Robert Byrd: “Miners have rights under the law to walk away from an unsafe work environment.”

Senator Robert Byrd, the expert extraordinary on the Senate, spent weeks on end trying to figure out a way that you could assure the passage of bills that pertained to the budget and not destroy the filibuster rule.

The reconciliation process was designed to facilitate legislation to reduce deficits. Instead, the process has been used to enact multi-trillion-dollar tax cuts that led to record deficits over the last 8 years.

Bob, I will never know the rules as well as you do. I will make a deal with you. I will not surprise you if you will not surprise me.

Makes the majority leader and the majority party the subject of the minority, subject to the control and the will of the minority.