 Well, as folks in Arizona know, I've long been a supporter of the filibuster because it is a tool that protects the democracy of our nation rather than allowing our country to ricochet wildly every two to four years back and forth between policies. The idea of the filibuster was created by those who came before us, the United States Senate, to create comedy and to encourage senators to find bipartisanship and work together. While there are some who don't believe that bipartisanship is possible, I think that I'm a daily example that bipartisanship is possible. Not just this trip today and tomorrow that John and I are doing, but the work that John and I and I and many other of my colleagues in both parties do on a regular basis. So to those who say, we must make a choice between the filibuster and X, I say this is a false choice. The reality is, is that when you have a system that's not working effectively. And I would think that most would agree that the Senate's not a particularly well oiled machine, right? The way to fix that is to change your behavior, not to eliminate the rules or change the rules, but to change your behavior. So I'm going to continue to go to work every day, aggressively seeking bipartisanship in a cheerful and happy warrior way, as I always do, and showing that when we work together, we can get things done. That was Republican Senate, excuse me, Democratic Senator Kirsten Sinema, explaining why she believes the filibuster is based. Now, if you noticed out of all the crazy things that she said, the words out of that she made, whenever you can like pick out anything that was slightly coherent, the opposite was actually true. Like the filibuster is quite literally being used to obstruct her own party's agenda and she explains why it's not the filibuster. That's the issue. It's the individual behavior. That's the issue, right? Because the individual behavior is utilizing this tool. That's a relic of the Jim Crow era to obstruct everything. There's like, I don't believe that she believes the things that she's saying. I think she actually is just lying through her teeth and she supports keeping the filibuster because she sides more with Republicans than Democrats. And she just doesn't want to admit that for some reason. But she doesn't want even this milk toast agenda that Joe Biden is pushing to go through. That's why. So she says here, the filibuster protects democracy and encourages senators to find bipartisanship and work together. Is that so? Because it doesn't seem to be doing that, actually. It seems like Republicans are simply just using the filibuster to obstruct any and everything that the Democratic Party wants. So is it actually encouraging bipartisanship or is it hindering it to say that the filibuster protects democracy when it's currently being used to block the For the People Act, which literally is the bare minimum needed to save democracy from all of these voter suppression bills that we're seeing pop up across the country. It's just she's lying. She's lying. I don't believe that she believes this. Now, she also says, and while some don't believe that bipartisanship is possible, I think that I'm a daily example that bipartisanship is possible. That's just hilarious. You are an example that bipartisanship is possible because you join with Republicans to block the Democratic Party's agenda. If that's an example of bipartisanship, then I don't want anything to do with that. She adds, the reality is that when you have a system that's not working effectively, and I think most would agree that the Senate is not a particularly well oiled machine, right? I wonder why the way to fix that is to change your behavior. OK, not to eliminate the rules or change the rules, but to change your behavior. That is insane. The Senate is an institution that has certain mechanisms, certain tools that incentivize this sort of bad behavior. Now, you can prove us wrong by not obstructing the Democratic Party's agenda. The Republicans can maybe prove your point by choosing to not obstruct everything using the filibuster, but she knows that that's not going to happen. She's just trying to grip on to any argument she has to defend her unwillingness to get rid of the filibuster. But none of this is persuasive at all. Will she stop siding with Republicans to block even the most basic things supported overwhelmingly by the base of her party, the For the People Act, the Pro Act? I mean, of course not. So I don't even know what she's saying. But this next thing that she says here, just insane. So she adds, if you seek bipartisanship in a cheerful and a happy warrior way, the way that she does it, you can actually show people that you can get things done when you work together. She actually said that with a straight face. So I think I know what she's talking about, because there's an example of this. Here she is gleefully siding with Republicans to fuck over American workers and vote down a $15 an hour minimum wage increase. That's what she means by just being a cheerful and a happy warrior. That's how you accomplish things. Just like giddily fuck over Americans, do a little or a heart emoji while you do it. And that's just like that's the way you get bipartisanship, folks. This is childish, which is why I don't think she believes this bullshit. There's no way a functioning adult would come to this conclusion. Like she sounds like a stupid person. But again, she's just trying to find any and all excuses as to why she doesn't want to get rid of the filibuster. Now, what needs to happen is that Joe Biden actually needs to grow a spine and condemn individuals like her and Joe Manchin, who are not good faith actors, they're lying. The reasoning that they give as to why they want to keep the filibuster. All you have to do is take what she's saying at face value and see that it's preposterous. Oh, I want to keep the filibuster because it encourages bipartisanship. But that's not happening. It's demonstrably false. It hasn't encouraged bipartisanship. We can see it in action. Republicans are obstructing everything. So what are you talking about? Now, thankfully, Joe Biden has actually called out Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, not by name and very tepidly. Albeit it's a start. June should be a month of action on Capitol Hill. I hear all the folks on TV saying, why doesn't Biden get this done? Well, because Biden only has a majority of effectively four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends. But we're not giving up. Then crack some skulls, metaphorically, of course, either, you know, offer them carrots or take the stick approach. I don't know. But if you just like continue to allow members of your party to obstruct everything that you want to get accomplished, you're going to be a very ineffective president at the end of your four-year term, Joe Biden. So, I mean, you got the covid relief package through. Are you going to get infrastructure through? Are you going to get the for the people act through? Because if you don't, Republicans are going to win the 2024 and 2022 elections because they've already rigged the rules in their favor. Are you going to get the pro act through? I mean, you can't get the minimum wage increase through, but the pro act will at least allow more Americans to join unions. I mean, you can't just keep letting them do what they want to do. Like the status quo within the Democratic Party, and particularly in the Senate, has been to just let individual senators from more purple and red states do what they want to do. Claire McCaskill talked about this all the time, how Chuck Schumer would let her, you know, not side with Democrats and even let her align with Republicans if it was to her benefit. But that needs to change. Joe Biden needs to be clear and direct in saying, I need these bills on my desk and I need you to find the votes, Chuck Schumer. And if he can't get it done, then replace Chuck Schumer. And if any majority leader can't get it done, speak to them directly. You have a high approval rating. Use that to your advantage. Use your bully pulpit to name and shame them. Get it done. So I mean, this is all really frustrating because I'm so sick and tired of hearing all of these excuses. Like by now, if you don't support getting rid of the filibuster, then you're just admitting that you don't want anything to be accomplished within the next couple of years. You're just admitting that because you're not going to keep this majority. Even if it's a thin majority, it still is a majority nonetheless. With Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker, you're not going to keep it if you don't get anything done. So you've got to crack some skulls and make it happen. So Joe Biden needs to be a lot more assertive, needs to grow a spine and condemn this level of foolishness because what she said there, I mean, we all saw it is absolutely absurd. It's borderline delusional.