Readers discuss whether to eliminate the filibuster, selling the Democratic agenda to the public, statehood for D.C. and more.
To the Editor:
Re “Democrats, Here’s How to Lose in 2022,” by Ezra Klein (Sunday Review, Jan. 24):
I have great respect for Mr. Klein, but can we end the circular firing squad? Reflection and keen self-awareness are critical to move forward effectively. But for goodness’ sake, can’t we approach constructive feedback in the mode of someone other than Chicken Little? Let’s be proud of our accomplishments, cleareyed about our failings and optimistic about our future.
How about: “Democrats: Here’s how to keep winning in 2022!”
John-Michael Maas
Maplewood, N.J.
To the Editor:
Ezra Klein writes, “Policy has to speak for itself and it has to speak clearly.” Policy doesn’t speak unless its benefits are not just visible, but communicated. It’s a lesson F.D.R. demonstrated with his fireside chats and one that President Obama came only too late to learn. You have to sell it!
That means doing the hard work of finding which elements of complex policy implementation can be described in succinct messages that resonate with specifically targeted groups of voters, and repeating and repeating them where they’ll be seen.
Mark Hochman
Lincoln, Mass.
The writer is a business and economics consultant.
To the Editor:
Ezra Klein hit the nail on the head with his prescription for the Democrats’ success during the Biden administration. Just as Barack Obama did upon assuming the presidency, President Biden is calling for unity and bipartisanship. He must not make the same mistake that Mr. Obama did, seeking cooperation and hoping for progress as time runs out on his control of both houses of Congress. The Republicans answered Mr. Obama’s call with six years of obstruction, capped by the ultimate indignity of ignoring a Supreme Court nomination.
Mr. Biden must offer Republicans the opportunity to demonstrate a new willingness to work cooperatively and to seek compromise in passing critical elements of his agenda. But, at the first signs of obstruction and stalling tactics, he must act swiftly and decisively, calling upon the Democratic majority to abolish the filibuster, so that it can pass significant elements of his agenda and demonstrate that it is capable of leading, that the American political system can actually work.
The filibuster, like the Electoral College, places the power in the hands of the minority. When that power is misused, it undermines the principles of our democracy. It, therefore, probably must go.
Herbert Goldstein
Monroe Township, N.J.
To the Editor:
Ezra Klein advocates eliminating the Senate’s filibuster to enable the Biden agenda to pass over Republican objections. Be careful what you wish for. Look what happened when the Democratic majority in 2013 eliminated the filibuster rule for federal judges, which Mitch McConnell extended to include Supreme Court justices in 2017. The result: About 30 percent of the federal judiciary, including three Supreme Court justices, are conservative Trump appointees, a number of whom were confirmed even though the American Bar Association found them to be unqualified.
Imagine what will happen to our laws without the filibuster the next time the Republicans gain control of the White House and both houses of Congress. Solution: Keep the filibuster rule (Joe Manchin won’t vote to eliminate it anyway), but require those who refuse cloture to actually stand on the floor of the Senate and speak for hours upon hours, which was necessary before the rule was changed in 1970. That will discourage filibusters on everything other than the most important issues.
Daniel E. Bacine
Philadelphia
To the Editor:
Filibusters used to be rare, reserved for major fights, not used to obstruct everyday legislation. Why not build rareness into the rule itself. Rather than eliminating the filibuster entirely, limit the number of filibusters that will be allowed per year. Two or three ought to be sufficient, if the Senate can’t manage with none. Adopt a filibuster rule that forces senators to decide what’s important to them and their constituents. Not every issue demands total war.
Stephen D. Froikin
Chicago
To the Editor:
I rarely agree with Mitch McConnell on anything, but his 2013 prediction that Democrats would rue the day they ended the filibuster for judges came true, as Mr. McConnell’s Senate approved over 200 conservative Trump judicial nominations plus three contentious, ultraconservative Supreme Court justices.
- The Editorial Board argues that the president should rely less on executive orders, which can prove ephemeral and “are not meant to serve as an end run around the will of Congress.”
- Michelle Goldberg, Opinion columnist, writes that in this unique moment, Biden “has the potential to be our first truly post-Reagan president.”
- Adam Finn and Richard Malley, physicians specializing in infectious disease, argue for a faster vaccination strategy: “The excess of caution is killing people.”
- James Traub, a columnist for Foreign Policy, writes that “a politics of democratic renewal would once again bind together domestic and foreign affairs.”
Republicans have a structural advantage in the Senate as there are more red states than blue states and each gets two senators. It has been predicted that by 2040, 30 percent of the population could control 70 percent of the Senate. If the filibuster is ended, when the Senate swings Republican as it surely will someday, all the policies and laws enacted in 2021 could be reversed and Democrats could not stop worse ones from being passed.
Ezra Klein is right that there is a lot of stuff that needs to be done quickly. But ending the filibuster, an antiquated tool necessary to protect the minority in an antiquated and undemocratic institution, would be a mistake. It would be better to negotiate, even with some compromise, and if that doesn’t work, there are other avenues such as reconciliation.
Ending the filibuster could do more harm than good in the long run.
Howard Flantzer
Kendall Park, N.J.
To the Editor:
Ezra Klein makes it obvious that President Biden and the Democratic Party must be bold. To quote the greatest president of the 20th century, Franklin Roosevelt: “To reach a port we must set sail — sail, not tie at anchor; sail, not drift.”
Ben Miles
Huntington Beach, Calif.
To the Editor:
Ezra Klein’s comment that “you don’t get re-elected for things voters don’t know you did” reminded me of a comment my sister made more than a year ago. “I’d never paid much attention to Obama, or to what he did,” she said. “But now, as I read about Trump’s attacks on Obama’s work, I’ve come to realize just how much Obama accomplished.”
Gail Zlatnik
Iowa City
To the Editor:
Ezra Klein urges statehood for the District of Columbia. Another option is to merge D.C. into Maryland, which would allow the new residents to have representation in Congress. Creating a new state can come across as simply a political ploy for Democrats to create two more seats that are reliably Democratic. By allowing D.C. residents to be a part of Maryland, their concerns are addressed without creating two seats for Democrats.
Also, with the population increase, Maryland may gain a House seat and an Electoral College vote. But, of course, this would mean the loss of a reliable three votes in the Electoral College. Which is why the proposal of statehood seems to be motivated more by politics than a practical concern for D.C. citizens.
James Newman
Cape Girardeau, Mo.
The writer is a professor of political science at Southeast Missouri State University.
To the Editor:
Thank you, Ezra Klein, for a very perceptive and timely opinion piece, where you remind the people: “The American system of governance is leaving too many Americans to despair and misery, too many problems unsolved, too many people disillusioned. It is captured by corporations and paralyzed by archaic rules. It is failing, and too many Democrats treat its failures as regrettable inevitabilities rather than a true crisis.” Let’s hope that message is heard.
But this is also a time to celebrate as we all heave a collective sigh of relief. I hope for a more stable and safer America for my family members there. The emperor who fiddled while the country burned under a raging fire of pandemic fever is no more. Quite a few of us had tears in our eyes as we heard that lovely poem by the young poet Amanda Gorman. Good luck, America.
Michael Madha
Cambridge, England
https://ift.tt/3pyEhzD
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