Reid Says Democrats Undecided on Handling of Obama’s Jobs Plan

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Bloomberg

Senate Democratic leaders haven’t resolved whether they will press the chamber to consider all or only portions of President Barack Obama’s $447 billion job- creation plan, Majority Leader Harry Reid said.

Reid said he and his party’s other Senate leaders earlier today discussed the proposal, which is encountering some resistance from rank-and-file Democrats concerned about tax increases included in the plan. Reid gave no hint of when a decision will be reached on how to proceed.

“None of us agree with every part of it,” Reid told reporters at the Capitol.

He also said that he believes Senate Democrats are “very comfortable” with Obama’s proposal overall. “We’ll work this through the caucus,” he said of the jobs legislation.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-20/reid-says-democrats-undecided-on-handling-of-obama-s-jobs-plan.html

[elleng]

1. Swell

[DJ13]

2. Good old Harry, he always has Obama's back

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. He is not a dictator. He can only facilitate what the Democratic Caucus wants to do

[No Elephants]

20. Bingo. Not that I am a fan of Reid's but he gets a lot of blame on DU for his Caucus.

There is a reason why Democratic Senators keep electing him their leader.

[FBaggins]

23. There's a large gap between "dictator" and "facilitator"...

Somewhere in there... Find "leader"

[Freddie Stubbs]

26. He can only lead the caucus to where it actually wants to go

[FBaggins]

27. If he was Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin, that would be true.

But that's not leadership.

He needs to have a great deal more influence on "where it wants to go".

[Nuclear Unicorn]

28. If I'm not mistaken Sen. Reid's position allows him to schedule votes

It's the same thing that allows him to keep Boehner's dispatches from Lake Mindbegone from seeing the light of day.

If he isn't scheduling a vote that may mean they do not have the votes and are delaying to shore-up support with promises of mutual back-scratching. That's embarrassing but not as embarrassing as seeing the bill shot down with Democrat support.

[frazzled]

4. Time to put the pressure on Reid

We tend to put the entire blame for the state of things on the president's shoulders, when it is clear that our own fractured party in Congress is the largest obstacle. And Harry Reid's milquetoast leadership is responsible for a large part of not being able to overcome it. I'm sadly going to have to blame my otherwise wonderful senator Dick Durbin, too. He's the majority whip, and he better start whipping some ass right away.

Off to the email to let him know.

[dennis4868]

10. Of course the largest...

obstacle are the dems in congress! But you would never know it from hanging around here and some other blogs....ALWAYS OBAMA'S FAULT.

[No Elephants]

21. Reid and Durbin are both answerable to a majority in their caucus.

[Joe Bacon]

24. Oh, you mean Dick "Let's Cut Social Security" Durbin?

Sorry, but ever since Durbin got down with the Catfood Commission, he's finished as far as I'm concerned. He's every bit the facilitator Reid is...

[WhiteTara]

31. Put your senators on that email list!

They need to hear from you that you want this passed. Doesn't matter the party or their feelings call them and say do it or thanks for doing it.

[monmouth]

5. The Pres. can't even depend on his own party. How disgusting...n/t

[dennis4868]

12. you're just figuring that out now?

Who do you think killed the public option? Blue Dogs in the senate! Who do you think shrank the original stimulus? Dems in congress? Who do you think won't allow Obama to close Gittmo? Dems in congress.

This all may be foreign to you because here at DU and the PL always blame Obama. :-(

[monmouth]

14. My statement was rhetorical, not a lack of knowledge. Thanks...n/t

[24601]

18. Why doesn't he just fire Reid? Oh that's right, Congress is a

co-equal branch of government and they work for their constituents, not the President.

A better question is why can't President Obama convince the Democrats that his plan is sound?

[gateley]

6. Can you IMAGINE McConnell saying Republicans are Undecided

on ANYTHING a Republican President put forth? He'd be in there telling them how it was going to play out.

Does Reid even try to get people on board? Sincere question, I honestly don't know. Regardless, he could take some lessons from Pelosi, I think.

[OHdem10]

7. Harry never has and probably never will be a Leader. Instead

he whimpers and lets the Senate do as they please.

Remember it is the Senate who are screwing the Middle Class.

[dennis4868]

8. It's Obama's fault

[dennis4868]

9. can you believe this shit?

We are suffering out here around the country, barely able to put food on the table and the dems are undecided if they are going to vote to create jobs...I know, Obama will take the blame as he always does when the dems in congress fail...but this is serious business...we need help NOW!

[Auntie Bush]

11. Reid and those resistant senators are probably millionairs

who don't want to vote to have their own taxes raised. Rather have the poor and middle class pay. They are also in very Rethug districts. With Max Baucus on the committee...we won't be seeing taxes raised.

[harun]

29. Nearly everyone in the Senate is > than a millionaire.

Which is why nearly all good legislation dies there.

[MatthewStLouis]

13. I really can't stand Harry Reid. He's too much of a Caspar Milquetoast.

Every time I see him, I can't help but wish we had someone with a spine heading the democrats in the Senate. Someone more like Nancy Pelosi.

[dhill926]

15. here's an idea.....

support it! Push it through. No wonder we get our asses handed to us.....

[julian09]

16. How many of those DINO have had damage due to hurricain

and other catastrophy hit their state this year?
They are more worried about their own reelection campaign funds than funding disaster relief. Harry can't change votes that are bought and paid for, only the voters in their states can change the Dinos in next election.

[yurbud]

17. I'm not 100% excited about it, but its got enough good stuff that Dems in senate need to get off

Their dead asses and pass it, and for once show that they can sidestep the GOP defense.

[DonCoquixote]

19. Reid and Pelosi

are just as much to blame as Obama for the underwhelming super majority. Pelosi took impeachment "off the table" which meant Bush had a good year to poison the well against any WPA spending a democrat might do. Reid is weak, weak, weak.

[No Elephants]

22. Separate out the vote on increasing taxes for those making over a million a year.

Make Republicans vote on that.

Democrats, too, for that matter.

At the very least, America deserves to know before 2012 which Senators cannot abide the idea of raising taxes on people making a million or more A YEAR.

[Joe Bacon]

25. Can't do that!

Reid always wants to compromise with his pal Mitch the Witch!

[Hotler]

30. +1 n/t