Senate Dems: Obama Needs To Force Us To Show Leadership
Sam Stein has the latest effort by Senate Dems to pin all the blame on Obama for their failure thus far to pass a reconciliation fix to their health bill:
Despite urging Democratic senators on Wednesday to forge ahead on health care reform, President Obama and his aides have been largely hands-off in guiding the legislative process, Senate aides tell the Huffington Post. And on Thursday a leading Senate progressive called out the White House publicly for abandoning the leadership role that is needed to get legislation passed.
“The president was weighing in pretty heavily on the discussions between the House and Senate before the Massachusetts special [Senate] election,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) told Huffington Post. “It’s dried up since.”…
Brown’s lament was echoed in conversations with several high-ranking Senate aides this past week, many of whom agreed that the administration’s involvement in health care negotiations has declined since Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts Senate race.
Look, it would obviously be valuable if Obama weighed in more forcefully in favor of the Senate passing a reconciliation fix, followed by the House passing the Senate bill. And Senator Brown has shown real leadership throughout this process.
But really, if you cut through all the noise, the basic question is this: Do Senate Dems have the political will to pass a reconciliation fix, or don’t they?
Senate aides themselves are saying that they aren’t sure how procedurally to pass a fix to a bill that has yet to become law. If that’s the main obstacle to moving forward, what does Obama’s failure to weigh in have to do with it? If Senate Dem leaders want to pass a reconciliation fix, maybe they should, you know, solve the procedural issue and pass a reconciliation fix.
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Presidential intervention will be necessary to break this logjam, and again, Obama weighing in would be a big help. But it’s unclear why it should be necessary.
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But Obama is the Supreme Chancellor!!
I read over at Political Animal that the White House has clearly stated what needs to be done and what they support. This is more passing the buck by knee shaking Senate Dems.
So much for Brown replacing Reid as Leader…with Dems like these who needs Republicans.
“enate aides themselves are saying that they aren’t sure how procedurally to pass a fix to a bill that has yet to become law. If that’s the main obstacle to moving forward, what does Obama’s failure to weigh in have to do with it? ”
Absolutely nothing. It’s an excuse and a piss poor one.
Hmmm. You have majorities in both houses and you must be forced by the executive branch to show leadership? That is truly pathetic.
They want leadership? They want to be forced? Get Nancy Pelosi over there to the Senate stat.
Senate dems in desperate need of a spinal transfusion. Isn’t the legislative branch supposed to know how to, you know, legislate? Isn’t one of the reasons that Reid is majority leader his knowledge of senate procedure (it sure isn’t enforcing party unity on PROCEDURAL votes)? I just think that this is the Senate showing that it really isn’t interested in actually passing health care reform. If they aren’t, they should just say so and we can move on. Of course they will pay in November if they don’t.
“I just think that this is the Senate showing that it really isn’t interested in actually passing health care reform.”
We need to be clear on one thing: The Senate would at all times rather do nothing than something that someone can come back and pin on them.
I just think that this is the Senate showing that it really isn’t interested in actually passing health care reform. If they aren’t, they should just say so and we can move on. Of course they will pay in November if they don’t.
Which is why they’re desperately trying to deflect blame onto Obama.
This is what I’ve been saying for weeks! I’m sick of them trying to pin their fear of movement on Obama. They crafted this legislation up to this point. Obama is NO LONGER A SENATOR! Congress is the legislative branch. The President is now the Executive Branch. Congress writes legislation so, write it! The Dems clearly don’t want to be the one’s suggesting reconciliation. The question is why? Republicans used it several times. Do Dems want Obama to suggest it so that when the GOP attacks it, they’ll attack the idea as Obama’s? COWARDS!
I’ve always thought Reid was inadequate but that’s just me.
Obama’s election brought in a wave of new Democrats and handed them overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate.
