Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said a lot during his record-breaking filibuster of 25 hours and 4 minutes Monday and Tuesday on the Senate floor, touching on everything from “the arc of the moral universe” to how his fellow Democrat, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, is a “prince of a man.”
Here are the five top moments from Booker’s all-day talkathon on the Senate floor in protest of the Trump administration, which broke the nearly 68-year-old record of then-Sen. Strom Thurmond, D-S.C.
Thurmond filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for 24 hours and 18 minutes on Aug. 28 and 29 of that year.
1. ‘Arc of the Moral Universe’
The New Jersey lawmaker used his platform to call on those watching, including on C-SPAN2, to bend the arc of the moral universe.
“We have changed history. We have bent the arc of the moral universe and now is that moral moment again,” he proclaimed.
“It’s the moral moment again. God bless America, we need you now!” he said, looking up at the ceiling, as if heavenward.
“Please God, please God, don’t let them take Medicaid away,” he added.
2. Yielding the Floor While Retaining It
Accepting a question from Coons, who he described as “a prince of a man,” Booker agreed to “yield the floor for a question while retaining the floor.”
3. ‘Disneyfication’ of US History
Booker made clear that he’s not on board with what he deemed President Donald Trump’s “whitewash” of American history.
“I don’t want a Disneyfication of our history!” he said. “I don’t a whitewashed history, I don’t want a homogenized history. Tell me the wretched truth about America, because that speaks to our greatness”
4. ‘Biological Urgencies’
Despite his record-breaking accomplishment, Booker is a mere mortal after all. Inevitably, Booker had to excuse himself to deal with “biological urgencies I’m feeling.”
5. Moved to Tears
Upon surpassing Thurmond’s long-standing record for the longest filibuster in U.S. Senate history, Booker was nearly moved to tears by his own heroism.
“Do you know you have just broken the record? Do you know how proud this caucus is of you? Do you know how proud America is of you?” asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. D-N.Y.
Booker’s eyes teared up as he received the thunderous applause of his Democrat colleagues.
The lawmaker from Newark, N.J., placed his hand on his heart and looked up to the heavens as he pondered the historic moment.
