our friend lamar alexanderput it this way in his farewell speech . he said the senate exists to produce broad agreements on controversial issues that become lost most of us have voted for and that a diverse country will accept more than any other feature is the senate's 60 vote threshold to end debate onlegislation that achieves this . it ensures their interests cannot ignore the rest of the country. it embodies jeffersons great innovation should not be forced on slender majorities. the bar for lawmaking is high. it should be high. even if both bodies take things frustrated by it. ifyour legislation can't pass the senate , you don't scrap the rules. or lower the standards. you improve your idea. take your case to the people. or both. four years ago, republicans had just one unified control. president trump and others pressured us heavily, me in particular to scrap this rule when was protecting the democratic majority ,minority . but we stood firm. i stood firm and endured many tweets on the subject. i said we would not do that to our colleagues in th