Thomas Daschle: “Let me ask the assistant Democratic leader, I have to say for those who may not have watched the 106th Congress, we have…”

“Let me ask the assistant Democratic leader, I have to say for those who may not have watched the 106th Congress, we have established a new threshold. It used to be anytime a majority opposed an amendment, they would vote against it. They would perhaps make a motion to table an amendment, we would have the debate, they would vote, and the issue would be behind us. Oftentimes, the minority would lose. That is the way it used to be. Then our colleagues on the other side of the aisle raised it another notch. They said: We don't think you ought to have the right to offer an amendment, so we will file cloture on a bill denying you the right to even offer an amendment. That was the new threshold. We have gone through many, many of these--in fact, a record number. I have given presentations on the floor regarding the number of times our colleagues have actually filed cloture to deny us the right to offer an amendment. This now reaches way beyond that. For the first time--maybe in history--our Republican colleague, without his even knowing it, has offered a Democratic amendment, has second-degreed that amendment, continued to file cloture, to say with even greater determination, we are not going to let you offer an amendment.”