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Reid To GOP On Reconciliation: You Did It Too!
Sen. McConnell (R-KY) Sen. Reid (D-NV)
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today he has some instructions for Republicans balking at the probable reconciliation route Democrats will take to pass health care.
"Look at history," Reid (D-NV ) told reporters who asked about GOP complaints.
He said Republicans used reconciliation for Contract with America legislation and major items such as the Bush tax cuts.
"They're the ones who used it more than anyone else," he said.
Reid said "nothing's off the table" for ways to finally finish health care.
I asked Reid about the growing number of Democrats signing a letter urging the public option be passed via reconciliation, but he ignored the question.
A few minutes before, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told reporters that Reid and President Obama are trying to "jam" health care through Congress.
"The only thing bipartisan about this bill is the opposition to it," McConnell said.
Reid also said Obama truly wants to reach out to the GOP, adding: "He is not a partisan president."
He said after a meeting today with the 8 Senate Democrats who will join him at the summit Thursday, "we're ready to respond to anything the Republicans bring up."
Late Update: Here are some fuller quotes from Reid scolding the GOP.
"I've been told that my Republican friends are lamenting reconciliation, but I would recommend for them to go back and look at history," Reid said.
"Since 1981, reconciliation has been used 21 times. The vast majority of those reconciliation efforts have been by Republicans," he said. "[T]hey should stop crying about reconciliation as if it's never been done before. It's done almost every Congress, and they're the ones that used it more than anyone else."
He added, "The Contract for America, most of the stuff in the Contract for America was done with reconciliation. Tax cuts, done with reconciliation. Medicare, done with reconciliation. So they better go back and look at history a little bit."
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Progressive Party
February 23, 2010 3:01 PM
Reid seems to have a learning disabilty in that he repeats his mistakes over and over....quit talking about what he is gonna do and ACT BOLDLY! He may send a letter or ramble about process but what the American people want is action and bold leadership. Quit sounding like a whining Repuklican and ACT!
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ClosetLuddite
February 23, 2010 3:06 PM in reply to Progressive Party
And follow it up with a Sternly Worded Letter!
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GayIthacan
February 23, 2010 3:17 PM
Wow!!!! With such a forceful and intellectually deep argument, i expect the GOP to roll over immediately!!!!!!
[eyeroll]
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rbeats
February 23, 2010 3:39 PM
You get em' Harry.
LOL, what a joke. Another couple hundred more Americans have lost their insurance today and this joker thinks we think he is working for us.
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JohnW1141
February 23, 2010 3:43 PM
Democrats should stop electing Red State Senators to be majority leader
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SavannahGA
February 23, 2010 3:55 PM in reply to JohnW1141
Yes indeed, you've tagged it.
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neesy08
February 23, 2010 8:10 PM in reply to JohnW1141
i think they will in november.
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bruno2
February 23, 2010 3:54 PM
You don't get to be Senate Majority Leader without being tough and cunning. Anyone whose opinion is based on appearances or pronouncements designed for public consumption is being as naive as the D -I mean T- baggers we ridicule.
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rbeats
February 23, 2010 4:00 PM in reply to bruno2
Yeah and look where his tough and cunning has gotten us;
A watered down stimulus bill that let unemployment go above 10%, NO HEALTH CARE BILL, a watered down jobs bill, and the most filibusterers in the history of our Republic.
Take your own naivety and get a clue.
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FreeRider
February 23, 2010 6:06 PM in reply to rbeats
Yeah, because the majority leader can prevent the other side from filibustering . . .
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cwnidog
February 23, 2010 8:06 PM in reply to FreeRider
He can when he has 60 people in his caucus, that is unless he's a eunuch.
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FreeRider
February 23, 2010 8:13 PM in reply to cwnidog
Reid has 60 people in his caucus?
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Beetlejuice
February 24, 2010 1:53 AM in reply to FreeRider
He was counting the blue dogs as being part of the pack, not realizing they're were really the bas.tards of the liter, not pedigreed.
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keldog
February 24, 2010 9:22 AM in reply to cwnidog
Reid does not have sixty people in his caucus, he has 59. And that's only if you count the so-called "independant", right wing leaning, Turncoat Lieberman.
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The Coloured European Observer
February 24, 2010 12:30 PM in reply to bruno2
didn't Reid get the job because others were sick or quitting?
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Moose49
February 23, 2010 3:54 PM
His first response should be the American people deserve an up or down vote and majority rule. Then he should run down the litany of GOP laws passed via reconciliation. Then he should attack the GOP for obstructing the will of the majority and putting narrow political again ahead of what's best for the American people. Of course, why he hasn't been saying these things over and over again for the last year is beyond me.
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Indie Pro
February 23, 2010 3:59 PM in reply to Moose49
His first response should be the American people deserve an up or down vote and majority rule.
hear, hear.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
February 23, 2010 4:01 PM
Getting the Republican hypocricy on every front injected into the MSM narrative is critical. Attacking Harry for doing it and, for once, doing it correctly is just bitching for bitching's sake.
Seriously, people. When you're team stops fucking up, even momentarily, cheering, rather than continuing the booing, is a lot more likely to keep them moving in the not-fucking-upward direction, dotcha think?
