Harry Reid, We're "Real Close" To Just Throwing In The Towel. McConnell: Maybe Joe Biden Can Help UPDATE: Senate GOP Cave On Chained CPI

Why would anyone think Reid and Obama want a deal? They are on the verge of total victory.

The GOP's only messaging argument is, the Democrats are meanies.

Mitch McConnell has a brillialnt idea! Call Joe Bidden for help.

McConnell came to the Senate floor and announced he’d reached out directly to the White House for help shortly after Democratic aides said negotiations between McConnell (R-Ky.) and Reid (D-Nev.) had suffered a “major setback.”

Reid said he was stepping back from the talks to allow McConnell and Biden to work.

In his floor remarks, McConnell said he had delivered his latest offer to Democrats shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday but had not yet received a response. Now, he said, he was appealing directly to Biden.

This is just sad. Remember the Reid-McConnell talks were the result of the Friday session at the White House. Last I checked, Biden is part of the administration, if Obama wanted to be involved he wouldn't have dumped it on Reid and McConnell.

If Reid can't work out a deal with McConnell (again, why would he?), he simply brings Obama's $250K and up hike and the Unemployment Insurance extension up for a vote in the Senate. Then McConnell can filibuster it (or try to, enough GOP Sens might break to pass it) or let it go through on a simple majority vote.

Boehner being the genius he is has already promised to bring up anything the Senate sends over. So the Obama/Reid plan will pass with a majority of Democrats and enough Republicans.

Dems will win the policy fight and the GOP will be shattered politically .

Or....nothing passes and all this happens anyway on Wednesday and everyone can say they are "cutting taxes for 98% of Americans" by returning them to the level they were the day before and for the last 12 years. Yay!

The GOP bet last year Obama would lose reelection. Everything since he won has been about how the GOP wants to get its ass handed to it.

They should have never set up this cliff. The tea party demand of tying a debt hike to spending cuts set this in motion. That was iditotic considering the cuts are going to be mostly from defense and leave entitlements untouched. The mainline GOP accepted the two-year extension on the Bush cuts (it should have either been 1 year or 4 years. 2 years was the worst possible time frame).

As much blame as there is for the GOP the real villains here are the voters. Reelecting Barack Obama was an act of national suicide. There's simply nothing to be done about it now.

UPDATE: After the Reid/McConnell talks broke down both parties held caucus meetings. The GOP's just broke up and they immediately announced they won't seek to save any money from reducing Social Security cost of living adjustments (the chained CPI).

Of course.

And just like that GOP sens emerge from their meeting saying chained CPI is off the table, "a losing hand," McCain says.

Again, why would Reid/Obama cut a deal when they are getting everything they want?

posted by DrewM. at 03:01 PM

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