http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/uncompromising-reid-still-in-command-115572.html?hp=t2_rUncompromising Reid still in command
‘He is controlling the agenda,’ one Republican senator complains.
By Manu Raju and Burgess Everett
2/27/15 5:50 AM EST
He only controls 46 seats, but Harry Reid is acting like he has 60.
Reid’s uncompromising posture during the flap over homeland security funding and his emerging plans for an upcoming fight over immigration make clear he’s doing little to change the hardball style that defined his tenure as majority leader. This despite losing control of the chamber after last fall’s Democratic debacle and tamping down a coup among centrists seeking his ouster.
The 75-year-old Reid, who may seek reelection next year and is in his second stint as minority leader, is betting that Republicans are so nervous about being blamed for a crisis in Washington — as they have been repeatedly before — that they will capitulate again.
Naturally, his unyielding stance has maddened Republicans.
The new Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, wanted to initiate a lengthy floor debate on a House-passed Department of Homeland Security funding bill. But Reid surprised Republicans by rallying his caucus on four separate occasions to block the measure from even coming forward — demanding McConnell drop contentious immigration provisions. After a month of inaction in the Senate and up against Friday’s funding deadline, McConnell ultimately bent to Reid’s demands.
As House Republicans have called for formal negotiations on the Senate’s “clean” DHS funding bill, Reid has sent a blunt message across the Capitol: Take it or leave it. Most believe the House will ultimately take it.
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