The summary is:
The video is a segment from the show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where he criticizes the filibuster, a tactic used by senators to block or delay legislation by preventing it from coming to a vote. He argues that the filibuster is not part of the founders' original vision, does not enable debate or protect minority rights, and has become an overused tool of obstruction that makes the Senate unable to address the big issues of the day. He advocates for getting rid of the filibuster, despite the risk that it would make it easier for everyone, including those he disagrees with, to pass laws. He illustrates his points with clips of senators using or talking about the filibuster, and ends with a parody of a filibuster where he fails to eat candy, urinates in a bucket, and laps coffee from a saucer.
Here are some key facts extracted from the text:
1. A filibuster is any tactic aimed at blocking a measure by preventing it from coming to a vote.
2. The word filibuster is derived from the Dutch word for freebooter, which means pirates.
3. The filibuster was not part of the founders' original vision for the Senate and some historians say it was created by mistake.
4. The filibuster was often used by southern senators to block civil rights legislation, most notably by Senator Strom Thurmond who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in 1957.
5. In the 1970s, senators agreed to no longer require talking filibusters, making it easier to filibuster by just signaling one's intent and having 41 votes on one's side.
6. The use of the filibuster has skyrocketed in recent decades, making it difficult for the Senate to pass major legislation on issues like gun control, health care, and climate change.
7. Some presidential candidates and other advocates want to get rid of the filibuster, arguing that it is a historical mistake that is not serving the country well, while others warn of the risks of abolishing it and losing a tool for protecting minority rights and encouraging bipartisanship.