The House has been very successful in passing Democratic initiatives even though the Democrats hold a slightly lower majority. It seems Reid has been ineffective and corralling Senate Democrats together. He needs to lose the mild mannered civility just for a bit and hit the Republicans hard and get the entire caucus to do the same. Flood the airwaves and expose the Republicans as talking point machines with no interest in a functioning Gonv’t.
Republicans are thrilled at having a Congress that doesn’t function. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy of theirs that govn’t is ineffective.
Besides, this isn’t the British system. We don’t have the leader of the party become the PM. We’ve got majority and minority parties with their own elected leaders.
See example: http://www.democrats.org/a/party/ourleaders.html
The President is the President of the United States. Not the leader of the Democratic party.
Someone needs to tell Reid what his job is.
Tena, I know you love Nancy, but the woman has an uncanny ability to p*ss a lot of people off with what many see as her “cram it down their throats” leadership style.
The truly weird thing is that the Senate dems are already on record voting for HCR. Do they think that repiglicans are going to let the voters forget this? If they have nothing to show for the “tough” HCR vote (after eviscerating many of the most popular parts of the house bill), they can’t campaign on what good things are left in the bill. I just don’t see the logic in not getting it done. The damage to them if HCR is not a winner is already done. There is only upside electorally for dems to pass the bill. Maybe their corporate overlords will be upset, but they don’t get to vote. Meanwhile, I am getting ready to move to a functioning democracy where, you know, A PARTY THAT CONTROLS ALL THE LEGISLATIVE (BY LARGE MAJORITIES) AND EXECUTIVE BRANCHES OF GOVT CAN GET THEIR AGENDA PASSED.
wow, profiles in courage these guys. They want someone to *force* them? really, otherwise they won’t be able to get it done. WTFF?
“Tena, I know you love Nancy, but the woman has an uncanny ability to p*ss a lot of people off with what many see as her “cram it down their throats” leadership style.”
Sbe pisses the right off, alright, cause she’s effective.
I have read beaucoup complaints from liberals that Obama isn’t LBJ. You want to really talk about a “cram it down their throats” leadership style?
It worked for him, too.
We got the Voting Rights Act, didn’t we? JFK and LBJ managed to “cram” civil rights legislation right down the throats of every governor in the south.
It would never have happened otherwise.
I love Sherrod Brown, but this is stupid. Grow a pair, bro! Nancy sure has, and damned straight she pisses people off–she’s working with a bunch of good old boys who haven’t climbed out of the 1950s yet. Let her piss ‘em off–eventually they’ll either sh*t or get off the pot (to mix a metaphor a little).
The congressional Dems’ refusal to make decisions and then act upon them is why they lose elections. You can’t simply have ideas that many voters agree with. You have to also be able to enact them competently.
It does none of them any good at all to come across like the Gang That Can’t Shoot Straight.
Tena, there’s a world of difference between LBJ’s political experience and Obama’s lack thereof. Obama’s strengths seem to be more with charismatic rhetoric. LBJ had powerful political relationships built up over decades. All presidents spend some time in OJT (On the job training). Obama,s lack of experience is extending his OJT period and he is weaker for it.
Just wrote to my senator, Dick Durbin, also majority whip, telling him he needs to step up to the plate and provide some leadership on a reconciliation bill.
actuator – I’ve made the same argument – I am not suggesting that Obama be different than he is and he is world’s away from LBJ.
Nancy Pelosi on the other hand…
I was making a point about moving legislation – either you want to see it moved or you don’t and Nancy Pelosi has been wildly successful in getting the House to pass good reform legislation.
Thank you, cr!
I fact, Pelosi is one of the most successful Speakers in our history and I’d love to see her as our first woman president.
And why did you drag Obama’s experience into this? He was a senator. LBJ was a senator. JFK was a senator.
???
“Tena, I know you love Nancy, but the woman has an uncanny ability to p*ss a lot of people off with what many see as her “cram it down their throats” leadership style.”
