Obama is sounding like his old combative campaign self, declaring: "I will not cave" on the jobs bill; calling them the "Do Nothing Congress" a la Harry Truman; and frankly admitting that he is through trying to negotiate with Republicans who refuse to compromise. Yesterday, he said Republicans should pass his jobs bill or expect angry voters to turn them out of office in 2012. Later he was quoted:
"If Congress does nothing, then it's not a matter of me running against them. I think the American people will run them out of town."And now Harry Reid is playing hardball parliamentary politics in the Senate. I do not begin to understand the fine points of their arcane parliamentary procedures. But yesterday Mitch McConnell moved to table the debate on China trade in order to push prematurely for a vote on Obama's jobs bill, hoping to embarrass the Democrats who are not yet united on the bill. The Senate Parliamentarian ruled that McConnell's motion was in order, even though they had already voted cloture on the trade bill and were in the middle of discussing it.
Reid then appealed the ruling. I can't follow what happened next, but essentially it called into question the rules about filibuster, evoking what was referred to several years ago as "the nuclear option." McConnell would have needed 60 votes -- and they didn't have them because two of their key Senators wanted the trade bill to pass, given the importance of trade with China in their states. Something like that.
One Senate Democratic aide put it this way: "McConnell likes to think of himself as a parliamentary wizard, but he had his lunch eaten twice today by Harry Reid."
For now, Reid has prevailed; and the Republicans are vowing revenge.
The main point: There is new muscle in the Democratic camp.And that is an exciting development.
Ralph
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