Monday, December 31, 2012

What has Harry Reid done? By Rick Manning - NetRightDaily

What has Harry Reid done?

As originally published at TheHill.com.



By Rick Manning

Nothing is more infuriating than hearing a politician who has failed to act in six months on a single piece of legislation to end a crisis complaining about someone who has strenuously worked to produce a solution to the problem.

Harry Reid, also known as the Duke of
 Do-Nothing, is just such a whiny specimen.

The Senate majority leader’s pronouncement that there is not time for Congress to act to avoid the “fiscal cliff” is both arrogant and absurd.

His finger-pointing at the Republicans is even more infuriating.

Memo to Harry: the House of Representatives passed legislation to prevent going over the cliff — it simply extends the Bush tax cuts. The House also passed legislation replacing the sequestration cuts that were part of Harry’s only accomplishment of the past two years, with alternative cuts.
Reid has failed to act on either bill.

In fairness, while Reid hasn’t bothered to produce a budget for more than three years out of fear of creating a political issue that might depose him from his Lordship over DumDumville, his Senate did pass legislation this summer that dramatically raised taxes on everyone making more than $250,000 a year.

Of course now, Reid is refusing to compromise off that position, which coincidentally isn’t far removed from Speaker John Boehner’s “Plan B” solution — a plan Reid summarily dismissed.

By refusing to reach a compromise with House Republicans, Reid is playing a dangerous game aiming for complete victory through the political neutering of his foes. His plan depends upon a complicit media to blame the Republicans, while not mentioning the ramifications of his rejection of the white-flag-waving Boehner’s Plan B offer.

When we go over the fiscal cliff, it will not be because House Republicans failed to pass legislation that prevented it. It will be because Harry Reid chose to pursue a course that guaranteed that outcome.

The truth is that Democrats want higher taxes, not just on the wealthy, but on the rest of us who are not yet part of the dependency state they have built. The fiscal cliff just gives them the ideal opportunity to impose them, while blaming the Republicans.

The truth is that the Democrats want defense cuts imposed, and they love to see the House Republicans getting the blame.

The truth is that every American who pays taxes is likely to see their paychecks shrink next year because Reid would rather play politics in the expectation that he can affix the blame to his political foes.

That’s the sad situation in Washington, D.C., where politics trumps everything else. And if you think this “fight” has been tough, wait until you see what happens with the upcoming debt ceiling and Continuing Resolution wars.

Those who are faint of heart need to turn away, because you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Rick Manning (@rmanning957) is the director of communications of Americans for Limited Government.
 
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Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2012/12/what-has-harry-reid-done/#ixzz2Ga61yCXM

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