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Reid Nixes Baucus' "Tax Cuts For The Rich"Jobs Bill

The Hill:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is rewriting a jobs bill after Democrats complained of too many concessions to Republicans. Reid announced Thursday that he would cut back on the jobs bill Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced only hours earlier, essentially overruling the powerful chairman.

[. . . ] The bill now include four components: tax credits for employers who hire new workers; a provision allowing businesses to write off the cost of capital investments; Build America Bonds, which allow state and local governments to lower their borrowing costs; and a one-year extension of funding for transportation programs in the Surface Transportation Act. Reid said he made the decision to rewrite the bill before meeting with skeptical Democratic colleagues on Thursday afternoon. Democrats complained the bill did not focus enough on job creation.

Thank Gawd someone still has some sense in DC.

Speaking for me only

< Obama Positive About Baucus' "Tax Cuts For The Rich" Jobs Bill | Bill Clinton in Hospital, Doing Okay, Hillary Heads to NY >
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  • Display: Sort:
    There he goes again, (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by observed on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 04:41:56 PM EST
    going against Obama and the Republicans.
    Give em a little hell Harry!

    Glad Harry nixed this, but what the heck? (5.00 / 5) (#3)
    by kempis on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 04:58:35 PM EST
    What on earth is going on? Obama conveys pleasure at the "bipartisan progress" made in the miserable bill that Reid has to kill?

    It's pretty bad when Harry Reid makes Obama look like a 90 pound weakling.

    No, it's about time that the Congressional (5.00 / 3) (#5)
    by Anne on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 07:51:15 PM EST
    Democratic caucus stepped up and exerted their leadership as the independent body they are; there is nothing that says that a Democratic-majority Congress has to act in lock-step with the Democratic president, especially when they actually do not agree with that president.

    I believe the Congress has the power - and the responsibility - to move the president in a better direction, and I'm happy that Reid has taken this step.

    Parent

    Yes, in an 11 dimensional sort of (none / 0) (#6)
    by observed on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 07:55:16 PM EST
    way, it could be good that Obama is looking SOOO pathetic---it may force Congress' hand.

    Parent
    oh, I'm glad, too--don't get me wrong (none / 0) (#9)
    by kempis on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 08:40:52 PM EST
    I'm just expressing amazement that Obama praised the "bipartisanship" of the Baucus bill--which was another weak and awful bill with too many giveaways to the GOP--and it was up to Harry Reid to nix it, a mere few hours after Gibbs relayed his praise.

    This is a pretty extraordinary turn of events, a Senate Majority leader pulling the plug (rightly) on a bill his president had praised (maddeningly) earlier in the day.

    Parent

    I beg to differ. (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by jeffinalabama on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 08:05:16 PM EST
    Harry is doing the correct move. Do you want Republicans to have that power? I don't. Better to lose the senate than have a 50+1 on all legislation.

    Better to lose the White House, even with the generational problems that may entail.

    A part f government that is the cooler is not bad.

    It isn;t the rules, it's the leadership-- from the top, not the top in the senate.

    One step forward two steps... (none / 0) (#2)
    by Alvord on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 04:55:27 PM EST
    ...back.

    Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday dismissed an effort by some Democrats to eliminate the filibuster, saying the chamber's procedures were designed to prevent the majority party from unilaterally changing the rules.

    Minutes before a pair of colleagues formally unveiled their proposal to eliminate filibusters, Reid told reporters he adhered to the long-standing Senate rule that only a two-thirds majority could change the chamber's rules.

    Reid rejected the Harkin and the Udall approaches to either change or get rid of the filibuster.

    Reid is a total creature of the senate and it's traditions without any regard for what those traditions are doing to the ability of the political system to operate.

    Yes - how does Harry think this bill (none / 0) (#4)
    by ruffian on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 06:59:59 PM EST
    is going to get passed? Even the Baucus bill would have been filibustered.

    Parent
    Passing crappy bills to avoid a filibuster is (none / 0) (#8)
    by cal1942 on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 08:21:09 PM EST
    no way to run a government and certainly not good for the nation's future.  If the GOP wants to stop everything then let them do it in public.

    Expose them for what they are.

    Parent

    Harry finally got a pair. (none / 0) (#10)
    by nycdem on Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 09:45:28 PM EST
    It seems that someone gave Harry some neuticals finally.

    yeah a real soopergenius (none / 0) (#11)
    by jedimom on Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 06:43:41 AM EST
    Reid also CUT the Unemployment and COBRA extensions out of the bill

    fabulous/snark

    the bill's too complicated (none / 0) (#12)
    by diogenes on Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 10:43:03 AM EST
    Repeal the employers' contribution to social security; it is regressive, affects even employers who are losing money, and makes it more expensive to hire people. If you want to, make up the money by actually letting Bush tax cuts die for a somewhat greater portion of the middle class than the 250000 and up crowd.