http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=7C62085B-87BB-495E-892B-A0D2CB658D33 Harry Reid compares GOP to ‘greased pigs’
By: Burgess Everett
May 6, 2014 11:14 AM EDT
Majority Leader Harry Reid compared his Republican colleagues to “greased pigs” on Tuesday as the Senate erupted in frustration over lack of progress on an energy bill and the Keystone XL pipeline.
“For all those who don’t know what a greased pig contest is, here’s what it is: The organizers get a little pig, piglet, and they cover this little animal with tons of grease. It’s a greasy little pig,” Reid said. “The reason I mention this: Oftentimes working with my Senate Republican colleagues reminds me of chasing one of these little pigs in a greased pig contest. Regardless of all of our efforts, any time we get close to making progress, it seems as though we watch it slip out of our hands.”
The Democratic leader’s remarks follow comments he made Monday in which he said the GOP was playing a “shell game” as the prospects darken for a binding vote to approve the Keystone pipeline or a modest, bipartisan energy efficiency bill.
Reid argues that every time he agrees to a Republican requests like a vote on Keystone, the GOP changes its demands — a point sharply contested by Republicans. The Nevadan’s remarks provoked a testy reaction from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who criticized Reid for limiting the consideration of Republican amendments to a trickle.
Since July, McConnell said, the GOP has had votes on just eight Republican amendments, a far lower number of minority submissions than even the Republican-led House of Representatives has considered.
“We’d like to have a chance to have our voices heard occasionally. Eight amendments for the minority since July? This is not the way the Senate ought to be run,” McConnell said.
Reid also maintained that Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) was continuing to request a vote on his amendment to gut federal health care subsidies to lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides. Vitter’s so-called “No Exemption” provision that torpedoed consideration of the very same energy efficiency bill last fall.
Both McConnell and a Vitter aide denied that the senator was still requesting a vote. Vitter said on the floor last week that he would put aside his request for a vote on his amendments and instead asked for five amendments to the energy efficiency bill, including the Keystone pipeline, a request denied by Democrats.
Vitter said through a spokesman that Reid is acting “cowardly.”
“Reid is trying to use Keystone as an excuse not to vote on my ‘no exemption’ amendment, and he’s using my ‘no exemption’ amendment as an excuse not to vote on Keystone. It’s cowardly actually,” Vitter said.
