Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, seeking to console liberal activists who were disappointed by the final version of the national health care law, assured them that there would eventually be a public option.
“We’re going to have a public option,” Reid said. “It’s just a question of when.”
Reid’s general comments reflected the same overall message to progressives that President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered earlier today. It essentially boils down to: We’ve done a lot of stuff, but we still have a lot of unfinished business, so campaign for us again.
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Harry Reid: “We’re going to have a public option”
Harry Reid abandons climate change legislation… for now
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will bring a limited package of oil spill response and energy measures to the floor next week, delaying action until at least this fall on a broader proposal that would impose greenhouse gas limits on power plants, senior Senate Democratic aides said.
Aides insisted Reid’s decision is a nod to the packed floor schedule the Senate faces before it leaves in two weeks for the August recess, and that he has not abandoned plans to try and bring up a broader climate and energy plan later in the year.
But other legislative priorities and election-year politics might scuttle the wider climate and energy plan altogether.
Reid: GOP filibuster is “anti-American”
Politico, “Harry Reid: Republican party’s filibuster ‘anti-American’”
by Manu Raju
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) accused Republicans of being “anti-American” by demanding changes to a Wall Street regulation bill before it’s debated openly on the Senate floor.
Speaking to reporters just before the Democrats’ third attempt to break a GOP filibuster on the issue, Reid said that Republicans “keep stalling, keep stalling.” He charged Republicans with trying to pick apart the bill before it even comes to the floor where both sides could offer amendments and openly debate the measure.
“Even some Democrats would like to offer amendments on this bill,” Reid said. “All of this talk from Republicans about wanting to do something about this bill before it gets on the floor is really anti-Senate and anti-American.”
Politico article continues here.
Reid casts wrong vote on health care for second time
CNN, “Reid casts wrong vote on health care for second time”
by Ted Barrett
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid mistakenly called out “no” Thursday when asked for his vote on the health care reconciliation bill, setting the chamber howling with laughter.
Reid voted the wrong way when the clerk called for his vote, realized his error and quickly changed his vote to “yes.”
“He did it again,” someone said amid laughter.
Reid, who spent months persuading fellow senators to vote “yes” on President Obama’s top domestic priority, made the same mistake December 24 when voting on the original health care bill.
CNN article continues here.
Harry Reid: GOP should “stop crying” about reconciliation
CBS News, “Harry Reid Says GOP Should “Stop Crying” About Reconciliation”
by Brian Montopoli
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters Tuesday that Republicans “should stop crying” about the possible use of the parliamentary procedure known as budget reconciliation to pass a health care reform bill.
Reid said reconciliation had been used 21 times since 1981, mostly by Republicans when they were in control of the Senate for the passage of items like the Bush tax cuts.
Under reconciliation, Democrats would need a simple majority in the Senate to pass legislation, as opposed to the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster.
“They should stop crying about reconciliation as if it’s never been done before,” Reid said.
CBS News article continues here.
Reid criticizes American Bar Association
ReviewJournal, “AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION: Reid criticizes lawyers group”
by Steve Tetreault
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., criticized the American Bar Association on Thursday, saying it should “get a new life” in how it rates prospective federal judges, after one of his choices got a mixed review.
In remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Reid said the bar association’s ratings board puts too much weight on whether judicial nominees have prior bench experience and overlooks “real world” qualifications.
Reid expanded his criticism to include the Supreme Court, whose makeup, he said, consists of “people who have never seen the outside world.”
“I have asked President (Barack) Obama, ‘Let’s get somebody on the court that has not been a judge.’ They need to do more than thinking of themselves as these people who walk around in these robes in these fancy chambers.”
ReviewJournal article continues here.
Reid axes bipartisan jobs bill
Politico, “Reid’s about-face stuns Dems, W.H.”
by Lisa Lerer and Glenn Thrush
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led colleagues and the White House to believe he supported a bipartisan jobs bill — only to scuttle the plan as soon as it was released Thursday over concerns it could be used to batter Democratic incumbents, according to Senate sources.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) worked for weeks with Reid’s blessing and frequent involvement to craft an $85 billion jobs bill, a measure that seemed destined to break the partisan logjam that has ground the Senate to a halt.
But as Baucus, Grassley and President Barack Obama were preparing to celebrate a rare moment of bipartisan Kumbaya on Thursday, Reid stunned a meeting of Senate Democrats by announcing he was scrapping Baucus-Grassley, replacing it with a much cheaper, more narrowly crafted, $15 billion version.
Harry Reid: We’ll wait on Scott Brown for health care vote
Politico, “Harry Reid: We’ll wait on Scott Brown for health care vote”
by Erika Lovley
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that there is no firm commitment for Democrats to rush a health care bill through Congress this year.
“First of all, we’re not going to rush into anything,” he said. “We’re going to wait until the new senator arrives until we do anything more on health care.”
In a press conference the day after Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown shattered the Democratic supermajority in the Senate, Reid said he’d spoken with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a number of issues, including the fate of the health care bill.
Politico article continues here.
Reid: Senate has time for climate bill
The Hill, “Reid: Senate has time for climate bill”
by Ben Geman
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday said that there is room on the busy Senate calendar to bring up a sweeping energy and climate change bill this spring.
His comments – in a speech before a geothermal energy group in New York – come amid speculation that tackling controversial plans to impose limits on greenhouse gases may fall by the wayside.
“We have a lot on our plate. We have to finish reforming health insurance and Wall Street, and also must help bring Americans out of unemployment. But we are not so busy that we can’t find the time to address comprehensive energy and climate legislation,” Reid said, according to his prepared remarks.
The Hill article continues here.