Reid demands vote on the debt limit, citing 'utter chaos' in the GOP

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/256391-reid-demands-debt-vote-amid-house-chaos

October 08, 2015, 02:22 pm
Reid demands vote on the debt limit, citing 'utter chaos' in the GOP

By Alexander Bolton

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) says the chaos engulfing the race to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) leaves GOP leaders no choice but to bring a clean debt-ceiling bill to the floor.

“The utter chaos of the Republican Party must not threaten the full faith and credit of the United States and the American people,” Reid said in a statement.

“Responsible Republican leaders should bring a clean debt ceiling increase to the floors of the House and Senate and immediately let it pass with a bipartisan coalition,” he said.

Year-end talks to set spending levels for fiscal 2016 and extend the nation’s borrowing authority were thrown into limbo Thursday when Boehner’s apparent successor, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), announced he was dropping out of the race.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has told congressional leaders they need to raise the debt limit by Nov. 5 to avoid a national default, giving Congress precious little time to sort out the leadership question in the House and negotiate the debt-limit measure.

“There was a possibility of a big deal including the budget and the debt limit but that’s gone out the window,” said a Democratic leadership aide. “The only option is to bring a clean debt-ceiling bill to the floor because [House Republicans] are not going to have their act together before the deadline hits.”

Senate Republicans say it’s too risky to attempt to extract negotiations from President Obama on the debt ceiling at a time when House Republicans are so divided they can’t agree on Boehner’s replacement.

“I always though they would have to bring a clean debt ceiling bill to the floor,” a senior Republican senator said of his party’s leadership.

A senior Senate GOP aide said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will likely let the House make the first move on the debt ceiling.

“It’s predicated on what the House wants to do and it’s up to Boehner or the new Speaker,” said the aide.

But Reid warned Congress cannot await the outcome of the House GOP leadership races, which were thrown into turmoil Thursday.

“Republican chaos is likely to get worse before it gets better but the economic livelihood of the American people should not be threatened as a result of Republicans’ inability to govern,” he said.

[andy58-in-nh]

Republicans really do need to take note of how the political game is played by Democrats: smash 'em in the mouth, never give in, go full tilt, all out, never give your opponent a break, and always, always be on the offensive.

Democrats never miss an opportunity to trash Republicans, who for their part, never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

[Godzilla]

Republicans really do need to take note of how the political game is played by Democrats: smash 'em in the mouth, never give in, go full tilt, all out, never give your opponent a break, and always, always be on the offensive.

Democrats never miss an opportunity to trash Republicans, who for their part, never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

When you demand all or nothing... 9 times out of 10, you get nothing.  And that's what the strident right has been doing since 2010.  But then turn around and blame their own representatives for failing, demanding that if they were just a bit more strident, that they'd really, really get what they wanted. 

(Here's another example of that sort of negotiating tactic: Palestinians and their constant demand for all of Israel, nothing less.  They've never compromised on that all-or-nothing goal.  Nearly 50 years later, the Palestinians still have exactly 'jack' and 's!#t' that they can claim as success.  But they have become increasingly strident and violent each successive generation.)

Democrats play the long game of incremental change.  They'll demand the moon, but then accept whatever they can negotiate.  And then come back next year for some more.

---

edit: mispelled violent

[Bigun]

When you demand all or nothing... 9 times out of 10, you get nothing.  And that's what the strident right has been doing since 2010.  But then turn around and blame their own representatives for failing, demanding that if they were just a bit more strident, that they'd really, really get what they wanted. 

(Here's another example of that sort of negotiating tactic: Palestinians and their constant demand for all of Israel, nothing less.  They've never compromised on that all-or-nothing goal.  Nearly 50 years later, the Palestinians still have exactly 'jack' and 's!#t' that they can claim as success.  But they have become increasingly strident and voilent each successive generation.)

Democrats play the long game of incremental change.  They'll demand the moon, but then accept whatever they can negotiate.  And then come back next year for some more.

When you don't demand and mean it you get nothing! 

We have seen this movie MANY times previously and it always ends the same way.  The taxpayers take it in the shorts!

[Godzilla]

When you don't demand and mean it you get nothing! 

We have seen this movie MANY times previously and it always ends the same way.  The taxpayers take it in the shorts!

