The stimulus jobs bill the White House was touting as “bipartisan” because a few Republicans were on board has been scrapped by Senate Majority leader Harry Reid. Whew!
Politico: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led colleagues and the White House to believe he supported a bipartisan jobs bill — only to scuttle the plan as soon as it was released Thursday over concerns it could be used to batter Democratic incumbents, according to Senate sources.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) worked for weeks with Reid’s blessing and frequent involvement to craft an $85 billion jobs bill, a measure that seemed destined to break the partisan logjam that has ground the Senate to a halt.
But as Baucus, Grassley and President Barack Obama were preparing to celebrate a rare moment of bipartisan Kumbaya on Thursday, Reid stunned a meeting of Senate Democrats by announcing he was scrapping Baucus-Grassley, replacing it with a much cheaper, more narrowly crafted, $15 billion version.
“Grassley and three to four Republicans would have voted for it, but all the other Republicans would have beaten the living s—t out of us [during the 2010 midterms], claiming the bill was too bloated,” said a Democrat who supported Reid’s decision, explaining the leader’s logic.
The reaction was a mix of anger and confusion. Some Democrats are upset that the $15 billion package doesn’t contain enough goodies to hand out, like extended unemployment benefits. Baucus and Grassley are confused, because they were proud of being all bipartisanshippy or something. Either way it’s a win, since there’s $70 billion less debt on the table.
Left Coast Rebel also believes it’s a win for our side. Ed Morrissey points out that Harry Reid has become an embarrassment to the White House and his caucus; and that Obama may ramp up efforts to push Reid into retirement.
Who ever said politics was boring?
Via memeorandum
Fortunately, pragmatism comes to almost everyone’s doorstep at some point in time. As polls, focus groups and public opinion sets in, the Democrat Party is frantically backpedaling, trying to “retool” themselves as the 2010 election cycle comes into play. Personally, I dread to think how hard they will step on the progressive accelerator if they sustain their majorities in Congress and in the 2012, if Obama was to win and become a lame duck; sheesh, diarrhea scary.
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