Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 11/03/2010 1:19:46 PM PDT by jazusamo
The top three Senate Democrats said the onus was on the newly-strengthened GOP conference to cooperate on legislation next year.
Republicans picked up six Senate seats Tuesday night, not enough to take control of the chamber but the new numbers will make it harder for Democrats to get the necessary 60 votes to proceed on controversial legislation.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.), in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, pledged to work with the Republicans but also emphasized the GOP’s responsibility to not block legislation.
Reid, especially, renewed a threat he made before, that Republicans must stop obstructing and start cooperating. The majority leader, who survived a close re-election battle, said he spoke early Wednesday afternoon with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
“Republicans must take their responsibility to solve the problems of ordinary Americans,” Reid said. “Simply saying ‘No,’ as we’ve had this past Congress… won’t bring jobs back. It won’t strengthen the economy, and it won’t help families who are struggling to make ends meet. ‘No’ is not the answer. It has to be ‘Yes.’ Not our ‘Yes,’ but a combined ‘Yes,’ something we work out — a consensus ‘Yes.’”
“Playing to a draw in the United States Senate for political score is not acceptable to the American people,” added Durbin. “We need to work together. The Senate will be the crucible for some of the most important issues of our day.”
Specifically, Schumer said the 112th Congress will “focus on the middle class like a laser,” and that he expects, as per tradition, Republicans will insist on tax cuts and Democrats will defend spending on infrastructure. However, Schumer also acknowledged Democrats “don’t have the monopoly on knowledge.”
Asked about the lame-duck session scheduled to start on Nov. 15, Reid said “a number of issues” could be taken up and that he has begun talks with McConnell on the agenda.
Pointedly, however, Reid signaled that Democrats would likely vote against a wholesale extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts signed by President George W. Bush, which expire at the end of the year. Democrats would agree to extending the cuts for middle-class families, Reid said, but allowing them for wealthy Americans “is not going to happen” because it would cost $4 trillion.
President Obama has pressed for the cuts to be extended for families making $250,000 or less while Republicans want an across-the-board extension.
Pressed on how Congress could function in a divided state in 2011, with a Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate, Reid repeated that the answer lies with GOP leaders.
“When this government was set up in the 18th Century, they knew that there would be problems… This has all happened before,” he said. “The message I repeat today is that the ball is in their court.
“53 (seats), over my long time in the Senate, is a pretty good majority… We’re comfortable where we are, and we have made the message very clear that we want to work with Republicans. If they’re unwilling to work with us, there’s not a thing we can do about that, but the American people can see that like a very slow curve ball.”
The Senate will have some new members in the lame duck. The winners of contests in Delaware, West Virginia and Illinois will be sworn-in immediately. Democrats held two of the seats with Chris Coons (D) winning in Delaware and Joe Manchin (D) winning in West Virginia, but Republicans took Illinois. Rep. Mark Kirk (R) won that seat.
I disagree with you. Having Harry falsely think he has power because he is too arrogant to know it is good for our side.
I think the face of the 2012 election is Harry Reid and Obama. Harry will be worse than Pelosi this time around trying to get his Dem colleagues in order. It will be fun to watch.
That has to be the most laughable understatement ever.
Not to mention the other Dem Senators who are up for re-election in two more years. They saw first hand what happened to their fellow dems who voted for the stimulus and Obamacare and know they’ll be next if they don’t extend the Bush tax cuts, kill the inheritance tax and repeal Obamacare!!!
This is going to be fun to watch!
I agree with them. All of the legislation that comes out of the House should be rubber stamped in the Senate.
Good rant! Couldn’t agree more.
Co-operate my azz, fight ‘em tooth and nail. Do not give them one inch in there socialist agenda.
I’ll second that.
The end of politics as shoved up our bum for the past forty years.
Damn straight. They still have untold billions in their 401Ks still to be looted.
Here’s the list - I count about 10 potential Democrat ones being competitive and only about 3-4 for the Republicans (marked below). A lot can change in 2 years, but this bodes well for pick ups.
Democratic incumbent elections
- Dianne Feinstein of California
- Tom Carper of Delaware
- Bill Nelson of Florida - potential pick up
- Daniel Akaka of Hawaii
- Ben Cardin of Maryland
- Debbie Stabenow of Michigan - potential pick up
- Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
- Claire McCaskill of Missouri - potential pick up
- Jon Tester of Montana - potential pick up
- Ben Nelson of Nebraska - potential pick up
- Bob Menendez of New Jersey
- Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico - potential pick up
- Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
- Kent Conrad of North Dakota - potential pick up
- Sherrod Brown of Ohio - potential pick up
- Bob Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania - potential pick up
- Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island
- Jim Webb of Virginia - potential pick up
- Maria Cantwell of Washington
- Joe Manchin of West Virginia
- Herb Kohl of Wisconsin
Independent incumbent elections
- Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
- Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Republican incumbent elections
- Jon Kyl of Arizona - potential pick up
- Richard Lugar of Indiana - potential pick up
- Olympia Snowe of Maine
- Scott Brown of Massachusetts - potential pick up
- Roger Wicker of Mississippi
- John Ensign of Nevada - potential pick up
- Bob Corker of Tennessee
- Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
- Orrin Hatch of Utah
- John Barrasso of Wyoming
Dems can shove their agenda up their “onus”.
FUdims... we will do what is best for the country and that means NEVER working with your sorry evil asses again! FU reid!
LLS
Demand Obama's qualifications for office. If he can't provide them, toss sanfran nan under the bus because she certified him.
End of problemo. All the crap churned out and signed by the executive branch shall be nullified and democrats get a do-over with Biden in charge.
Glad to hear that Arkansas senators have a pair!
FUDEMS!! NUKE the corrupt commie bastards to HELL!! Zip up the purse strings and starve the commie bastards!!
We the People have spoken and we demand action from our House!!
Wrong! The defeated party needs to compromise, not the winner. In two more years the Dems won't have the Senate majority either.
“So, in other words, if they don’t extend the cuts to wealthy americans it is going to take 4 trillion out of the private sector so the government can spend it. Nice! “
Or, put another way, “This is what we were going to do before we lost power. We have no intention of compromising one little bit.”
Harry, you senile old fool, ILLINOIS’ MARK KIRK (R) snagged Zero’s senate seat, but I bet you didn’t hear that, ears not working so well anymore? HUH HUH HUH????
How do you crush him when he owns the machines??
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