Wee the People: A Filibuster Pee Break Flowchart

Planning to speak for 12 hours without heeding nature’s call? Here’s a flowchart to help you slow your flow.


It’s on everyone’s minds every time a legislator heroically stands up to speak for hours on end for one reason or another: Just where do they go when they have to, you know, go? It turns out each politician has his or her own strategy. Some, like segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond, spent days prepping to hold the floor, even taking steam baths to dehydrate themselves. Others have tried to maintain a modicum of discretion, surrounding themselves with sheets and answering nature’s call right there in the chamber. But take a minute and put yourself in Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis’ shoes—how would you fare if you had to hold the floor and hold it in?

 

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Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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