I actually think the fact that she’s a woman is much of what pisses people off. I haven’t always been happy with her but overall she’s been an effective leader. Reid is weak, and because of that, I think Obama should be “leading” the Senate. He’s the leader of the party and the country, there’s no reason he can’t show leadership on these issues except that he’s worried if they don’t pass then it looks like he failed, like what happened to President Clinton.
“The truly weird thing is that the Senate dems are already on record voting for HCR”
I know! Do they have a clue how they look dithering around like a bunch of maiden aunts at a strip club? “OOO, I can’t look! I know I have boobies, too, but I never look at them…”
It’s been said before that the definition of a Senator is that they “all think they ought to be President.” Well, here you go. Without ATTENTION they aren’t going to do anything. It strikes me as a serious prima donna problem.
And how else to spin this as political cover?!
cr – 2d that thank you. Lucky you that you have Durbin.
I can only fantasize about having a Democratic senator and to have one like Durbin – wow.
wow
C’mon Tena, having a title does not in itself establish experience. How long was Obama a senator and how much legislation did he enact or take a major role in?
actuator = I’m not starting that stupid argument again – that was argued interminably during the campaign.
“It strikes me as a serious prima donna problem.”
Exactly – they are all fan dancers in reality and those are their giant ostrich feather fans.
Why is my brain running to burlesque today, she asked herself, idly?
“I fact, Pelosi is one of the most successful Speakers in our history and I’d love to see her as our first woman president.
And why did you drag Obama’s experience into this? He was a senator. LBJ was a senator. JFK was a senator.”
Tena, sorry, I hope you aren’t really holding out for Pelosi as president. Will never happen. She’s too polarizing and very liberal. As much as I like her, she would never win half the states that Obama did.
As far as experience, David Gergen made a great point on Colbert the other day, that JFK had a very rough first year and rebounded beautifully in his second, saying his leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis was probably the finest moment of any president in history.
Gergen also said something to the effect that Obama still has enormous potential, and I trust him, having worked with so many presidents in his career. I think we’re starting to see Obama get it together in the last couple weeks. I think he sees the MA senate race as a mandate to move left. Although there’s been stories lately about how he and this congress have been more productive and successful than any in recent decades.
actuator = sorry I mentioned it – my bad entirely.
@Actuator…While I’m sure we probably don’t agree on much I usually respect your posts as very pragmatic..BUT
“Hmmm. You have majorities in both houses and you must be forced by the executive branch to show leadership? That is truly pathetic.”
How very unpragmatic and disingenuous AC. The Dems do not have a WORKING majority in the Senate. The repubs have redefined WORKING majority to mean 60 votes…the Dems have NEVER had 60 votes. As the President pointed out yesterday there have been more cloture votes in the past year than the 50’s and 60’s COMBINED!!!!
Talk of Senate Majorities is just that TALK..unless the Senate amends it’s filibuster rule.
Senators have special privileges that aren’t widely known:
ONE SENATOR can ‘filibuster’ and create headaches that 60 members have to overcome.
ONE SENATOR can also put a ’secret hold’ on things which can muck everything up:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Senate+%22secret+hold%22
“Tena, sorry, I hope you aren’t really holding out for Pelosi as president. Will never happen. She’s too polarizing and very liberal. As much as I like her, she would never win half the states that Obama did”
Never say never.
especially in politics – who woulda thunk up Sarah Palin, and put her that close to the VP’s position?
SD Jeff – Better Yet – who would have thought we’d turn around and elect a black man named Barack Hussein Obama president right after the ‘9-11 Presidency’?????
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/all-aboard-dems-press-republicans-not-to-obstruct-jobs-bill.php?ref=fpblg
Isn’t that just great.
An issue like this would be worthy of sites like FDL and other activist blogs to get behind. Now would be the time to engage your Senators. Make them force Republicans to hold open the chamber. Force them to vote against this bill.
Show some god damn courage Reid.
