Barack Obama delivered a forceful criticism of the way the Senate conducts business on Thursday, calling the filibuster a Jim Crow relic and telling the chamber to get rid of the 60-vote requirement needed to pass major legislation.

The former president made his appeal for Democrats in Congress to do everything in their power to protect voting rights during the funeral for civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, arguing drastic action was needed to properly complete Lewis lifes work.

You want to honor John? Lets honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for, Obama said while delivering a eulogy for the Georgia congressman, who died last week at age 80 and was famously beaten by state troopers during a march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Naming it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act is a fine tribute, but John wouldnt want us to stop there, just getting back to where we already were.

If all this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then thats what we should do, he added.

Obamas speech could be a watershed moment in Democratic politics. He is by far the highest-ranking member of the party to openly embrace the filibusters elimination, and his move prompted Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , the grandfather of the modern progressive movement, to adopt the same stance. If Democrats win the White House and the Senate and maintain control of the House in November, which polls show is a strong possibility, removing the filibuster would dramatically expand the potential for major new legislation.

The former presidents comments will likely encourage Democrats who are pushing the party to go bold in the case of a November sweep, and could put moderates who defend the filibuster in an awkward position. It could effectively ensure that democracy reform is at the top of a crowded Democratic Party agenda in 2021.

The former president called for a host of reforms aimed at revitalizing the nations democracy and expanding the right to vote, and said Congress should be prepared to eliminate the filibuster in order to pass those reforms.