Harry Reid's Compromise with Ability

Sen. Reid: “The only compromise that there is, is mine.”

– (Via RealClearPolitics.)

Apparently, Senator Reid has been re-reading the Brezhnev Doctrine. What belongs to Senator Reid belongs to Senator Reid. That which other people are allowed to own is negotiable. Reid is essentially threatening to kill the Boehner Bill over a few billion dollars of cuts and the requirement that the debt ceiling be raised again in 2012. As Ace of Spades bloggers would put it; but mostly over the requirement that the debt ceiling be raised in 2012.

Senator Reid announces quite grandly:

Sen. Reid: “We have said for weeks now we will not accept a short-term increase to the debt. Just can’t do that.”

(HT: Huffpo Insider)

This, of course, is buffoonery for two reasons. The nation did quite well for years with nearly bi-annual debt ceiling increases. Between 1981 and 2009, the debt ceiling has been raised a total of 38 times. Eighteen of them occurred under Ronald Reagan. The amounts of the hikes were substantially smaller each time as well.

Presidents of each party were allowed to issue more debt, but in every case, they got smaller increases and shorter terms over which to acquire the debt. The process was under far greater control. House Speaker Boehner’s two-part proposal reintroduces some of this badly-needed spending control.

Congressional budgeting provided another important component of all previous administration’s debt ceiling hikes. Under all previous administrations from, 1980 to 2009, Congress performed its duties and passed budgets to plan their appropriations. Senator Reid has gone 800 days without successfully submitting a passed US Senate Budget for reconciliation with the House. This makes his insistence on a clean debt ceiling raise for the next two years laughable.

If the US Senate were not capable of ruining people’s lives if they didn’t get their credit extension, people would respect them and Senator Reid about as much as they respect the junkie begging for spare change to score one more hit. But don’t worry, we’ll convene America’s 31st separate deficit commission and we’ll all get clean tomorrow. The always amusing Sen. Schumer chimes in.

Schumer: “The Boehner plan says we won’t default on you now but we will in January, it is absurd.”

(Huffpo Insider)

Of course Speaker Boehner’s plan says no such thing. Nothing says “my bonds should be rated no better than municipal bonds from Newark, NJ” quite like the failure to pass a budget for 800 days. Senator Schumer wouldn’t know honesty if it bit off his nose and served it to him on a biscuit.

I find it impossible to believe that people will continue to consider Senator Reid a legitimate statesman and leader. In fact, he is neither. He is poison. He is poison to the customs and traditions of the US Senate. He has been toxic to President Obama when he could have kept his fellow partisan out of a lot of unnecessary trouble the last three weeks. Most of all, he is poisonous to the future of America. Senator Reid doesn’t offer America compromise. He brings destructive mediocrity instead.