Harry Reid: Tea Party Has Derailed Budget Negotiations

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: TPM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) accused Tea Party lawmakers of destroying budget negotiations with Republicans on Monday, demanding the GOP sort out its internal disputes before further talks proceed.

"We've tried to wait patiently for them to do that, but our patience and the American people's patience is wearing very thin," Reid said in a speech on the Senate floor.

According to Reid, "the biggest gap in this negotiation isn't between Republicans and Democrats - it's between Republicans and Republicans" and it needs to be resolved in order to finalize a deal.

"Democrats are ready to negotiate and to legislate," he said, but complainted that "we cant negotiate with ourselves and we can't do it through the media."

Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/harry-reid-tea-party-has-derailed-budget-negotiations.php

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:rofl:

[livetohike]

1. Way to go Sen. Reid! Paint the Republicans as having

problems... :toast:.

[Ozymanithrax]

2. Tea Party folk don't want to negotiate on budget

In their world view, the one answer is to reduce all government spending to national defense only, and shut the evil government down if their terms aren't met.

I have relatives who will be afffected with a government shutdown.

So I don't see it as funny.

[sakabatou]

3. The Tea Party seems to act like snot-nosed children

[Plucketeer]

8. You have proof they're not??? nt

[No Elephants]

13. No excuse whatever for the snot. Koch Industries makes a lot of paper products.

[Zorra]

4. I'll believe Harry right up until he caves in to Republican demands.

Again.

But here's hoping I am totally wrong this time.

I so very sincerely want to utterly wrong about this, I hope Harry comes through and I look like a total fool for writing this.

[No Elephants]

14. Reid is only Democratic Majority Leader, not a Senate majority all by himself.

As Leader, he can--and often does--posture to his heart's content.

When it comes to getting his fellow Democratic Senators to back up his bravado, however, he has to count noses behind the scenes. If he finds the votes will not be there, he often will not take a vote publicly. So, we blame him. IOW, he takes a bullet for his fellow Democratic Senators by letting us scapegoat him.

Probably part of why Democratic Senators keep electing him their leader.

[HereSince1628]

5. Reid complianTed????? Really? Must be that Mormon tee...

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. Gee, Harry Reid powerless again!

I swear he has become the Washington Generals to the GOP's Harlem Globetrotters. Is there any fight this man can win? General Santa Ana had a better battle record than this guy.

Is it any wonder that many progressives are becoming more upset with our party leadership when Sen. Reid offers that this fight cannot be made "in the media"? One would think Reid would have a better grasp of how politics and public opinion works.

[Dawson Leery]

7. The Tea Party's only goal is to take power

as a means to force through their reactionary policies.

[NCcoast]

9. The GOP's bitter harvest

The GOP created this ‘Frankenstein’s monster’,the tea party, by feeding every form of nonsense, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and flat out lies to the knuckle dragging bottom 20% through viral emails, right wing talk radio, wingnut websites and good old Fox News. They, the 20%, are the useful idiots that could always be counted on to vote against their own self interest. Well now the lunatics are taking over the asylum. They’re going set it on fire with themselves inside. I could enjoy watching them destroy one another more if they weren’t destroying my country, my economy and my living (I’m a real estate agent) in the process.

[No Elephants]

15. Koch brothers created the Tea Party.

[savalez]

10. Looks like John Boner can't get his house in order - he's a weakling.

[high density]

11. "we can't do it through the media"

This is the problem with my party: The Republicans are constantly negotiating via the media and the Democrats act like they're too proud or something to copy this successful tactic.

[No Elephants]

16. Maybe we should not take Sen. Reid strictly at his word on this issue.

Somehow, his statements found its way into the OP of this thread. I'm guessing that well may be because he wanted his statements to hit the media.

[No Elephants]

12. {W}e {Democrats} can't negotiate with ourselves..."

Have Democrats ever negotiated with themselves? If so, which side of the negotiation won?