Welcome to the skeptic’s guide to impeachment. Why is a third impeachment effort of Trump necessary? Because demanding impeachment puts every member of Congress on trial, revealing who we can trust and who is bought off.
Meet unanimous consent: the Senate’s dirty little secret, and the power Democrats refuse to use. Imagine if all it took to stop the Senate in its tracks was one simple word: No. Unanimous consent is a very real procedural quirk that gives every single senator, regardless of party or seniority, enormous power. All they have to do is deny consent. Just say no, and legislative business slows to a crawl.
Now here’s the catch: Republicans use this tool constantly. Democrats? Almost never.
And that’s not because they can’t; it’s because they choose not to.
How does unanimous consent work?
In the Senate, many of the chamber’s archaic rules can be bypassed if no one objects. This process is called unanimous consent. It’s used for everything from skipping quorum calls to fast-tracking nominations. The idea is to keep things moving. But here’s the shocking part: any senator, at any time, for any reason, can halt this entire process by simply saying, “I object.”
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville famously abused this mechanism to block military promotions for nearly a year. And he paid no price for it. Why? Because it’s perfectly within Senate rules.
And yet, while authoritarianism rises, civil liberties are under siege, and people are being literally kidnapped off American streets, not a single Democratic senator has used this tool to slow the machinery down.
By mid-April, according to Keira Havens, an organizer of Citizens Impeachment, along with former Congressional staffer for Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, there were already around 500 recorded unanimous consent agreements in the 2025 Congressional Record. That’s around 500 times every single senator, including vocal Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, gave the green light to fast-track Senate business. They could have slowed things down. They didn’t.
In fact, shortly after Cory Booker gave an impassioned speech in a historic filibuster marathon, the Senate used unanimous consent to speed-track a nominee: Jared Kushner’s father, convicted felon Charles Kushner, to become the Ambassador to France. (Poor France!)
Unanimous consent isn't some obscure loophole. It’s an incredibly accessible and completely legal form of leverage: a filibuster on easy mode. You don’t need to prepare a speech. You don’t need to command the floor. Senate Dems just say one word: No.
So why aren’t Democrats using it? The excuses vary: wait for the midterms, preserve decorum, respect procedure. But these excuses fail a democracy in crisis. There won’t be a midterm rescue if authoritarianism cements itself into place now.
Senators like Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy speak out against abuses of power, but actions speak louder than works, especially under the watchful eye of history. It's time to hold Trump and his lawless administration accountable.
What Can You Do?
-
Start using the hashtag: #DemsJustSayNo
-
Tweet at your senators: @SenWarren, @CoryBooker, @ChrisMurphyCT — Why do you keep consenting 500+ times?
-
Educate others. “Unanimous consent” = silent agreement. Break the silence.
-
Join or support organizing efforts like Citizens Impeachment that are pushing for real accountability.
The Senate is designed to give each senator power. But power unused is power surrendered. Republicans understand that. Democrats need to learn fast actions speak louder than words.
They can say no. They should say no. And if they won’t, we the people must demand accountability now.
The video of Part II of our discussion will publish on Patreon Monday morning along with the Zoom link for our next Gaslit Nation salon later that day at 4pm ET. See you there!
Show Notes:
CitizensImpeachment.com: https://citizensimpeachment.com/
Opening Clip of Rep. Melissa Hortman: Hortman Files House Protest Over Legislature's Treatment Of Women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1B7kashnD0&t=1s
Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman Calls Out White Male Colleagues https://www.teenvogue.com/story/melissa-hortman-calls-out-white-male-colleagues-minnesota
Clip of Brad Lander: https://bsky.app/profile/hellgatenyc.com/post/3lrtdzsz4ps2q
The two Michael Wolff interviews referenced towards the end of the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z21Tj19JYag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRjGoZQShB0
The lawmakers using taxpayer money to pay for ads https://citizensimpeachment.com/
Charles Kushner Senate Vote Confirmation: https://www.congress.gov/nomination/119th-congress/24/4
ICE agents storm Irvine couple's home in search for answers about posters placed around LA https://abc7.com/post/ice-agents-storm-michael-changs-parents-irvine-home-search-answers-posters-placed-around-la/16298909/
EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:
-
NEW! We now have a Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other. Join on Patreon.
-
NEW! We now have a Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other. Join on Patreon.
-
June 30 4pm ET – America has been here before. Book club discussion of Lillian Faderman’s The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle
-
NEW! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.
-
Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.
-
Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.
-
Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?
-
Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community
Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!