When Ted Cruz the junior Republican Senator for Texas spoke for 21 hours to obstruct healthcare proposals last week, he was writing the latest chapter in an unusual US Senate tradition. The filibuster has been a political weapon since the American Civil War, but the word itself dates back to a time before the earliest Pilgrims settled in the country.
Derived from the Dutch “vrijbuiter” or “freebooter”, a version of the word emerged in the 1580s, during what is often referred to as the golden age of piracy. A filibutor was one who sold his booty freely, paying no respect to Emperors or Kings and placing himself firmly outside the law.
Over time the word crossed the Atlantic and the name “filibuster” was adopted by American mercenaries of the mid-19th century seeking to destabilise the governments of their Latin neighbours. In the aftermath of the Civil War, this emotionally charged language of sabotage began to be applied in the political arena. While most governments impose time limits on legislative discussions, American Senate rules allow unlimited debate, and a speech does not have to be relevant to the bill at hand. A Senator seeking to delay a vote need only stay awake and keep talking to accomplish their mission. Ted Cruz’s marathon included a Darth Vader impression, and the fascinating revelation that he is a fan of White Castle burgers. But Cruz fell short of the Senate’s filibuster record. In 1957 Strom Thurmond of South Carolina spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in an attempt to block the Civil Rights Act. Along the way he recited the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and his grandmother’s biscuit recipe. Modern audiences may find it shocking that senate filibustering delayed the Civil Rights Act for 57 days. The Bill that paved the way for the end of racial segregation was furiously opposed, and by committing these acts of oratory piracy, we might argue that the senators were acting as damagingly as the original freebooters.
