Tom Harkin: “I say to my friend, in listening to my friend from Kansas say this, it occurred to me that certain of his amendments…”

“I say to my friend, in listening to my friend from Kansas say this, it occurred to me that certain of his amendments were allowed. The Senator was allowed to debate them and offer them, but they were not adopted. It seems to me, as I have said before, the right of the minority ought to be to offer amendments, to have them considered, to have them voted on, but it does not mean it is the right of the minority to win every time on those amendments. I say to my friend, on that financial services bill, I had an amendment too and I could not get it in. I was on the majority side, and they would not let me offer one either. So both sides have some legitimate points. I also say to my friend from Kansas, and others, we can get into this tit for tat, who started it. I think we have to kind of quit that. I could come back and say: Well, yes, in the last 2 years, the tree was filled 44 times. In this last session, 44 times the tree was filled, but there were 136 filibusters. Why wouldn't there be 44 filibusters? Why were there 136? We can get into that tit for tat, who did what to whom. I wish to forget about all that.”