This is beyond absurd. Last year, right about this time, Harry Reid announced that he doesn’t work for Obama. Now Senate Dems want Obama to order them around?
Jeepers. He gives those two boneheads from Indiana and Arkansas talking points for their upcoming elections, he schools the Republicans, and shames the birthers…can’t the effing Senate Dems DO ONE DAMN THING BY THEMSELVES???
NR – You know, they may be looking into the rules on filibusters, quietly. I doubt the Democrats are going to get rid of it altogether – it’s useful. But if they can find a way to keep it but not let it cripple the entire process like it has, maybe they’ll do it. I wouldn’t be surprised. I also wouldn’t expect a lot of talk about it, either.
But this is pure speculation, which I totally realize.
“CREW Goes After the ‘Secret Hold’.”
http://washingtonindependent.com/69432/crew-goes-after-the-secret-hold
Parliamentary nonsense like the filibuster, and especially the “secret hold”, in the Senate make it a radically different chamber than the House.
Those making comparisons between the two chambers are failing to recognize those differences and also failing to recognize that in the House the Dems have overwhelming majorities that make it easier to find a simple majority to pass legislation.
Also:
Dems only have
5857 of the required 60 Senators required to stop filibusters.mike in Arlington
NO this rocks. I can just see it from now on:
THE GOP FILIBUSTERED THE PRESIDENT’S BILL TO PUT AMERICANS BACK TO WORK: YOU DON’T HAVE A JOB? YOU KNOW WHO TO BLAME.
He also said this, at the same time last year:
How’s that for a ringing statement of leadership???
We’re hosed, aren’t we?
O god please let them filibuster the jobs bill – then let’s see some thunder and lightning and hail and brimstone!
President Obama was counting on Ted to move his agenda through the Senate. President Obama has never recovered from the loss of Ted.
Tena, that’s assuming that people find out that Republicans are filibustering it. Dems aren’t particularly effective at messaging, you know? They’ll leave THAT up to Obama as well, no doubt.
Ct Voter–head:desk. Yeah, the senate dems rather run agaisnt the guy who is giving them everything on a platter than actually legislate and disrupt the ‘camaraderie’ of the Senate. Get to work **********.
I want to see a jobs bill – but just as some saw the state opt out as good politics, because it would force Republicans to either buy in or deny people care, I see a filibuster of the jobs bill as the single biggest shiny present the GOP could hand us.
The GOP is obstructing job growth right before a mid term? O please please make it so.
Tena, Pelosi is getting to be pretty old. The absolute soonest she would possibly run would be 2016 when she’ll be 76 years old!!!
Sorry again to burst your bubble. She’s still one of the most powerful women in the world and third in line to the presidency. Nothing wrong with that!
“President Obama was counting on Ted to move his agenda through the Senate. President Obama has never recovered from the loss of Ted.”
That’s a very astute observation.
I hate it when that happens – something changes that you cannot do anything to ameliorate – and death does that every time.
“Sorry again to burst your bubble”
You forgot how to play, innit?
“Tena”, I would prefer the filibuster be reduced down to 55 but not eliminated.
But for as badly as it’s been abused the last couple of years, the filibuster has clearly become a serious threat to our ability as Citizens to govern our nation effectively.
That keeping our nation ungovernable is apparently the Corporate puppet’s intentions has got me half-wishing that the Republicans had gone through with their threat to “go nuclear” with their “nuclear option” to get rid of the filibuster altogether.
“But for as badly as it’s been abused the last couple of years, the filibuster has clearly become a serious threat to our ability as Citizens to govern our nation effectively.”
I totally agree and I totally agree that that is and has been their goal.
I don’t know if I agree, Liam. Ted was out of the Senate for much of the deliberations last year–
Tena: “Why is my brain running to burlesque today, she asked herself, idly?”
Don’t stop. I was kinda enjoying it.
I suppose if they got rid of the filibuster, something else might come along to take its place eventually.
