Tom Udall: “Let me also say one thing about the talking filibuster that hit me, and that is bipartisanship. As we know, both of us…”

“Let me also say one thing about the talking filibuster that hit me, and that is bipartisanship. As we know, both of us, I think, were on the Senate floor when Senator Arlen Specter gave his farewell address. I believe the Presiding Officer was also here. Senator Specter served in the minority for 2 years and then was in the majority for almost 2 years and both times he came forward with a proposal where he was calling for the same thing--a talking filibuster, whether he was on the minority side or the majority side. So I think, once again, that just demonstrates that each of these provisions has bipartisan support in it. We don't think this debate is about partisanship. We don't think it is about a power grab. We don't think it is about those kinds of things. It is about, as the Senator has elucidated, making the Senate work better. When we say 'make the Senate work better,' we are talking about it working better for the American people. I think if we did the oversight of government when it comes to appropriations bills, a budget, getting the budget out on time, getting appropriations bills done on time, that does a lot to make sure the public's money is well spent, and that is something I hear a lot about back home.”