Harry Reid - Tea Partier

Timothy Birdnow

Writing in Townhall, Guy Benson chronicles the punch and counter punch of dueling leaders.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2011/04/29/smooth_mcconnell_exploits_reids_budget_vote_theatrics

According to the article:

"A very clever maneuver from Senate Republicans' under-appreciated smooth operator. Earlier in the week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a somewhat astounding announcement: He's planning to call for an up-or-down Senate vote on Paul Ryan's House-passed 2012 budget. This is remarkable for several reasons. Traditionally, majority leaders from both parties only call for votes on legislation they support, and for which they've whipped enough votes to assure passage. Neither criteria applies in this case. Reid is playing politics:

>The idea behind Reid's plan is to force Senate Republicans to vote on the measure, which could put incumbents facing tough reelections on the spot.

The Ryan budget is not expected to pass the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

"I would hope they do," Reid said when asked if he thinks the Senate will reject the plan. "It would be one of the worst things to happen to this country if that came into effect."<>


That clever dog! Reid is going to force Senate Republicans -- very few of whom actually face tough re-elections -- to vote on a budget that the American people...well, don't really mind. Not to be outdone, Reid's Republican counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell, has orchestrated a political counter-punch to Reid's shenanigans. Brilliant:

A day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) put Republicans on the spot by saying he will bring the House Republicans’ budget proposal up for a vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) turned the tables by exercising his legislative prerogative to call for a vote on President Barack Obama’s budget.

The two votes amount to legislative brinkmanship by both party leaders. Mr. Reid wants to put Republicans on record supporting legislation authored by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) that would eventually transform Medicare and Medicaid. Mr. McConnell, meanwhile, wants to force Democrats to vote on a plan that rolls back Bush-era tax cuts for people who make more than $250,000 and ignores many of the long-term costs driving the deficit.

“I understand that the Majority Leader would like to have a vote on the House-passed Ryan budget and we will,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement. “But we’ll have a vote on the President’s budget at the same time. Since there is no Democrat budget in the Senate, we’ll give our colleagues an opportunity to stand with the President in failing to address the problems facing our nation while calling for trillions in new spending, massive new debt and higher taxes on American energy, families and small businesses across the country.”<

End excerpts.

Mr. Benson misses the point, I think; Reid called for this vote precisely because HE KNOWS THE SENATE GOP DO NOT WANT THE RYAN BUDGET PLAN. Reid understands that they fear the loss of power as much as the Democrats that real budget discipline would impose, and he knows he is dealing with weak-kneed cowards. Politicians have natural instincts on such things, and you do not make such a gambit without cause. Reid understands the power of RINO.

Whether McConnell's counter is really a masterstroke remains to be seen (it probably will hurt the Democrats, but it offers the chance for a "compromise" like the one brokered on the budget by Speaker Boehner), but Reid's original move is putting the GOP on the spot, forcing them to do what I suspect many do not want.

Harry reid probably did us a favor here; he's putting heat on the fairweather friends on our own side.

Thanks, Harry!