John B. Breaux: “What the majority leader has presented to the Senate as an option is the old idea of mix and match. My wife tells me it…”

“What the majority leader has presented to the Senate as an option is the old idea of mix and match. My wife tells me it is a great idea when you are shopping for clothes that you go out and mix and match and buy different things and try to mix and match them until you come up with a pretty good outfit. The problem is mix and match does not work in dealing with legislation. It may be a good way to buy clothes but a lousy way to legislate. If you have three good ideas for bills, what is wrong with bringing them to the floor and debating? Why try and mix and match pieces of legislation that do not fit? When you are buying clothes and you mix and match and you buy the wrong size or color combination, you come out with a lousy product. The same is true when you try and put together pieces of legislation that do not fit, that are not the same color, that are not the same size. You come up with something that makes no sense. Mix and match may be good for buying clothes, but it is not for passing legislation.”