Senate Republicans Are Furious At Reid – For Being A Successful Partisan

You see, in the world of the Republican Party (and far too many Beltway courteir “journalists”), partisanship is business as usual when the GOP does it, but an unmitigated crime when Democrats wield it successfully. The New York Times‘ Jonathan Weisman reports that Senate Republicans are very, very miffed at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

With his strong-armed change to the filibuster rule and an iron-fisted control of the Senate floor, Senator Harry Reid has engaged in the greatest consolidation of congressional power since Newt Gingrich ruled the House, unleashing a bitterness that may derail efforts to extend unemployment insurance.

Mr. Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, on Thursday dismissed all proposed Republican amendments to the unemployment extension, even those drafted by Republicans who had handed Democrats a victory on Tuesday by voting to take up the bill.

“We get nowhere with dueling amendments,” Mr. Reid declared.

A Republican effort to try to reopen the amendment process failed on a party-line vote, 42 to 54, setting up a showdown next week that is likely to end in the bill’s demise, Democrats conceded.

To Democrats, it was a typical Reid show of force in the face of unfair Republican amendments. To Republicans, it was only the latest — and one of the boldest — slaps in the face.

“I’m just kind of fed up,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a moderate Republican who has increasingly become a key vote for Democratic legislation. “He’s a leader. Why is he not leading this Senate? Why is he choosing to ignore the fact that he has a minority party that he needs to work with, that actually has some decent ideas? Why is he bringing down the institution of the Senate?”

Let’s run Murkowski’s whine through the Liberaland Beltwayspeak Translation Algorithm and see what comes out:

“I’m angry. He’s a leader. Why is he not caving into our every demand? Why is he choosing to listen to the majority of Americans and rein in a minority party that has actively sabotaged his leadership, that has ideas that are decent if you’re a one percenter? Why is he bringing down institutional obstruction in the Senate by being successfully partisan?”

Now that makes complete sense!

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.