Episode Details

What happens when you weaponize time itself in a debate? The filibuster — one of democracy's strangest procedural hacks — lets a single speaker grind legislation to a halt by simply refusing to stop talking. This episode traces the tactic from Cato the Younger in 60 BCE to Strom Thurmond's 24-hour civil rights filibuster to the Knesset floor in 2023. Along the way, we explore how the shift from "talking" to "silent" filibusters transformed the US Senate into a supermajority body, why Israeli filibusters work differently as political theater, and what lessons this ancient parliamentary exploit holds for anyone trying to win an argument by outlasting the clock.