Harry Reid: The Boehner Plan Is Dead On Arrival In The Senate
Even if John Boehner’s plan does overcome its problems in the House, it’s not going to survive in the Senate in its present form:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday said Democrats would defeat the latest proposal from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to raise the debt ceiling.
He accused Boehner of being beholden to Tea-Party conservatives in his caucus and questioned the speaker’s commitment to avoiding a default.
“Speaker Boehner’s plan is not a compromise. It was written for the tea party, not the American people. Democrats will not vote for it. Democrats will not vote for it. Democrats will not vote for it,” Reid said.
“It’s dead on arrival in the Senate, if they get it out of the House,” he added.
Reid reiterated it is the firm position of Senate Democrats that a short-term increase in the debt limit is not acceptable.
“We’re not going to have a short-term extension, so there’s no discussions regarding that. We will not do that. The president won’t agree to that and my caucus will not agree to it,” Reid said.
I think it’s safe to assume that the same applies to the Reid Plan in the House. So, instead of wasting the next three legislative days on votes that aren’t going to accomplish anything, wouldn’t the rational thing to do be to sit down and figure out what you guys can agree to?
And do tell what you think about anything put forth by the Tea Party caucus that any majority would agree to…
key words: “…if they get it out of the House…”
Poor Boehner. He’s got the Senate, the White House, Wall Street, and the American public staring him down on one side – the Tea Stain on the other side – and Eric Cantor standing at his back with a sharp knife. It’s enough to make a man cry.