Democrats push Reid to get more aggressive in shutdown battle ("as high a CR level as we can get")

[kpete]

Source: The Hill

Democrats push Reid to get more aggressive in shutdown battle
By Alexander Bolton - 09/21/13 06:00 AM ET

Senate Democrats are urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to be aggressive in the standoff over a government shutdown with House Republicans.

They say Reid should counter the House Republican government funding bill by not only stripping language defunding ObamaCare, but by increasing funding for the rest of the government.



“We’re going to try to get as high a CR level as we can get,” said Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the third-ranking member of the Democratic caucus, referring to the stop-gap spending measure. “We are not going to be held hostage.

“We think it should be higher than the $988 (billio)] level, absolutely. But we’re not going to have a negotiation that deals with extraneous issues,” he added. “We’re going to negotiate to get as a high a level as possible.”




Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/323803-democrats-push-reid-to-get-aggressive-in-shutdown-fight-#ixzz2fXIjLLPV

[DonCoquixote]

1. as they would say in the Godfather

Reid is not a "wartime consilgere." That sob needed to be replaced a long, long time ago.

[RiverNoord]

3. I'm afraid you are right, but...

The modern Democratic party is much more contentious than the rather monolithic Republican party. Even with the 'tea-party/establishment' GOP rift, the party tends to vote rather strictly together. On the other hand, Democrats tend to be much more free-thinking and independent.

Uniting Democrats is a tough job, and fighting dirty, which is the only way to fight when your opponent does it all the time, is not a forte among the Democratic party. Sadly, it needs to be.

[DonCoquixote]

18. Yes, we are different

But when the Clintons are considered our Iron Fist kneecappers, we have a problem, as even the Clinton/Obama axis is always eager to make up with the GOP, as if they were always one pleasant conversation away from making them see reason. Frankly, we need people that make Alan grayson and Liz Warren look like monks and nuns; we have given them 30 years to come around, it is now time for the shoving and pushing.

[Demeter]

10. He's not a peacetime consigliare, either

He serves no one but himself.

[DonCoquixote]

17. thanks for the spelling correction

Though you seem top have gotten the spirit of what I said despite it.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

2. Reid could say "The Senate will not approve of any more Republican appointees." Isn't our desire

to have Democrats in high-level positions the reason why we voted for Democrats?

[barnabas63]

4. What is "CR level?" nt

[BumRushDaShow]

5. "Continuing Resolution" level (amount to temporarily fund the government). nt

[bvar22]

6. The Democratic Party regained the majority in The Senate in 2006.

At that time, the Senate Democrats "elected" a Conservative Democrat from a Conservative State with a reputation of not rocking the boat and never pushing hard for anything as their spokesman & leader.

Since that time, the Senate Democrats have repeatedly told him
"Heck of a Job, Harry" by reappointing him as their Leader & Representative at the beginning of every session.

Now WHY would our Senate Democrats do something like that?




You will know them by their [font size=3]WORKS.[/font]

[silvershadow]

8. I really can't disagree with that at all. I think at the time, though, Reid was kind of pivotal in

certain ways, as in, getting/maintaining that majority, holding caucus together,etc. But in most other ways, especially on important matters he has been somewhat milquetoast. Kind of like Evan Bayh was here in Indiana.

[bvar22]

15. Unlike his father,

Evan was the leader of the Republican DINO Caucus in the Democratic Party.

Here is why the Senate Democrats are more than happy to have Harry Reid as their leader & spokesman:

The Democratic Party’s deceitful game
They are willing to bravely support any progressive bill as long as there's no chance it can pass
<snip>
This is what the Democratic Party does; it’s who they are. They’re willing to feign support for anything their voters want just as long as there’s no chance that they can pass it. They won control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections by pretending they wanted to compel an end to the Iraq War and Bush surveillance and interrogation abuses because they knew they would not actually do so; and indeed, once they were given the majority, the Democratic-controlled Congress continued to fund the war without conditions, to legalize Bush’s eavesdropping program, and to do nothing to stop Bush’s habeas and interrogation abuses (“Gosh, what can we do? We just don’t have 60 votes).

The primary tactic in this game is Villain Rotation. They always have a handful of Democratic Senators announce that they will be the ones to deviate this time from the ostensible party position and impede success, but the designated Villain constantly shifts, so the Party itself can claim it supports these measures while an always-changing handful of their members invariably prevent it.

One minute, it’s Jay Rockefeller as the Prime Villain leading the way in protecting Bush surveillance programs and demanding telecom immunity;

the next minute, it’s Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer joining hands and “breaking with their party” to ensure Michael Mukasey’s confirmation as Attorney General;

then it’s Big Bad Joe Lieberman single-handedly blocking Medicare expansion;

then it’s Blanche Lincoln and Jim Webb joining with Lindsey Graham to support the de-funding of civilian trials for Terrorists;

and now that they can’t blame Lieberman or Ben Nelson any longer on health care (since they don’t need 60 votes), Jay Rockefeller voluntarily returns to the Villain Role, stepping up to put an end to the pretend-movement among Senate Democrats to enact the public option via reconciliation.

<more>

http://www.salon.com/2010/02/23/democrats_34/

An interesting and informative article that explains a lot,
even the Senate Democrats choosing Milquetoast Harry Reid as their spokesman & leader.
It really is and Old, Rich Boys Club working to protect their Gravy Train.



You will know them by their [font size=3]WORKS[/font]
not by their Excuses.

[former9thward]

14. As another poster has as their signature line....

The system is not broken. The system is working.

[1ProudAtheist]

7. Democrats

Sorely need to learn how to negotiate. You do not start halfway between what the Pukes want and what America wants............you start far to the left of what America wants so that you can wind up with the results that satisfies all of those who are not hard line Pukes.

[Demeter]

9. It would be better if they pushed Hairy Reed out

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[PuffedMica]

12. Reid should have put his boot heel on the Republican throat back in 2009

We held the House, the Senate, and the Executive Branch. We would not be having this discussion if Reid and Pelosi had played hard ball with the pukes.

[Doctor_J]

13. good luck with that. The president has included the chained cpi

in his"comprise". I don't see it ending well for Americans.

[cheapdate]

16. Right on! See your bluff and raise you, MOFO!