Democrats Invoke Robert Byrd to Sell Rule Changes

“A small group of Senate Democrats is privately invoking the legacy of late West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd in an effort to sway Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to support their plans to change the chamber’s rules,” Axios reports.

“Manchin — who holds Byrd’s Senate seat — has often referenced his predecessor’s strong moral conviction and insistence on preserving the Senate as an institution, as justification for some of his tough positions.”

“Even Byrd, one of the most ardent defenders of Senate decorum and procedure, helped change the Senate rules in the face of obstruction, these senators argue.”