There’s a need for that kind of mechanism, but there’s a bigger need for a way to keep that mechanism from throwing everything else off. If they can’t manage that, then it’s probably on balance more harmful to keep it than to get rid of it.
It’s causing deadlock.
News…screw 55, simple majority, that’s what’s in the constitution. I’m willing to take the risk for when Republicans control the senate. That’s democracy. We have checks and balances, the president can veto any bill so unless one party controls the presidency and both houses of congress, which does happen quite a bit, as we have now, then nothing too extreme will happen.
I agree that Pelosi gets a lot of mockery from the Republican party because she is a powerful woman.
So, did Reid get anything in return for expediting Brown into the Senate or did he roll over and take one for the team?
Just wondering if this is so Reid can use Browns existence as an excuse now for his incompetence.
You always have to weigh competing factors and I’m beginning to see the balance tipped in favor of getting rid of the filibuster if they can’t reign it in.
It’s hard for me to imagine how they can reign in something that is meant to be an obstruction. I’m so glad I’m not a senate aide.
lol
IMHO changing the filibuster rule is just tinkering around the edges. Campaign finance reform is the only way to impact the broken system. Too many special interests influencing our “leaders” over the voice of the people.
Imagine if there was no filibuster from 2001-2006.
Then ask yourself again if you want it removed.
SD Jeff – I have had this giant obstacle standing between me and the basic wrongness of the filibuster: Robert Bork. But I don’t think one Robert Bork equals all this obstructionism.
I don’t want to get rid of the filibuster. That would be a reward for Republican obstructionism. They’re going to take back the Senate at some point, and no filibuster would allow them to run amok.
Make them actually filibuster. Not just a threat. And when Republicans go all vapory over this breach in Senate protocol, tell them to screw themselves, because they brought it on themselves.
mike from Arlington – that’s what I keep trying to say and I’m not doing as well as you are.
I’m gone for a short while.
peace out
“Make them actually filibuster. Not just a threat. And when Republicans go all vapory over this breach in Senate protocol, tell them to screw themselves, because they brought it on themselves.”
YES! That’s what i keep saying myself – quit caving to threats, goddamn it =make them follow through!
ok, now I am out.
These senate Dems are spineless. Their version of HCR is a piece of ****. They need to take the House bill and pass it through reconciliation. Someone needs to give Reid a pair of steel b—s and a stern firm voice. When has anything unpopular stop the Repubs from passing screwy bills? Unpaid for Medicare part D comes to mind!
Just saw Kit Bond on TV spewing the bald faced, disproven, and antiConstitutional lie that the enderpants bomber was read Miranda rights right after capture and that he stopped giving intel and that Obamas DOJ was endangering the nation.
Andrea Mitchel proved that modern “news” shows are just talk shows for the loudest political voice when she didn’t question the Semator’s statement. I yelled at the TV loud enough to wake my dog and had to turn it off. It just goes to show that given any single hour of MSM coverage there will be an uncontested Republican spouting lies. It is a disgrace.
@Greg
You’re running into the very trap you caught other people in when it comes to Bipartisanship. You continuously said that those who propose working with Republicans should be asked what EXACTLY could Dems offer that would get Republiacns on board. Well, that same mentality works here:
“It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Presidential intervention will be necessary to break this logjam, and again, Obama weighing in would be a big help.”
Those saying that the White House needs to get more involved need to be asked what EXACTLY they think the White House could be doing right now that would actually get HCR passed.
“Imagine if there was no filibuster from 2001-2006.”
That’s a freaky thought, but other than judicial appointments, did the democrats ever really use the filibuster to block legislation? The way I see it, we are a democracy and senators must answer to their constituents. If they vote for bad bills, hopefully they’ll be held accountable. Besides, democrats do not usually vote to obstruct as a bloc, so republicans pretty much do what they want whether there’s a filibuster or not.
Make them actually filibuster
YES.
