Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Sunday demanded "rights for the minority" in reference to mostly white Republican senators.
Cotton made the remarks during an interview on Fox News Sunday after host Chris Wallace pointed out that Democrats may reform filibuster rules to prevent Republicans from blocking all legislation.
"Isn't there something to be said for more legislating and less gridlock?" Wallace asked.
"No, Chris," Cotton replied. "There's something to be said for compromise and bipartisanship and respect for the rights of the minority in the Senate. These rules have been in place since the beginning of our Republic. And Democrats are engaged in pretty highly situational ethics. You know, just four years ago, 27 Democrats wrote a letter urging Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer to maintain these rules. Now most of those senators have flip-flopped simply because they have the barest of majorities."
In fact, the filibuster was not available to senators until it was allowed by a rule change in 1806. The practice, however, did not become widely used until the 1900s.
