The change in filibuster rules was just one of the many procedural tactics that Reid employed during his 12 years as Democratic leader to win passage of President Obama’s most ambitious goals.

Using the procedural tricks at his disposal, Reid pushed through approval of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 — the “Obamacare” law that Republicans are seeking to dismantle — and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, an $800 billion stimulus bill that sought to lift the country out of recession by creating jobs repairing roads, bridges and highways while also expanding unemployment benefits.

“I’ve done the best that I can,” Reid told reporters last week at his final press briefing before heading home to retire in Nevada. “And I don’t have any regrets whatsoever about my efforts to push forward a Democratic agenda.”