Reid: The Senate Will Vote On Paul Ryan's Budget

[kpete]

Source: Huffington Post

Reid: The Senate Will Vote On Paul Ryan's Budget
WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on Wednesday that he would host a vote on Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget as a means of forcing moderate GOP senators to weigh in on the legislation’s controversial proposals. He did not provide a specific date for when that vote will take place.

“There will be an opportunity in the Senate to vote on the Ryan budget to see if Republican senators like the Ryan budget as much as the House did,” Reid said on a conference call with reporters. “Without going into the Ryan budget we will see how much the Republicans like it here in the Senate.”

Reid, who had been traveling with other senator’s in China, accused the Ryan plan of fundamentally changing Medicare and burdening health care consumers with uncertainty and higher costs. By holding a vote on the bill -- which his own party will vote against en masse –- the majority leader is hoping to not only drive a wedge within the GOP but keep the Ryan budget in the news.

This past week, protesters have disrupted a number of town hall events hosted by GOP lawmakers, airing their concerns about drastic spending cuts, lower tax rates and changes to Medicare and Medicaid. House Republicans voted to pass the Ryan budget with only three defections. But the legislation always seemed likely to get a far tougher reception among Republicans in the Senate, where moderates Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) are up for re-election in 2012.

....).


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/27/reid-the-senate-will-vote_n_854468.html

[gateley]

1. Haha! I don't even think Republicans would touch this with a 10 foot pole after

the spanking the House members have gotten at their Town Halls over the past few days.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Do Senators ever have Town Halls?

I don't hear much about them having town hall meetings (though they should IMHO)

[gateley]

7. I think they're in a Stratosphere of their own, although I think I've heard Bernie

does (naturally).

Wasn't that the "logic" behind Boehner's House Schedule -- what is it, one week on, one week 'off'? -- so they could go mingle with The People to better serve them? :eyes:

Wonder how many Town Halls Boehner has hosted.

[Carnage251]

8. Arlen Spector did

[kas125]

13. Bayh did - once. And that was after we'd asked him many

times for over two years. He didn't agree until we sat in at his office until he'd hear our concerns and one of us refused to leave until she was arrested. He was pretty much shamed into asking them to drop the charges and agreeing to a meeting with his constituents in out part of the state. He tried to dodge every question at the meeting and avoided making any promises other than that he'd come back and meet with us again in six months - which never happened. Other than that one time, I've never heard of a senator having a town hall meeting.

[karynnj]

29. John Kerry is having his fourth this year on May 7th at Faneuil Hall in Boston

From noon - 2pm Tay Tay just posted about it in DU JK - here is her link to Kerry's staff's Facebook announcement - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206200089412116

He had one in North Hampton in February, one in Marshfield in March and a recent one in Waltham.

And no - he is not up for re-election - the Senator, who has yet to have any town halls is.

[No Elephants]

36. Faneuil Hall -willed to the City of Boston for as long as Boston uses it for food and politics.

"Faneuil Hall (pronounced /ˈfænjəl/ or /ˈfænəl/; previously /ˈfʌnəl/), located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of Boston National Historical Park and a well known stop on the Freedom Trail. It is sometimes referred to as "the Cradle of Liberty".<2>"

More (in. photos) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faneuil_Hall

Worth a visit to hear Kerry, just as people heard the Sons of Liberty!

[karynnj]

37. Thanks for the history

I first saw Faneuil Hall when Deval Patrick spoke there when first running for Governor. I had gone because of things I heard here about Patrick and because of the descriptions of Faneuil Hall. My husband and I were in Boston that day anyway because later in the day we were picking up our daughter then attending college in Massachusetts. It was Incredible. A perfect building for a rally.

But, then a bit later, we went to Boston to hear Kerry's speech on the right to dissent, on the 35th anniversary of when he spoke to the Senate. Faneuil Hall was incredible as the cheers and the standing ovations were amplified by people in the balcony stamping their feet in agreement.

It would be interesting to see a town hall in these troubled times.

[RedCloud]

2. DOA!

[OKNancy]

3. good! Twist the screws Harry! n/t

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Republicans: This is your chance

to stand up for Ryan's "bold", "courageous", and "serious" plan to address the deficit!! Don't be afraid to stand up for *fiscal responsibility*!!!!

:eyes:

[democrat_patriot]

6. Ummm...what if by some fluke it passes? Obama vetoes but,

it's hard to tear down something that passed. Kind of verifies it's validity.

