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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is promising an up-or-down vote on the $61 billion in budget cuts passed by House Republicans — just to show that version of the spending bill is “dead” – even if the upper chamber has to debate until 1 a.m. to prove the point.
“I hope we have a vote on this today,” said Reid to reporters. “If not, we’re going to go through all this procedural process. They cannot stop us from having a vote on H.R. 1. [the Republican spending bill] We want the American people to know that H.R. 1 is dead, and we’ll get there.”
It's a smart move on Reid's part, which is going to force Republicans to take a position that will be recorded - Their vote. It's one thing to say that you can negotiate, but it's another to actually make your position clear by going on record with it, so that you cannot weasel out of it when it is time to campaign.
Yes, smart move by Reid, who is looking at the possibility of a Republican takeover of the Senate in 2012. Smart, but it also shows desperation, and the willingness of Reid to do whatever it takes, politically, to tar the opposition, which might talk a good game, but don't want to be saddled with a political position themselves that would push away independents, which are key for reelection.
Smart move by Reid? Yes, but not quite an honest one either, since the move has more to do with politics than what is good for America.
Article is here.