Harry Reid threw Obama proposal into the fireplace during fiscal cliff negotiations
There were now less than 36 hours until the deadline. “The clock was ticking and we were not moving.”
They weren’t moving because Democrats had decided that they had gone as far as they could. Reid and Obama had disagreed privately about what their next offer should be. At one point, Reid was unhappy with an idea that Senate aides said came from Obama — to put the change in Social Security benefits back on the table in exchange for a delay in spending cuts and a rise in the debt limit.
Aides said Reid actually tore up the proposal and threw it into the blazing fire in his ornate green marble fireplace. The paper burned. Reid said he didn’t want evidence that the idea had ever been considered.
Administration officials, for their part, deny that Obama ever considered including the Social Security change in the deal.
Blowback
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We have leverage with the debt ceiling. Use it. Make these despicable sh1tbags squirm.
blatantblue on January 3, 2013 at 12:12 PM
God I hate our current political class. With white hot rage I hate all of them.
Gatsu on January 3, 2013 at 12:12 PM
And so, just hearsay…
Logus on January 3, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Reid threw the paper into the fire saying “This paper represents the nation and I love it!”
Bishop on January 3, 2013 at 12:14 PM
Meh, he’d do the same with the Constitution if he could get his hands on it, this is no big deal.
ButterflyDragon on January 3, 2013 at 12:16 PM
Like I mentioned innumerable times at HotGas, dinghy Harry is more partisan than Obama and Pelosi combined. So this doesn’t surprise me. No wonder McConnell pulled in Sheriff Joe.
tommy71 on January 3, 2013 at 12:17 PM
Republicans having leverage means that the dims will increase spending by only a few hundred billion more.
MoreLiberty on January 3, 2013 at 12:20 PM
Make Reid produce a budget. No budget, no change to the debt ceiling.
The Rogue Tomato on January 3, 2013 at 12:38 PM
That is probably what dingy ding dong harry has done with all the bills that have come from the house since 2009? I detest dingy more than I can say!
L
letget on January 3, 2013 at 12:39 PM
however it was boehner’s fault NOTHING was accomplished….
HOLY CRIPE
thank you lsm
cmsinaz on January 3, 2013 at 12:49 PM
funny how we hear about this AFTER the vote…
cmsinaz on January 3, 2013 at 12:50 PM
True
Can.I.be.in.the.middle on January 3, 2013 at 12:50 PM
The most open administration evah! Really drained the swamp, didn’t ya?
Mitoch55 on January 3, 2013 at 12:51 PM
He let it burn.
Brat on January 3, 2013 at 1:05 PM
Speaking of Harry Reid, why is no one talking about James Rosen’s report on O’Reilly last night? When Boehner told Reid to go eff himself (after calling J.B. a “dictator”), Reid said, ‘not my fault I just read speeches, don’t write them.’ This is a big effing deal. He’s essentially saying he’s a puppet who’s not responsible for anything he says on Senate floor. For example, remember when he said he heard from a Bain employee that Romney hadn’t paid his taxes? Apparently he was just reading what someone else wrote for him. Stipulating this is true, I deduce Stephanie “Romney is a felon” Cutter writes a lot of Reid’s speeches. And alas, it must mean Reid isn’t really a cowboy poetry fan. Nope, that was just something someone else wrote for him.
Buy Danish on January 3, 2013 at 1:17 PM
Buy Danish on January 3, 2013 at 1:17 PM
And this is absolutely true – Obama didn’t win, Romney lost to a dishwashing rag. He never fought back and never exposed in what dire need the land is, what a mess, and what the plan is…he let an oaf define him as a killer and criminal and etc…like GWB let the fools blabber…the strategy of the ‘smart’ Mitt was abysmal. I told you then and it is now too late to even dwell on it. It will have huuuuuuuge consequences on the entire world.
The USA deserves Oaf in Chief in full. May they hurt until they scream in pain.
Schadenfreude on January 3, 2013 at 1:46 PM
I don’t understand how this is not a central issue with the Republican’s…every news cast, every interview should start off with “We are begging Senator Reid to produce a budget, it has been several years without a budget, we must have a budget….”
That should be the mantra to the point where journalist roll their eyes…
right2bright on January 3, 2013 at 1:48 PM
Harry looked stupid as he tried to blame his speechwriter, but I think it’s an important aspect to the story, worth mentioning, that Rosen reported Reid’s speechwriter denied right in front of Harry that he wrote what Reid claimed he did.
The truth? Of course Harry was lying and was only trying to pass the buck, just as you’d expect a passive-aggressive coward to do.
Anti-Control on January 3, 2013 at 2:14 PM
“Oh crap, that wasn’t Obama’s proposal. I JUST THREW OUT ELIZABETH WARREN’S PHONE NUMBER!!!”
Chuck Schick on January 3, 2013 at 2:45 PM
All true, but the fact remains Harry “The Snake” Reid claimed he only reads what’s written for him, has no input on the content, ever. Even though we all know that’s (just another) shameless lie, he’s on the record saying it. As I said earlier, big effing deal. We’ve gone from “You Didn’t Build That” to “I didn’t Write That”.
Buy Danish on January 3, 2013 at 2:46 PM