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To the Editor of The New York Times:

Re “How Joe Manchin Can Fix The Filibuster,” by Ross Douthat (Opinion essay, June 12):

We write today to express our profound disagreement with a recent argument by opinion columnist Ross Douthat that the Senate should reduce its voting threshold for the legislative filibuster from 60 to 55.

Douthat’s argument fundamentally misunderstands the role of the filibuster and the nature of the Senate. While the filibuster is frequently cast as a purely obstructive measure, it is inherently one designed to compel consensus and the inclusion of minority voices.

Ending a filibuster – that is, getting to 60 votes in the Senate – requires consensus. It forces the parties to work together, to engage in negotiation, and to perform the give-and-take of legislating. This deliberation is what distinguishes the Senate from the House, where the majority has the full authority to crush the minority, and frequently does.

As Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has correctly pointed out, “The U.S. Senate is the most deliberative body in the world. It was made so that we work together in a bipartisan way. If you get rid of the filibuster, there’s no reason to have a Senate.”

The filibuster gives individual senators, and the causes that lack support of the majority, a voice they otherwise wouldn’t have. Because overcoming a filibuster requires a large consensus, causes cannot simply be steamrolled.

The concerns of individual senators, or groups of senators, must be given both credence and credibility. Voices and causes that would otherwise be ignored in a majoritarian body like the House receive consideration in the Senate – but only because the filibuster, or threat thereof, makes them matter.

The filibuster, in other words, amplifies otherwise voiceless causes and makes certain that they are taken seriously. For conservatives, as well as the far left of the Democratic Party, who are generally always in the minority even when their party is in the majority, the filibuster is a powerful tool.

Douthat suggests that reducing the threshold for the filibuster could “work against polarization and toward consensus” and offer opportunities “to actually govern once again.” The opposite would in fact occur.

Absent the filibuster, polarization will only increase. The filibuster exists to ensure minority voices are heard. Without it, the voices don’t magically disappear, they just turn toward other opportunities for leverage. The process of unanimous consent, which greases the wheels of the Senate’s day-to-day function, will disappear. As has happened in the absence of the judicial and nominations filibuster, cloture votes will be required for every single debatable measure the Senate wants to pass, turning a weeks-long process into one of months. Rather than free the Senate, a filibuster-less Senate will become even more degraded.

We echo Douthat’s concern that the modern Senate is often trapped in the gridlock of partisan politics. But allowing more participants in the process, rather than fewer, is the way to solve that problem. Senate leaders of both parties should allow for robust consideration of amendments and procedural maneuvers designed to bring the concerns of American voters to the floor of the Senate. This is what our politics are for: to litigate, consider, deliberate, and ultimately, to vote, on matters of consequence.

In the Senates of years past, leaders that have allowed for robust debate and ample consideration of amendments have found themselves facing far fewer filibusters. Senators, just like the rest of us, respond favorably – and far less obstructively – when their voices are heard and considered in the legislative process.

For this reason, we hear Mr. Douthat’s opinion, and respectfully dissent.

Sincerely,

The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988)
Alfred S. Regnery
Chairman, Conservative Action Project
President, Republic Book Publishers
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
White House Advisor
President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985)
Kelly J. Shackelford, Esq.
Chairman, CNP Action, Inc.
President and CEO, First Liberty Institute
Jenny Beth Martin
Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund
Cleta Mitchell, Esq.
Thomas E. McClusky
President
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The Honorable Morton C. Blackwell
President
The Leadership Institute
L. Brent Bozell, III
Founder and President
Media Research Center
Kevin Roberts, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Honorable David McIntosh
President
Club for Growth
Scott T. Parkinson
VP for Government Affairs
Club for Growth
Mary Vought
Executive Director
Senate Conservatives Fund
Terry Schilling
Executive Director
American Principles Project
William L. Walton
President
Council for National Policy
The Honorable Brooke Rollins
President and CEO
America First Policy Institute (AFPI)
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Chief Domestic Advisor
President Ronald Reagan (1987-1988)
Donna Rice Hughes
CEO and President
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The Honorable Donald Paul Hodel
U.S. Secretary of Energy (1982-1985)
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David Bozell
President
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Tom Jones
Co-Founder
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The Honorable Jim DeMint
Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute
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Wesley Denton
Chief Operating Officer
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The Honorable Tony Perkins
President
Family Research Council
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Chairman
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Ed Corrigan
Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project
President & CEO, Conservative Partnership Institute
Rachel A. Bovard
Senior Director of Policy
Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI)
Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin (Ret.)
Executive Vice President
Family Research Council
The Honorable Bob McEwen
U.S. House of Representatives
Former Member, Ohio
David N. Bossie
President
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Ralph A. Rebandt II
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Ralph Rebandt for Governor
J. Christian Adams
President
Public Interest Legal Foundation
Jon Schweppe
Director of Policy and Government Affairs
American Principles Project
The Honorable Gary L. Bauer
President
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Carrie Lukas
President
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Heather R. Higgins
CEO
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Jennifer C. Braceras
Director
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Lewis K. Uhler
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Ralph Benko
Chairman
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The Honorable Stephen Stockman
U.S. House of Representatives
Former Member, Texas
Chad Connelly
President
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Kielle C. Horton
President
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Kevin Freeman
Founder
NSIC Institute
Seton Motley
President
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Lee Beaman
CEO
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Eunie Smith
President Emeritus
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Andresen Blom
President
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Martha Boneta
President
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Jack Park
Conservative Activist and Donor
Law Offices of Jack Park
Dr. E. Calvin Beisner
Founder, President, and National Spokesman
Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation
Dr. Teryn Clarke
Neurologist
Clarke Neurology
C. Preston Noell III
President
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Representative
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James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman
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Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President
60 Plus Association
The Honorable Peter J. Thomas
Chairman
The Conservative Caucus
Mario Navarro da Costa
Director, Washington Bureau
Tradition, Family, Property
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President
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Gary Marx
President
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Joan Holt Lindsey
President
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Penna Dexter
Co-host
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Floyd Brown
Founder
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The Honorable Mike Hill
Former Member
Florida State House
Judson Phillips
Founder
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E.W. Jackson Sr
President
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Robert K. Fischer
Meeting Coordinator
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Dr. Richard Rounsavelle
Trustee
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Ron Pearson
Executive Director
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Melvin Adams
President
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William W. Pascoe, III
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Chairman
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