it-is-impossible-to-overestimate-the-importance-of-the-longest-senate-speech-for-democrats-at-this-pivotal-time

A U.S. senator broke a 67-year-old record for the longest speech ever delivered on the Senate floor when he gave an extraordinary speech that lasted more than 25 hours without a break for bathroom breaks. The speech began with a remarkable critique of President Donald Trump.

New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker, a 2020 presidential candidate, began his speech at 7 p.m. Monday and ended it at 8:05 p.m. Tuesday, which was 46 minutes longer than Strom Thurmond's filibuster of a civil rights bill in 1957. For as long as he was physically able, Booker sought to "disrupt the normal business" of the Senate.

He honored the late Representative John Lewis, a leading voice in American civil rights who pushed for the creation of "good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul of our nation," as he wrapped up his speech.

A White House spokesperson mocked Booker's effort, calling it an attempt to invent a “I am Spartacus moment,” referring to the leader of a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic in the first century BCE, and called the Senator a “Spartacus spoof”.

"A serious and immediate threat"

In order to signal that the country was in crisis, Booker opened his speech by claiming that the core values of America were in danger under the Trump administration.

Declaring that "my voice is inadequate" but "we the people are powerful," he used his speech as a rallying cry, calling on a diverse coalition of Americans to rise during this “moral moment.”

Booker divided his speech into sections and covered important topics from the Trump administration's policy agenda, such as national security, immigration, healthcare, and education.

He chastised Trump and his close ally Elon Musk for the widespread layoffs at the Social Security Administration and their attempts to cut Medicare and Medicaid funding. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have been characterized as "waste, fraud, and abuse" by the president and his allies.

Booker compared the fight against the Trump administration to the fight for women's suffrage and the civil rights movement.

The larger picture

This is a critical time for the Democratic Party, which has struggled to mobilize its supporters after losing the presidential election last November and currently has little clout in the legislative process.

The party appears to be struggling with a lack of direction and ideas, as evidenced by its inability to support some of the President's cabinet nominees and to mount a united front against some of Trump's policies, especially those pertaining to illegal immigration.

Despite being primarily symbolic, Booker's speech showed a spirit of defiance, tenacity, and dedication to action that Democratic leaders hope will encourage and uplift party members.

The Senator's office said in a press release that a TikTok livestream of the speech garnered more than 350 million likes and attracted more than 28,000 voicemails of support.