A handy reminder that Democrats had no problem with filibustering when they were in the minority. In fact, it was viewed as an essential mechanism.

Back in ’05, he was quoted as praising the Senate as the place where “you can always slow things down and make sure that a minority gets a voice.”

“The chance to filibuster is what makes the difference between this body and the other one,” he said.

He’s also defended the procedural mechanism more directly:

“Folks who want to see this change want to eliminate one of the procedural mechanisms designed for the express purpose of guaranteeing individual rights, and they also have a consequence and would undermine the protections of a minority point of view in the heat of majority excess,” the veep once said.

Now Democrats are in the majority, however slim, and want to change the rules.