Seventy-seven year old, House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi took action and gave a speech supporting Democrats in legalizing the status of young immigrants in America. She stood for over eight hours, forbidden to sit or go to the bathroom. Her speech was ranked as the longest speech given by a member of the House of Representatives in the past century. Pelosi used her right as a minority leader to talk for as long as she liked. She repeatedly promised immigration activists that they would force a vote sparing the undocumented immigrants brought to the US. As some Democrats lost hope, and were angered, Pelosi promised a debate on an immigration bill, giving them a small feeling of hope. House Speaker, Paul Ryan stated that he intends to allow debate on immigration however is unsure what kind of bill Trump will be able to support.
Questions:
1. Do you think filibustering is an effective way of persuasion?
2. How much do you think Trump will support an immigration bill? How will he react?
3. Do you think her 8 hour speech will benefit her or go against her?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-launches-hours-long-filibuster-style-speech-in-bid-to-force-immigration-votes-in-the-house/2018/02/07/b98a25f4-0c33-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html?utm_term=.dc9f84b84292
6 comments:
i think filibustering is a good idea because it will show people how serious she is about this situation, but personally i don't know if 8 hours will benefit her because people might get bored after such a long time. I hope she was able to change some people's minds about the way they view dreamers, but i don't think Trump will be supporting an immigration bill because he already took DACA away so I see it as highly unlikely.
I think an eight hour speech is pretty crazy but I think it does effectively draw attention to her message. Especially since Democrats have been angry and losing hope about the immigration issue this dramatic stance will at least start the conversation and show the Democrats that she is making an effort. I don't think this will do much to change Trump's mind but maybe it will get the attention of some representatives and that will benefit her in the end.
I think filibustering is an important part of the Democratic process. It allows the opposing side to be heard, and forces others to listen and address conflicting arguments. I don't think it is a persuasion tactic as much as it is to let the minority in Congress try to withhold certain bills and make their points heard. With such a close, almost-even divide in both Congressional chambers, I think the filibuster supplies the Democrats with a great opportunity to communicate their views on a policy or a bill, and delay its progress.
I am so impressed and amazed by this woman. She built up immense courage and confidence in order to get through this speech and speak up for our nation's immigrants. I am so glad she is fighting for an immigration bill, while most Democrats are on the verge of loosing all hope, she is awakening a new hope for the Democratic community and not giving in to Republican immigration policies. Although, this battle will not be an easy one since Trump is likely to go against everything the Democratic party proposes. Nevertheless, progress will be made and hopefully millions of families will not be split apart.
I agree with Brooke that filibusters are a good way to draw attention to issues. Pelosi spent the eight hours mainly reading testimonies from dreamers, which is not really relevant from the standpoint of presenting possible deals as much as it is to convince other representatives that DACA is something worth coming to a deal on. The fact that she made such a grand gesture by standing there for eight hours made the news, which spread her message even more and showed how serious she and the democrats are about coming to a deal and saving this program.
Democrats have been largely accused of not having a centralized opinion and mission. I think this filibuster brings attention to the issue, as well as unifies the democratic message. Pelosi's filibuster on DACA demonstrates the drive for progressiveness and equality that the Democratic Party possesses. Additionally, her perseverance through speaking for 8 hours illustrates the passion that democratic congresspeople feel about DACA and what a tragedy it is that Trump and many republicans do not wish it to continue.
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