Pelosi’s “scorched earth” strategy for republican cowards.
From CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Senate and House Democratic leaders had what two sources describe as an extremely heated meeting Thursday night about the spending bill.
Once Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid figured out he did not have the votes to pass it, he and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin went to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office to propose passing a five day resolution to keep the government running, and come back to the $410 billion spending bill next week.
The two Democratic sources say Pelosi reacted with “anger,” arguing that Democrats should instead adopt a “scorched earth” strategy and simply fund the government at last year’s levels through the end of the year. Her point, according to the sources, was that even though Republicans have been slamming the bill as wasteful spending, many of them really have an interest in seeing it passed. This would call their bluff.
Never a big fan of Nancy Pelosi, but THIS is the kind of aggressiveness I can appreciate. The Republicans feel they now have a “brand” in opposing everything the democrats put on the table. Easy brand, I say. It allows them to cowardly stand aside, even on bills that pass through without them, and reap the financial benefits for their states when all is behind them. If something gets passed that does some public good, they can claim they took the money and helped in that cause.
If it goes down in flames, they bear no responsibility. In my opinion, this is the kind of politics we need to leave behind as 2009 starts. I’m happy Pelosi sees the benefit in rolling up her sleeves and showing her fists. I just hope she’s willing to give that punch when the time comes. I don’t expect anything from Harry Reid. This man’s a former boxer apparently, but you’d never know it from his performance as the Senate majority leader. How many times has this fool come to Pelosi with the same news that he hasn’t got the votes? If Tom Delay, that scum, could muster enough republican votes to push through the conservative agenda for several years, this idiot should be able to do the same with the majority he now holds.
If he can’t, he needs to step down. We have no use for him.
