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Commentary

Taking a Sledgehammer to the Filibuster: Kamala’s Quest to Codify Abortion

September 29, 2024

With less than six weeks until the presidential election, every word a candidate says is crucial. But as of late, Kamala Harris is reticent to comment on her actual policy positions or speak unscripted to the press, as she attempts to fabricate a persona based on “vibes” rather than policy or political record.

Besides being a part of the Biden-Harris White House for the past four years, one must go back to her pre-vice-presidency days to uncover her radical statements on controversial topics like gun control, fracking, reparations, and economic policy. But there is one policy position Harris is unafraid to shout from the rooftops: abortion.

The bottom line with Kamala Harris and the Democrats of today is their relentless support of the so-called “right” and “freedom” to kill children in the womb. Harris never shrinks away from spouting off the lengths she would go to enshrine the ability to destroy the preborn under the guise of “health care.” This is the driving force of the modern-day Democratic Party and the focal point of Harris’s political trajectory.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Harris doubled down in her support of killing preborn babies, going so far as to say it’s worth ending the Senate filibuster over this issue. 

“I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe,” she said, “And get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do.” 

This rhetoric is dangerous, no doubt, but what’s most concerning is that though calling for the end of the filibuster is nothing new for far-Left Democrats, Harris may just be radical enough to do it.

It’s hard to overstate the filibuster’s role in safeguarding from tyranny in American government. The 60-vote filibuster threshold, or three-fifths of the 100-seat Senate, requires members to negotiate, deliberate, build consensus, and work to find the sense of the people.

One of the longest-standing traditions in U.S. government, the filibuster is a sort of “cooling” function for heated policy debates that finds the middle ground, gives the minority a voice, and prevents mob rule. It provides a way to prolong debate (sometimes by “talking a bill to death”) and delay or stop a vote on an issue.

The filibuster is to the legislative branch what the Electoral College is to national elections. It’s a pivotal foundation put in place for a purpose and prohibits unrestrained power from one person or population. 

Democrat-turned-Independent Senator Joe Manchin (W.Va.) said he won’t endorse Harris because of her filibuster position. “Shame on her,” he said. “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It's the only thing that keeps us talking and working together."

If eliminated, the legislature would no longer be a check on the president’s policies but would instead be a political pawn in the hands of a tyrant. A filibuster-less Senate would essentially rubber-stamp the agenda of a same-party president and remove one of the key “checks and balances” to restrain power. This is a dangerous and shortsighted path to travel down for a litany of reasons.

If Harris would eliminate the filibuster to impose unrestricted abortion nationwide by codifying Roe v. Wade, there would be no reason for her not to use it to force other radical agenda items in Congress, such as:

  • Packing the U.S. Supreme Court to shift the balance of judicial power.
  • Granting statehood to the District of Columbia or adding territories as voting members of Congress, which would indefinitely shift the balance of the legislature.
  • Passing the “Equality Act,” which would grant privileges for LGBTQ activities, force churches to comply, destroy gender privacy in bathrooms and locker rooms, threaten parental rights, erase protections for freedom of religion and speech, and more. 

From becoming the Democratic nominee without earning a single primary vote to pledging to eliminate the filibuster, Kamala has proved she is willing to push through her radical agenda, regardless of the will of those she governs, or the guardrails set in place. Instead of following the time-tested process essential to the functioning of our constitutional republic, Harris would rather take a sledgehammer to the filibuster and slash the opposition, destroying government as we know it.

We are treading on a slippery slope at the edge of a cliff. It won't stop here, and Harris has made it resoundingly clear throughout her career that she will stop at nothing to force her priorities through without any regard to the Constitution, Congress, or the country, much like her running mate, Tim Walz. The American people must make it resoundingly clear in November that we will have no part in this radical restructuring of government or the policies that come with it. 

Jonathan Alexandre is vice president of Governmental Affairs and Senior Counsel for Liberty Counsel and Liberty Counsel Action. Jonathan consults with and advises state and federal legislators and policy groups in government relations. He also serves as General Counsel for the Frederick Douglass Foundation.