#25 - Political Obstruction - Part II

Most people know that our country attempts to separate political power by dividing it amongst three government branches: legislative, executive, and judiciary. Regarding the legislative branch, political power is further divided into two parts:: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Lately, the Senate has been in the news for multiple reasons, most prominently for this raging debate over the Filibuster. It’s a debate that’s been raging for decades but has returned because Democrats have a unique opportunity to pass sweeping voting rights legislation and a tremendously $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus relief package.

Democrats made huge promises to their voters during the 2020 election. And when people vote, they expect those promises to be fulfilled. Why else would you vote?

Democrats, however, are at grave risk of disappointing their base largely because of this quirky filibuster rule.

Today we’re going to learn more about how the Senate operates, about the filibuster, and how it affects you. And with so much information to cover, this will be a 2-part episode.

I’m happy to welcome Professor Gregory Koger. He teaches political science at the University of Miami and specializes in legislative politics and political parties. He has a BA from Willamette University and a Ph.D. from UCLA. He’s worked as a legislative aid in the House for two years and served as a liaison to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

He’s also the author of the book ‘Filibustering: A political history of obstruction in the House and Senate, and he’s also authored another book: Strategic Party Government along with Matthew Lebo.