Posted on 07/30/2011 2:23:05 PM PDT by mdittmar
Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the only viable debt ceiling compromise to avert a default. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
Republicans leaders in the House of Representatives wasted this week pursuing a right-wing proposal they knew from the start could not pass the Senate.
From the very beginning the Speaker’s Band-Aid approach was fatally flawed – it would have put us back in this incredible position, fighting the clock to prevent financial collapse, in just a few weeks.
It was a concession to Tea Party extremists, yet it barely passed the House yesterday with only Republican votes. And it failed on a bipartisan basis last night in the Senate.
But knowing all along that this radical legislation – which was neither balanced nor bipartisan – would not and could not pass in our chamber, Democrats have been working on a true compromise in the Senate.
We have solicited ideas from our Republican friends and colleagues. Let it never be said that Democrats in the Senate were afraid to compromise. We welcome it.
As recently as yesterday morning I asked my friend, the Senate Minority Leader, to help make this Senate compromise more palatable to Republicans. Yet we have heard nothing from the Republican leader.
My friend, Sen. McConnell, did not answer the call to negotiate yesterday or any other day this week. He did not come to the table on behalf of his caucus with ideas to improve a proposal already cut from Republican cloth.
But Democrats are still willing to sit down and negotiate. My door is still open.
I appreciate that several of my Republican colleagues have reached out to me over the last few hours, hoping to reach a compromise. Senate Democrats welcome their input and look forward to working with them on a path forward.
But my friend, the Republican leader of the Senate, must come forward as well.
The two parties must work together to forge an agreement that preserves this nation’s economy. We will need the help of reasonable Republicans – including Sen. McConnell – to get this done.
But unbelievably, another filibuster stands in our path.
The Republican filibuster has become routine. From the smallest measure to the greatest matter of national importance, they stall and delay and use every procedural trick in the book to keep this body from doing its job.
But a filibuster at this late hour, and when so much is at risk, is irresponsible. It puts our economy at risk.
A majority vote was good enough for the Speaker’s proposal in the House of Representatives yesterday, but Republicans believe it isn’t good enough for the Senate today.
Rather than filibuster, I ask that my Republican colleagues work with Democrats to make our proposal better.
We have offered a reasonable, rational way for Republicans to help us avert default. Let me tell you about it.
This amendment was written by Democrats with both parties’ principles in mind. It would:
We have made several changes to make this proposition amenable to our Republican colleagues. We have:
This proposal also protects Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. But as you can see, this amendment was designed to appeal to our Republican colleagues as well as to Democrats.
As I said, we are willing to listen to ideas from the other side to make this proposal better. But time is short.
Already the economy has gone from bad to worse. Stocks continued a weeklong slide yesterday.
I know my Republican colleagues love this country. I believe they want to do what is best for our economy.
That is why together we must avert a default that would jeopardize veterans’ benefits, seniors’ Social Security payments and checks for troops on the front lines. It would also effectively raise taxes on every American family and business, increasing the cost of everything from groceries to the mortgage.
And so I urge them to join me to move forward the only true compromise plan left – in fact, the only option left at all – to save this country from default.
Call Reid's bluff.
If Reid won’t cut spending to match available funds, the only option left to save our economy is exactly what the Tea Party conservatives are doing. I’m okay with shutting down the very large non-essential portion of our federal government.
Follow Barry Soetoro’s example, when HE was in congress......
Vote: “Present”.
Let me get this straight: Repubs must work with DemoIdiots while the DemoIdiots continue to not work with the Repubs? lulz. =.=
Answer: The Democrats need the money.
Forgive my foul language, but...
FUHR
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a good man. His character is not in question.”
Speaker Bohner, in today’s NRO
Harry’s a great guy except for that little problem with his habitual lying, and that’s really not a problem but a virtue in DC.
Starve the beast.
The addition of the McConnell plan - let the executive raise the debt by himself and force the Congress to disapprove it - should, on its own, NIX the Reid proposal in the house.
THIS President can NEVER be given the government’s purse strings on his own say-so - NEVER.
What about cowboy poetry? I hope they left that in.
“I vote for default!!!!!!”
***
The one possible upside to that would be that maybe the true believers who worship Obama and his henchmen will finally see the light, particularly when their checks stop coming in. If this would become personal, watch how fast Obama’s minions will dessert him.
I also remember THIS MORNING, Reid's "compromise" approach being REJECTED by the House on a BIPARTISAN basis.
Harry Reid is an ass. His is the party-of-no-plan.
Thanks to Reid, we will not have an opportunity to examine the details of any "compromise" that must be hammered out and unchangeable by midnight Eastern tonight.
It will be shoved down our throats with a gun to our heads.
TP tantrum types will continue to blame Boehner and McConnell instead of Obama, Reid and Senate Democrats. This effective divide and conquer strategy will only strengthen Obama's hand in 2012. We may be looking at Speaker Pelosi joining Reid & Obama in 2013 because of this fiasco.
ChadPergram Chad Pergram
Pelosi returns to Capitol after WH meeting. Says nothing.
Well that’s a switch.
Yes.
i want to go into a full depression!
Reid is a moron and a liar.
`Pelosi ... says nothing’
One rusty Botox needle> tetanus> temp. lockjaw
Let’s put our hands together/give it up for Botox!
“i want to go into a full depression!”
***
I think we’re almost there. Of course, Obama and his henchmen won’t admit that. They keep telling everyone that we’re in recovery.
Reid is DOUBLE-COUNTING the war savings. He's claiming because Republicans passed the Ryan budget which set funding levels for the drawdowns in Iraq & Afghanistan they should support counting those same unspent dollars again as savings in his plan!
Non-sense and fraud!
Paul Ryan address this scam yesterday on the House floor debate over Reid's bill: "Let's cover the moon with yogurt"
“We are not afraid.”
Stossel had a great show this week — just re-ran a few hours ago on Fox. He put everything into perspective. I’ve always felt that we’re being played by both sides, and I still believe that.
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