Former U.S. Senate Parliamentarian on reconciliation

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

A quick remedial education course for Arizona's twin embarrassments, Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, and more importantly, the media villagers and Beltway bloviators who care so little for facts or the truth.

Robert Dove, the man who served as Senate parliamentarian on and off from 1981-2001 has news for Senate Republicans who say the Democrats are way out on a limb using the majority-vote budget reconciliation process to amend health care legislation – "Reconciliation has been used a lot," and "I would never use the term illegitimate with regard to reconciliation" he said on MSNBC this morning. Former Senate Parliamentarian: 'I Would Never Use The Term Illegitimate With Regard To Reconciliation' (VIDEO) | TPMDC

"It has been used starting in 1980 for very large, major bills. And it is a way, of course, of getting around the problem of the Senate filibuster," Dove went on.

In the mid-1980s, the Senate adopted the Byrd rule, which placed restrictions on what measures can pass through reconciliation, but in recent years, it has been used to pass major entitlement and tax reforms, including multi-trillion dollar Bush tax cuts.

However, decisions about what does and does not conform to the Byrd rule is ultimately not up to the parliamentarian. The parliamentarian's job is to advise the Senate chair–a.k.a. the Vice President–who gets to make the final decision.

"Ultimately it's the Vice President of the United States…It is the decision of the Vice President whether or not to play a role here…. And I have seen Vice Presidents play that role in other very important situations," Dove said, noting that in most cases, the veep defers to his adviser. "I will say that not since Hubert Humphrey have I seen a Vice President try to play that kind of role in the Senate."