And watching what unfolded was just - I don't really - still don't have words to describe it. Even though we knew there were going to be objections and extended debate, it seemed like the outcome was inevitable. And what was expected to be sort of a routine - well, not routine, but at least an event where we knew what the outcome was going to be turned into something very different and shocking. JENTLESON: I was actually in Georgetown, which is sort of, you know, in the northern part of Washington, D.C., watching it on television. Where were you? And what was your reaction as it was happening? We recorded our interview yesterday morning.ĪDAM JENTLESON: It's wonderful to be here. Jentleson is now public affairs director at Democracy Forward, which was founded in 2017 to fight corruption in the executive branch. The book concludes with Senator Mitch McConnell's advances in the use of filibuster as an obstructionist tool. 'Kill Switch' is a history of how the filibuster started as a tool of Southern senators upholding slavery, and then later was used as a tool to block civil rights legislation. Jentleson joined Reid's staff in 2010 and stayed until 2017. He knows the ins and outs of Senate rules because he worked as Harry Reid's deputy chief of staff when Reid was the Democratic leader. He's the author of the new book, 'Kill Switch,' about the rise of the modern Senate.

My guest Adam Jentleson says the modern use of the filibuster has crippled American democracy, enabling the minority to systematically block bills favored by the majority. It takes three-fifths of the Senate to override a filibuster, which means the minority only needs 41 votes to prevent any bill from even coming to a vote.

But Vice President Kamala Harris will have the tie-breaking vote.īut how much power does that actually give Democrats in the Senate? A majority is not enough to pass legislation anymore and hasn't been for a long time because of the modern use of the filibuster. After newly elected Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are sworn in, the Senate will be evenly divided, 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. Another change will be the new Democratic majority in the Senate. The norm-breaking that became the norm during the Trump presidency is about to change with the Biden administration. But what is normal? There are more threats of violence surrounding the inauguration. Congress is trying to return to normal after the insurrection.

Kill switch adam jentleson