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mans_best_friend
February 23, 2010 4:05 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
"..just bitching for bitching's sake."
Are you new here?
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
February 23, 2010 5:18 PM in reply to mans_best_friend
Well, it was kind of like the way Obama's having to pretend there's a snowball's chance in Hell the Republicans might negotiate in good faith on Thursday . . .
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jim43
February 23, 2010 4:09 PM
The Dems need to watch their language before Thursday's meeting. They must retain the moral and bipartisan high ground...
http://www.political-buzz.com/
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rbeats
February 23, 2010 4:27 PM in reply to jim43
Hey I used a url shortening service for your link here it is.
http://5z8.info/foodporn_u8t6y_boobs
(Courtesy of http://www.shadyurl.com/index.php)
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Powkat
February 23, 2010 4:47 PM
The Dems should stop calling it reconciliation and start calling it 'majority rule.' Everyone understands that.
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Progressive Party
February 23, 2010 4:54 PM in reply to Powkat
excellent point!
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acf_ma
February 23, 2010 5:01 PM
Talking about intentions only tips off the opposition and lets them develop a defense. Acting boldly gets things done.
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condew
February 23, 2010 5:27 PM
Reid should point out to Republicans that if they don't like reconciliation, there is a simple solution that the Republicans can implement -- allow an up-or-down vote.
I applaud ACTION; by using their majority in the House and Senate, Democrats may earn a majority that lasts more than another 9 months.
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fpie
February 23, 2010 6:00 PM
By threatening to use reconciliation and even maybe passing the dreaded public option it seems like a bargaining chip before the great summit meeting. Is it a bluff? Will he really go ahead with it? Will it really work? Are the Republicans sweating and biting their nails in desperate uncertainty? Has Harry ever once lowered the boom on them? Obama may play chess while others play checkers but while Republicans play stud poker Harry plays fish.
Come on Harry. Make me eat those words. Please make me wrong!
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jeaton
February 23, 2010 6:41 PM
And then Reid said, "I'm rubber and you're glue..."
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El Camino
February 24, 2010 7:07 AM
Dems (president, and most senators and congressmen) are totally ball-less, gutless and spineless people. Almost a year they are going beck and forth without any result while thousands of innocent people are dying. What a bunch of sick and pathetic individuals. Do not ask me to vote for these shitheads any more!
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Sully
February 24, 2010 9:15 AM
The Dems do not seem to have a problem with a filibuster when they are out of power even, when it comes to Supreme Court nominations. The Reps wisely did not use reconciliation at the time as bad as the Dem's behavior was.
This is clearly not a situation when reconciliation can be used on precedent. Byrd argued in the Clinton administration that it could not be used to pass government controlled health care. If you look at when it was used, it was always for budget issues. This is a large, non-constitutionally valid increase of the responsibility of the federal government and diminution of our rights as citizens, not a budget issue! ($33,000 per uninsured person per year) This redefines the relationship between citizen and our federal trustee government. To use reconciliation here will be to throw out the filibuster forever. If the Dems do it, then they are cutting off their nose to spite their face. So be it. Maybe passing this bill is more important to them than their own reelection and the loss of filibuster when they are out of power in the Senate next year. When the Reps get into power in the Senate what will stop them from undoing what the Dems did by using reconciliation themselves? :)
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The Coloured European Observer
February 24, 2010 12:33 PM in reply to Sully
AS IF Supreme Court nominations aren't a redefinition of the relationship between citizen and our federal government.
and trustee? Really? Like ... oh say the Patriot Act? and torture? This is so ridiculous about repuKKKes ... if you don't like govt, don't run for office.
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Sully
February 25, 2010 3:25 PM in reply to The Coloured European Observer
You are right, when Dems nominate Supreme Court justices that sometimes ignore the Constitution; there is a redefinition of the relationship between citizen and state. Despite this, I said that Republicans wisely did not and should not have used reconciliation in that case.
By definition governments in a democracy are trustee of the people. It is when they ignore the people, as they are currently in the healthcare debate, that they temporarily breach this agreement. This will be rectified in the next election obviously. The Patriot Act vote was nearly unanimous in 2001 and all but the 10 of the most liberal (short sighted) senators voted for it in 2006. It seems as if there was strong representative support for this here. As far as torture, we can agree to disagree that harsh interrogation methods are not torture. Most Americans would allow water boarding of terrorist suspects if their kin were in danger. Our own special forces are water boarded (tortured by your definition) in training. Even the nutty Eric Holder has backed off prosecuting attorney’s in Bush’s AG office for their actions in reference to water boarding.
We conservatives, because I am a conservative (read founding father philosophy) created the USA, the greatest country and government of all time. So no one could ever intelligently accuse us of not liking government. We just do not like the effect you liberals have had on government. If we do not run for office, we would allow you to make it even worse; spending us into oblivion, forcing us into bankruptcy and literally destroying our country. So do not hold your breath waiting for us to get out. That big clanging noise you will hear in DC next January will be all the Libs moving home and the conservatives moving in.
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Sully
February 24, 2010 11:24 AM
http://www.breitbart.tv/obama-dems-in-2005-51-vote-nuclear-option-is-arrogant-power-grab-against-the-founders-intent/
Let's see what the Dems have said about using reconciliation in the past. Check the link! :)
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