Stephen Colbert slams Mitch McConnell over filibuster

In his new role as Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell continues to be a thorn in the Democrats’ side. The Kentucky Senator strongly denounced any notion of abolishing the filibuster, prompting a rebuttal from Stephen Colbert.

As Colbert describes it, the filibuster allows Republicans to “innoculate themselves from progress.” The Senate procedure allows the minority party to kill any bill that doesn’t carry the support of at least 60 Senators.

Sen. McConnell has used the filibuster to his full advantage and now many Democrats are calling for that to change. McConnell issued a stark warning that doing so would cause catastrophic damage to the Senate and grind things to a halt.

It’s a flimsy argument, says Colbert especially considering the Senate’s current state. The Late Show host slammed McConnell during his monologue on Tuesday night:

The filibuster was once a rarely used tool in the Senate–a point that Colbert brings up if only to score another hit against Senator Ted Cruz. But it’s a rule that can be changed and Colbert comes out in clear support of abolishing the filibuster in favor of a simple majority.

Colbert joked that McConnell “rose from his seat and from the dead” to push back against the notion of abolishing the filibuster. The late night host is willing to take his chances on a “scorched earth Senate” if it means that Republicans can’t shoot down every bill that comes from the other side.

The monologue jumps to another level when Colbert hears McConnell compare a Senate without the filibuster to a hundred car pileup. According to Colbert, that’s exactly what we have now thanks to McConnell’s filibuster frenzy. The argument is so weak, Colbert calls McConnel an “idiot” before dismantling the Senate Minority Leader’s logic.

Stephen Colbert and other late night hosts such as Seth Meyers have zeroed in on Republican strategies in the Biden era. Colbert doesn’t see any effort for unity or an end to politics as usual; something that was predictable but no less frustrating for the Late Show host.

What did you think of Stephen Colbert’s monologue? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.