Yesterday I headed into San Francisco and saw Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., speak to a packed gallery of 350 or so people at the Commonwealth Club of California (I’m a member). She’s in a hotly contested reelection campaign against Carly Fiorina.
As is the case with popular speakers, audience members had to write their questions on a slip of paper and the moderator has to choose which ones to ask. The second question asked was the one I posed: Given the unprecedented use of the filibuster by the Republicans in the current Senate session, what is your position on reforming or eliminating the filibuster?
Here’s the video I took of Sen. Boxer’s two-minute answer. She said she supports reforming the filibuster rules when the next Senate assembles to set its rules in two ways: requiring 55 votes instead of 60, and requiring senators to actually filibuster on their feet.
Sen. Boxer on reforming the filibuster from JD Lasica on Vimeo.
Now, we need a majority of senators to agree on the same reforms.
Watch, download or embed the video on Vimeo
My thanks to the Commonwealth Club for allowing the public to videotape and photograph their speakers.