And this Jobs bill is the one to do it on. Not HCR, not financial reform, not climate change…
THIS ONE IS THE ONE.
Imho
“Those saying that the White House needs to get more involved need to be asked what EXACTLY they think the White House could be doing right now that would actually get HCR passed.”
It’s hard to say, but maybe if he’d truly drawn a line in the sand about the public option, vowing to veto any bill without it, they could’ve resorted to reconciliation to get it in a long time ago(they still should). That puts serious pressure on the senate but unfortunately I think the feeling among senators is that Obama needs this passed more than they do, which is ridiculous because they’re the ones up for re-election this year, not him.
“THIS ONE IS THE ONE.”
I agree 100% Ethan. And could we televise it please.
# CT Voter | February 4th, 2010 at 01:11 pm
I don’t know if I agree, Liam. Ted was out of the Senate for much of the deliberations last year–
……………………….
And that is why things got bogged down. Ted was the Democrats Republican Whisperer. He would have cajoled a a couple of Republicans to join him in moving Health Care reform along. That is what he always did.
His illness and death left us without the one Senator who knew how to seal the deal.
SD Jeff
I believe the situation would be much different now if Obama had drawn that line in the sand. Politico (not necessarily a go to news source) is reporting they’re working on another carve out for the “cadillac” tax, Federal employees, not to include Congress of course. Not the brightest of ideas if it’s true. IRS employees could collect the tax on others plans but wouldn’t have to pay it themselves, dumb move. People don’t like these kind of deals.
OT
Top US commander in Afghanistan upgrades assessment of war from ‘deteriorating’ to ’serious’
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2010/02/us_war_commander_sees_progress_in_afghanistan.php
As I watched part of the Democratic Q&A I wondered if because Obama was only a Senator for four years, they don’t respect him sufficiently?
It is not that. It is because The Lion of the Senate died. He knew when to roar, and when to purr, and he got things done.
With the loss of Ted, we ended up being led, in the Senate, being led by a Mouse with chronic laryngitis.
Obama+Kennedy was going to be LBJ.
“Sam Stein has the latest effort by Senate Dems to pin all the blame on Obama for their failure thus far to pass a reconciliation fix to their health bill…
———————————
I thought the House and senate were a) just getting started on writing the reconciliation bill and b) still trying to figure out if it’s even legal to try and amend a bill that hasn’t been signed into law yet. Is it possible that while I was asleep, someone finished the draft legislation, circulated and got it blessed by all parties, egos and ideologues they need to pass it in both chambers, got a final ruling from their legal/rules experts that it’s OK to go ***-first on this (as seems to be unprecedented from what I can gather) and then the Senate “failed” to pass it? Or do some people perhaps just define “failure” to do something this complicated and time-consuming a lot differently than I do?
And incidentally, I think what some of these people may be hoping for isn’t leadership so much as political cover. It sure as heck isn’t like anyone’s had their backs thus far. On the left, we mainly specialize in bad-mouthing anyone close enough to the center to be electable in most parts of the country, as bought-and-paid-for corporatist whores and sell-outs. I note that some Progressiverer groups have even taken it upon themselves to run ads attacking Blue Dogs in their home states. And while one might think they’d get more love from the political right if those charges were true, that doesn’t seem to be the case either. So I can’t really blame some of them if they’re feeling a little exposed by now.
There are 59 Dem Senators, most of them with considerable experience. Why is it that they don’t start acting like adults and work out their own problems. Are they really so spoiled with a President that settles all their disagreements that they can’t think for themselves?
They are expecting the President to act as the President of the Senate. The President doesn’t have the time for that, he has at least 59 other pressing problems that also need his attention.
I think that President Obama HAS told them what he wants, now he expects them to figure out how to get there. They need to stop whining and work it out, soon! They need to stop wasting time and energy whining and do the job that they were elected to do. I don’t think that they were elected to hang back and wait for the President to solve their problems for them!