Cory Booker Holds the Floor

Update: Senator Booker spoke on the Senate floor for a total of 25 hours 4 minutes. In a moment of justice and validation, Cory smashed Strom Thurmond’s filibuster attempt at silencing the Civil Rights Act in 1957.

As of this moment Cory Booker has been holding the United States Senate floor, yielding only for questions, for 17 hours straight. To be clear, this is not a filibuster. Booker is not blocking or delaying a vote by debating his colleagues. This is a protest.

Many of us grew up watching the classic 1939 Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in which Junior Senator Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) attempts to raise money for a national boys camp on land where his more seasoned colleagues had planned a lucrative project. In order to keep him from pursuing the camp they discredit Smith, claiming he himself owns the land and has used this bill as a means to line his pockets with children's hard earned pocket money. Smith holds a filibuster for 23 hours 16 minutes, stretching out the time by reading the Declaration of Independence, and reminding the senior senators why democracy is important. It's a classic example of small-scale political corruption, and a classic championing-of-the-underdog story.

Jimmy Stewart as Senator Jefferson Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

"Now, you're not gonna have a country that can make these kind of rules work, if you haven't got men that have learned to tell human rights from a punch in the nose." - Jefferson Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

So what is Booker trying to accomplish as he enters his 18th hour? Frankly, it's much the same: equal rights, principles, a little kindness for your fellow man.

"Twelve hours now I'm standing, and I'm still going strong because this president is wrong, and he's violating principles that we hold dear and principles in this document [THE U.S. CONSTITUTION] that are so clear and plain." - Cory Booker

And as we focus on principles and the Constitution, which both parties claim to uphold and revere, Elon Musk is handing out $1 million checks as encouragement (if not bribery) for votes in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election. In 24 hours Donald Trump is set to roll out tariffs that will take money from middle-class pockets all over the world, declaring April 2nd as "Liberation Day," a day that will raise prices on medications, copper, lumber, steel, and aluminum. He's adding a 25% tariff on oil coming from Venezuela into the U.S.

Americans will pay for that at the pump.

He's adding a 20% tariff on all products coming from China.

Americans will pay for that at big box stores like Target and Walmart.

He's adding a 25% tariff to all autos and auto parts coming from outside the U.S.

"No, I couldn’t care less, because if the prices on foreign cars go up, they’re going to buy American cars." - Donald Trump

All well and good, except Toyota, Hyundai, and Nissan import more than 50% of their vehicles, while General Motors imports about 49%. In fact, according to Car and Driver, most cars come from outside the U.S. Of those "American-made" cars that we so covet, roughly 40% of their parts come from outside the U.S. Even Teslas, which are quoted as being as "American-made as you can get," source their products from other countries like Mexico and Canada.

But Cory Booker isn't focused on cars. He's focused on human rights.

“You think we got civil rights one day because Strom Thurmond — after filibustering for 24 hours — you think we got civil rights because he came to the floor one day and said, ‘I’ve seen the light? No, we got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it.” - Cory Booker

I don't know about you, but I'll be watching live today as Cory takes on the Trump Administration and the corruption that has seeped its way into our democracy, corroding our greatest document, and along with it all the checks and balances. I'm proud to live in the great State of New Jersey and stand behind what is now...[checks watch]...17 hours 50 minutes of the next four years. I hope you don't faint like Jefferson did, Mr. Booker, but I hope the result is the same.

Thank you for making "good trouble."

"These are not normal times in our nation, and they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them." - Cory Booker

Ellie is an author, editor, and owner of Red Pencil Transcripts, and works with filmmakers, podcasts, and journalists all over the world. She lives with her family just outside of New York City, and is represented by Vicki Marsdon at High Spot Literary.