I know it probably looks like we're using Twitter to stalk Ron Sims, but once again he's earned the coveted Twitter of the Day award—this time because he tipped us off to Sen. Patty Murray's leading lady status in the budget negotiations.



Sen. Murray, with Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Judd Gregg (R-NH), was chosen to represent the Senate in conference committee talks on the 2010 budget resolution.

And the Democrats have got a big advantage: Language allowing a super-rare, old-school process called "reconciliation"  is going to govern the process. This would only affect health care and education provisions, but it would allow those budget items to be passed with a simple majority, rather than the usual two-thirds majority, eliminating the need for GOP support.

Ironically, back in 2005, Murray came out strongly against the use of reconciliation when the GOP deployed it to make sizable cuts to the 2006 budget.