[gateley]

12. Have you seen the people giving their Congresspeople hell in the Town Meetings

about this? If it WERE to pass, I'd expect a MASSIVE protest -- Dems and Reps -- and it would never be signed into law.

I think several things have been passed that never actually see the light of day, but I could be wrong.

[Wait Wut]

14. Exactly.

Even many teapers are freaked out about the Ryan plan. It's a beautiful irony that Ryan put this together to kiss their asses and now their biting his.

[Plucketeer]

19. When the polls show

EIGHTY PERCENT of US citizens oppose the main points of the plan??? It would be easier for them to just jump of a bridge.

[valerief]

26. I know. What if Senate Dems are playing chess with the Republicans against Americans?

It's not impossible. They're all agents for Billionaires. The difference between them is how many crumbs they throw to us pigeons. Dems (not blue dogs) are old men in the park feeding us bread crumbs. Republicans (all, including blue dogs) shoot us.

Now that it's clear to even the dumbest among us that there are NO plans to invest in America for ANYTHING, why would they care? They control the final selectors (the Supreme Court) and the vote counters (electronic voting machines).

[cstanleytech]

28. No it doesnt verify its validity,

because there is no way they would be able to override the veto.
Now what this really will do is force the republican senators to either vote no to it and admit that the Ryan plans a piece of crap or vote yes to it and (hopefully) cause most of their careers as senators to an end when the shit hits the fan.

[bluestateguy]

9. Yes, good!

Get 'em on the record.

Collins has already said she is a NO.

[99th_Monkey]

10. YES! Make those RW worms squirm Harry!! ~nt

[No Elephants]

11. Jaysus. I hope Harry counted votes in his caucus VERY carefully. Even

then, I wouldn't let Ryan's budget come to a vote, lest a few jerks change their minds.

[cliffordu]

15. Never happen - the Medicare part of that plan

will kill most of the Senate support, even among the R's

I would bet it gets filibustered by an R WAAAAYYYYY before it comes close to a vote.......

[shawn703]

16. I agree

McConnell's probably holding meetings now to decide which lucky R gets to filibuster this to provide political cover for the rest of them.

My bet would be on McCain. He's their "maverick", he just got re-elected, and he'd be 80 years old in 2016 and I think unlikely to run for a sixth term anyway.

[cliffordu]

17. Bingo...Good call on McCain......

They could even get Smokin' Joe Leeeeeeberman to do it....

[xxqqqzme]

20. isn't he up for re-election next year?

[cliffordu]

21. I think Joementum could get caught with a dead goat in bed and

he'd STILL get re-elected.....

[bongbong]

23. Didn't he say he was retiring?

I thought that pond scum from CT was outta here!

[karynnj]

32. He's NOT running - already announced

[tweeternik]

22. Or DeMint ...

from South Carolina and reelected in 2010.

[karynnj]

31. It is their bill - and the democarts do not need to filibuster it as it will not get

even 51 votes.

[tritsofme]

33. A budget resolution cannot be filibustered

50+1 votes for passage.

However budget resolutions are also non-binding, and only represent a framework. That being said, there is not even close to a simple majority support for the Ryan budget in the Senate.

[Old and In the Way]

18. I agree....but that has it's own downside for Republicans.

People will understand that they are taking the cowardly way out by avoiding the vote. Democrats can still get a lot of mileage out of filibuster - it will expose them as the gutless hypocrites that they are. The rubes that think this is a good idea won't be too happy with it, either.

[bertman]

24. DAMN!!! I didn't know Harry had it in him. I'm shocked. REC. nt

[Bandit]

25. which his own party will vote against en masse

I wonder if that includes Ben Nelson and Jow Lieberman? I doubt they will vote with the Democrats. It seems quite rare when they do..

[plumbob]

27. Excellent! Make them eat it or wear it!

THEN we'll see who's ignoring their base!

[Ohio Joe]

30. Good, make them say in public they want to kill medicare

Then fry them in every election with it.

[progressoid]

34. That'll be fun.

:evilgrin:

[TomCADem]

35. Great! How will Scott Brown Vote? Awesome!

Let's watch Scott Brown vote himself out of office by trying to kill Medicare.

[forty6]

38. The biggest blessing Harry Reid could give to Massachusetts!

Brown is already on record saying he supported the Ryan plan.

Either he will prove to be the chicken he is, or he will make himself a one time short term Senator.

Something tells me he'll chicken out, as he always does. He couldn't even be straight about his abuse as a child, tried to run away from it, showing the coward he is.