An almost 70-year-old record was broken yesterday in the U.S. Senate when New Jersey Senator Cory Booker spent more than a full day speaking about the threats to democracy and US citizens from the Trump administration.
For 25 hours and five minutes, Booker stood on the US Senate floor (no bathroom breaks) and spoke about democracy, rights, and the rule of law.
Proud to say I saw part of it!
I watched the last five hours of Booker’s address on CSPAN-2, impressed with his clarity and call for Americans to take action.
Booker read letters from Americans impacted by the slash and burn policies of the administration and how those policies are affecting their lives.
His speech inspired me and hopefully it affected other Americans similarly, people who are frustrated, angry, and discouraged about the direction of our country.
(After the speech ended, I was able to watch the beginning of Booker’s speech from the CSPAN recording.)
A few parts of his speech that stood out for me:
I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble, I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.
I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis…
In just 71 days, the president has inflicted harm after harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the foundations of our democracy and any sense of common decency.
I’m not going to sit by and do nothing. That’s why I’m standing here.
This is not a partisan moment.
It is a moral moment.
This is not right or left.
It is right or wrong.
Where do you stand?
US Senate Record
Booker’s speech broke the previous Senate record, set in 1957 by South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, a segregationist.
Thurmond filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes to prevent passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. His efforts made no difference; the bill was passed two hours after his filibuster ended.
Personally, I’m glad Thurmond’s single-person racist speech will no longer be referenced as the longest speech in the US Senate.
My Own Memories
Like many people in my generation (and later generations), I remember certain US historical events and where I was when they happened:
- Assassination of US President John F. Kennedy
- Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination
- First humans on the Moon and moonwalk
- First Earth Day
- President Richard Nixon resigning
- Jimmy Carter getting elected US President
- Sandra Day O’Connor becoming first woman on US Supreme Court
- Challenger disaster
- Columbine school shooting
- September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington DC
- Barack Obama getting elected US President
And this week, I’ve added another memory: Senator Cory Booker’s record-breaking speech.
