United States Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey made headlines on Tuesday after delivering a record-breaking speech that lasted more than 25 hours. His remarkable accomplishment did not go unnoticed by his peers. It broke the record against the bill set by late South Carolina segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond back in 1957. Booker’s filibuster lasted for 25 hours and 4 minutes, eclipsing Thurmond’s 24-hour and 18-minute stand against the Civil Rights Act.
As night fell on Monday, Booker began his marathon bloviatathon. He paid tribute to the memory of the late civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis, who inspired generations of Americans to get into “good trouble, necessary trouble.” For much of his address, Booker railed against the Trump administration’s “reckless” attacks on the foundations of America’s democracy. He highlighted the harmful impact of the budget cuts Trump and Elon Musk are proposing. Such cuts would necessitate a drastic reduction in staff at the Social Security Administration, already one of the most overworked federal agencies.
In response to Booker’s remarks, a White House spokesperson dismissed the senator’s efforts as yet another attempt to create an “I am Spartacus” moment, referencing Booker’s own invocation of the term during the 2018 confirmation hearings for then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Booker’s speech was a broad and deep call to action, responding to and countering what he termed as the nation’s most urgent crisis. He issued a forceful commitment that he would not lend legitimacy to this new normal in our political discourse or play along with business as usual.
“He said he had to do something, he would not normalise a moment like this. He would not just go along with business as usual.” – Cory Booker
Throughout his time on the floor, Booker reiterated the necessity of standing up for vulnerable communities, stating, “You don’t insinuate fear among vulnerable communities, you don’t insinuate fear among our elders who deserve our respect and deserve to retire with dignity.”
Booker’s promise to upend regular Senate business came out of what he has called an urgent moral imperative to act.
“What has happened in the last 71 days is a patent demonstration of a time where John Lewis’s call to everyone has, I think, become more urgent and more pressing,” – Cory Booker
As a former mayor of Newark and a senator since 2013, Booker has established himself as a vocal advocate for social justice. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2020.
