democracy in America
Forget socialist democracy; by virtue of its Constitution, the United States barely has political democracy. If we take expanding democracy seriously — and if we want to implement sweeping social reforms — we need some serious changes.
Illustration by Marco Miccichè
1. End the filibuster
The Constitution doesn’t specify the rules of order for the House and Senate. In principle, the filibuster is an expression of a senator’s right to debate. The Senate adopted Rule XXII in 1917, allowing two-thirds of the Senate to invoke cloture, bringing a proposal forward to a vote. After 1975, the rule was amended to mean three-fifths (60). The filibuster has been successively weakened. Bills affecting most federal outlays can be passed through budget reconciliation. All presidential appointments requiring Senate confirmation need only a simple majority. However, bills affecting labor, immigration, criminal justice, and carbon regulation, among others, would still be subject to the supermajority rule — a long-standing obstacle to progressive legislation.
2. Statehood for D.C.
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