Looks like Harry Reid is getting ready to snatch defeat from the jaws of near-victory.
The Senate Democratic leader indicated Tuesday that lawmakers may not complete health care legislation this year, missing President Barack Obama’s deadline on his signature issue and pushing debate into a congressional election year.
With just eight weeks left, the Senate is running out of time to finish a comprehensive bill to extend coverage to millions of Americans and control rising medical costs. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., emerged from a closed-door meeting of rank-and-file Democrats signaling that delay was likely.
Asked if he could pass health care this year, Reid said: ‘We’re not going to be bound by any timelines. We need to do the best job we can for the American people. We want quality legislation, and we’re going to do that.’
Look, if health care reform doesn’t pass this year, it isn’t going to pass. The entire reason we’re this late on it is because Reid allowed Baucus to dick us around this summer. Harry Reid is a majority leader who acts weaker than a minority leader. He bends at the slightest sign of resistance. He talks big, then retreats.
If he doesn’t get a health care vote this year, Harry Reid should either step down or be removed from his leadership role.
UPDATE: And now, backpedaling. Message control in the Reid office is not a virtue.
“Our goals remain unchanged. We want to get health insurance reform done this year, and we have unprecedented momentum to achieve that,” Reid spokesman Jim Manley emailed. “There is no reason why we can’t have a transparent and thorough debate in the Senate and still send a bill to the President by Christmas.”
A-fucking-men.
Harry hearts taking dives
When did Harry Reid change parties?
Looks like you’re not alone Oliver:
“MoveOn.org is sending out emails today seeking more contributions for its campaign to defeat any Democratic senator who does not fully support Obamacare. Yesterday the left-wing activist group asked members to contribute “to a primary challenge against any Democratic senator who helps Republicans block an up-or-down vote on health care reform.” Today, MoveOn reports that it has received $2 million in pledges in less than 24 hours. “It’s a clear sign of how angry progressives would be at any Democrat who helps filibuster reform,” MoveOn executive director Justin Ruben writes in the new email.
“The larger the war chest we can offer a potential challenger, the stronger the signal we’ll send to conservative Democrats,” Ruben continues. “So we’re setting a huge new goal: $3 million in total pledges by the end of the week. That’s plenty to launch a serious primary challenge.
Trouble in the ranks for R’s as well as D’s it seems. Neither side wants anything to do with the squishy middle.
Not for nothing, but the White House doesn’t appear to support “Obamacare” either.
Statements about not being bound to a time line indicate an arrogance that is very disturbing. Of course they are bound to a time line. Everyone is and in the case of health care reform, though Reid may choose not to be bound, time will still pass and his “best job” for the American people could amount to an excellent bill without the votes to be passed into law.