"Aunt Minnie" McConnell got out-foxed by Harry Reid in the Senate today.
McConnell made a motion this morning to take a vote on President Obama's proposal to allow him to extend the nation's debt ceiling on his own -- apparently thinking that Reid wouldn't allow it at this point because not all Democrats are on board with it yet. It would be defeated, he assumed, and McConnell could crow that even the Democrats didn't support giving the president that authority.
To his surprise, Reid agreed to bring it to the floor for an up or down vote. BOING !~! BOING !~!~!
Talk about backfire -- and backtracking. Aunt Minnie had badly miscalculated. So he wound up filibustering his own bill.
Now gleeful Democrats are jumping up and down, because what better proof do they need to show that the Republicans are abusing the filibuster -- and it should be changed?
It's not Aunt Minnie's first miscalculation. Back in July he called for a vote on extending the Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class but not for the upper 2%, thinking it would fail.
But it passed. And now that is putting extra pressure on the House to take a vote on it, with the Senate having already passed it.
Damn, it feels good to see the Democrats outmaneuvering the Republicans -- and winning, for a change. What a difference an election makes.
Ralph
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There's something so very wrong about filibustering your own bill... What a waste of taxpayer dollars for him to play a game of chicken in Congress. Seems like a guy should be recalled for a move like that.
ReplyDeleteTo borrow a phrase: Bah, humbug!
But it IS great to see it play out this way in the end, and it's a great show of his stripes.
Barbara
Thanks for the comment, Barbara. I welcome yours and encourage others too.
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