???

By that logic, the Democrats should be abject failures in pushing their agenda.  And you know they aren't.  Their negotiating tactics *WORK*.  The strident right's *DON'T*.

Case in point:

Democrats never demanded legalized gay marriage or gun-control... or else!  But we have gay marriage and regular pushes for gun control.

Republicans demanded the end of Obamacare... or else!  And it's still here.

[sinkspur]

The far right demands unconditional surrender from the Democrats when they have no leverage to demand it.

They "stand on principle", knowing they're going to lose, but think somehow, some way Obama will simply give up.   When he doesn't, and they're revealed as having just spun their wheels once again, they blame the people who told them so.

Makes no sense.

[andy58-in-nh]

When you demand all or nothing... 9 times out of 10, you get nothing.  And that's what the strident right has been doing since 2010.  But then turn around and blame their own representatives for failing, demanding that if they were just a bit more strident, that they'd really, really get what they wanted. 

(Here's another example of that sort of negotiating tactic: Palestinians and their constant demand for all of Israel, nothing less.  They've never compromised on that all-or-nothing goal.  Nearly 50 years later, the Palestinians still have exactly 'jack' and 's!#t' that they can claim as success.  But they have become increasingly strident and violent each successive generation.)

Democrats play the long game of incremental change.  They'll demand the moon, but then accept whatever they can negotiate.  And then come back next year for some more.

The exact opposite has been true - Republicans ask for concessions, which the Democrats always refuse to give them, ever.

Instead they hurl personal invectives at them and blame them for wanting to shut down the government, which never really happens, even when it "happens", and then only because Democrats falsely blame Republicans for being obstinate, knowing full well that the news media will echo only their side of the story.

Only the most recent example of this behavior is Planned Parenthood. GOP will pass a bill fully funding the government but without funds for PP - Obama threatens to veto the bill and then every lockstep Dem will blame GOP for "shutting down the government". It's utter and total bullshit, and the only way to stop it is to call out the liars each and every day, loudly and consistently, which McConnell and Boehner never did.

Democrats must never be compromised or negotiated with in their present state, unless the starting point of negotiation is not by how much to grow the Federal government, but by how much to cut it.   

[Bigun]

The exact opposite has been true - Republicans ask for concessions, which the Democrats always refuse to give them, ever.

Instead they hurl personal invectives at them and blame them for wanting to shut down the government, which never really happens, even when it "happens", and then only because Democrats falsely blame Republicans for being obstinate, knowing full well that the news media will echo only their side of the story.

Only the most recent example of this behavior is Planned Parenthood. GOP will pass a bill fully funding the government but without funds for PP - Obama threatens to veto the bill and then every lockstep Dem will blame GOP for "shutting down the government". It's utter and total bullshit, and the only way to stop it is to call out the liars each and every day, loudly and consistently, which McConnell and Boehner never did.

Democrats must be compromised or negotiated with in their present state, unless the starting point of negotiation is not by how much to grow the Federal government, but by how much to cut it.

Exactly right!

My recollection is that compromising with democrats means that we cave and they get everything they want!

I've quite frankly, had a gut full of that!

[Godzilla]

The exact opposite has been true - Republicans ask for concessions, which the Democrats always refuse to give them, ever.

Instead they hurl personal invectives at them and blame them for wanting to shut down the government, which never really happens, even when it "happens", and then only because Democrats falsely blame Republicans for being obstinate, knowing full well that the news media will echo only their side of the story.

Only the most recent example of this behavior is Planned Parenthood. GOP will pass a bill fully funding the government but without funds for PP - Obama threatens to veto the bill and then every lockstep Dem will blame GOP for "shutting down the government". It's utter and total bullshit, and the only way to stop it is to call out the liars each and every day, loudly and consistently, which McConnell and Boehner never did.

Democrats must never be compromised or negotiated with in their present state, unless the starting point of negotiation is not by how much to grow the Federal government, but by how much to cut it.

Passing a bill through the House is different than enacting a law.

Just like the Palestinian Authority passing a motion demanding Israel stop their 'occupation' of 'Palestinian' territory... Is different than Israel actually doing so.

And you get the same result... that being Jack and Squat.