Ted Cruz is an US Senator from Texas. He is a proud member of the Republican party with a great love of the Filibuster. What’s a Filibuster, no one asked? A Filibuster happens when the minority party in the senate doesn’t agree with a passing law, so they take the senate floor and speak non-stop until the majority party decides to either change the law or completely ignore it. However, there are some rules for Filibustering that make it harder to do so.

Filibustering rulebook:

Rule number one: you must speak non-stop while filibustering, but you don’t need to talk about anything to do with the US government at all. 

Rule number two: you may only drink milk and water while Filibustering. 

Rule number three, you may only eat out of the Senate candy bowl. 

Rule number four, you may ask senators questions and those senators may give a response over 30 minutes. 

These are just a few rules of Filibustering, however, nobody wants to sit through a Filibuster, especially with the knowledge that others have and will speak for over 24 hours. Yes, you heard me right, a senator named Strom Thurmond has Filibustered for 24 hours. This is why Silent Filibusters have been added. This is when the minority party says, “I Filibuster,” and the law must be changed or ignored. However, Tom Cruz didn’t just want to do a basic Silent Filibuster, he wanted to give the Senate a show. 

Ted Cruz Filibustered for 21 hours, but halfway through his Filibuster he realized it was his childrens’ bed time. So, he decided to read his children numerous bedtime stories, including green eggs and ham. This senator took the floor in one of Americas’ most important places and read children’s stories to a room of some of the most powerful Americans. That’s the ridiculous power of Filibusters.