Posted on 07/30/2011 7:35:44 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
After rejecting a GOP bill passed by the House, Senate Democrats pursue their own plan to avert a government default in a messy legislative showdown.
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid announced late Saturday that negotiations with Minroity Leader Mitch McConnell and the White House had made enough progress that he would delay consideration of his own legislation to avert the debt crisis.
Rather than a 1 a.m. Sunday vote, Reid said he would give the negotiators room to maneuver and set a 1 p.m. Sunday vote on his bill -- which McConnell has already assured would be defeated.
A sense of desperation had settled over the Capitol on Saturday, with the prospect of a government default and rank-and-file lawmakers pleading with their leaders to set politics aside and strike a bipartisan deal to raise the federal debt limit.
After months of negotiation and weeks of debate, every black-and-white plan for cutting government spending and raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling seemed either doomed or had already been shot down.
As the battle entered its final tense hours, the nation’s leaders were left bickering among themselves, unable to agree on even a modest version of the plan they said they were on the verge of sealing barely one week ago. The remaining differences between them were not especially large. Still, a resolution appeared elusive.
“It really shouldn’t be this difficult,” Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) said in speech Saturday evening on the Senate floor. “I believe there’s a bipartisan consensus here in the Senate waiting to lift our country and our future if we stop talking past each other.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Minroity huh, is that one of obama’s other czar’s we didn’t hear about?
No worry, the fix has been in for a while.
The actors in this Kabuki dance need to take a break and rehearse their lines for the final act. Take it only for entertainment value.
Because that’s all it is.
What’s that on his head? Klaatu barada nikto!
I PRAY the GOP hangs TOUGH and doesn’t let little WORMS like McCain, Lindsey Graham and the trio of Coburn, Chambliss and Crapo make them crap out on this issue.
The GOP put forth a plan. The Dems put forth one which will make things worse and put the fall-out off until AFTER that bastard Obama gets re-elected.
I hope they can see through this transparent chess game.
Too much like work to continue into the night like real private sector negotiations often do........
I believe Harry’s actual title is Senate Majority Czar. But to be honest, he’s mostly there to say negative comments about Republicans. The question that would be nice to hear reporters ask him...what contributions or written material have the White House given his staff in this bill-writing episode?
Thank you pres__ent in chief for saving the country!
Yep, the fix is in.
“Rather than a 1 a.m. Sunday vote, Reid said he would give the negotiators room to maneuver and set a 1 p.m. Sunday vote on his bill “
Kabuki Translator says:
“He can’t get enough- if any- RINOs to go for a compromise bill after his bill fails cloture. So he’ll just delay proceedings as long as he can.”
Yep, and pass it to find out what’s in it...
His halo you ninny. Or maybe he needs a sombreo that big in Searchlight.
Rhuh-rhow
I do not see the House giving Obama and the Dem caucus a pass on this for the entire election cycle. That is the rub. If they do, then it will be the last cycle the GOP needs to worry about for a long, long time.
He’s holding the country hostage!
I don’t believe a fix is in. Whatever passes in the Senate will not be supported by the Tea Party Republicans. For once, the Congress is going to be forced to do the right thing.
Poor Harry. Doesn’t have the votes. Hopes he can buy another vote or two by tomorrow.
Is it my impression or does Harry look somewhat imploded these days?
The content of the bill aside, is anyone else just sick of how stupid these people are making us look on the international stage? We’re supposed to be the Leader of the Free World, yet they can’t even put a budget in place despite controlling the entire government, we have members tweeting pictures of their “members”, and fools like Harry Reid who one day are scrambling to keep their jobs and then shortly after, act as if they’re master of the universe. Like a bunch of spoiled children, they can’t get their work done on time, wait until the very last minute, and then whine and blame others.
These people make us look like lazy dolts. This isn’t the friggin’ High Council of Elbonia, it’s the United States Senate!
As a resident of Illinois, all I can say to my fellow Americans in all fifty seven states is “this is what it feels to have Blago in charge”.
It is not that they cannot put out a budget, they want a blank check, so they don’t need a budget. An affirmative action slug is running the government, with lying vermin doing his bidding in the other two branches of the government. Do you really expect them to operate that cesspool on a budget? With no ‘loyal opposition’, the pubbycrats don’t need no stinkin’ budget!
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