Greg Sargent: Harry Reid, on the Senate floor moments ago, uncorked a blast at Republicans over Planned Parenthood that suggests Dems think they’ve got John Boehner boxed in big time:
“Republicans want to shut down the government because they think there is nothing more important than keeping women from getting cancer screenings? That is indefensible, and everyone should be outraged – women and men. Republican leaders in the House have only a few hours left to look in the mirror, snap out of it and realize how positively shameful that would be.”
“For months, this conversation has been about billions and trillions of dollars. It has been about weighty issues and difficult decisions. This debate used to be about saving money.
“No longer. We have an agreement on the cuts and savings. And that agreement includes a historic level of cuts…
“The consequences of letting our country’s funding expire would be devastating. It would be devastating to our troops, to our small businesses and to Americans’ everyday lives – people who just want to get a home loan or get their tax refund or get their paycheck. It would damage our image and credibility around the world.
“But Republicans are asking me to sacrifice my wife’s health, my daughter’s health and my nine granddaughters’ health. They’re asking me to sacrifice the health of women in Nevada and across America. I won’t do it.
“As a legislator, I’m frustrated. And as an American, I’m appalled. As a husband, a father and a grandfather, I’m personally offended.”
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Here’s another interview with Harry Reid today:
The Obama Diary 
You go Harry!!!! I just called Sen Kyl’s office with similiar facts. It is posted under the update on Kyl if anyone is interested in the conversation I had with his office.
I wish President Obama would make that same statement.
He’s letting congressionnal democrats carry a winning narrative. It is empowering them and it could help them electorally. He personnally doesn’t need to intervene for the moment. He can’t use “the bully pulpit” every day. I think he’s saving it for a final blow to republicans, in case they try some dirty trick.
Remember, President Obama thinks strategically, not tactically. He thinks long-term, not short-term. It has its disavantages, but more often than not, it leads to good results.
You’re likely right. I just think President Obama is the only Dem the MSM pays any mind or attention to. I love the idea of Senators and Reps finally trying to push back and get equal time from Boehner and McConnell, I just don’t think the MSM will give it to them. The Dem party in the eyes of the MSM is President Obama, and with President Obama taking the “above it all’ approach on the advice of Plouffe and Daley, Dems need to get equal MSM coverage for their Senate and House leaders.
But, the point of it all is preCISEly that Majority Leader Reed should be saying this, Saint Roscoe.
You will recall just a few days back when PBO said, in essence, that he really shouldn’t have to be in the position of having to mediate these folks doing the job that we elected them to do. That’s, as you well know, how come the House and Senate have leaders and the Congress makes the law.
What’s impressive is that he IS saying it.
With the presentation of a mannered gentleman.
And, the impact of the Warner Brother’s ANVIL on the head of the Republicans.
And, a concise presentation of the strategic approach of it all from Lovepolitics 2008.
I wanted to give Harry a big hug for this comment. Spot on. Just awesome….
“As a legislator, I’m frustrated. And as an American, I’m appalled. As a husband, a father and a grandfather, I’m personally offended.”
Thank you Harry. More Democratic voices from the Senate and the House need to be raised and saying the same thing. President Obama should not have to take sides. Fuck You Republicans (sorry to all the lovely people here….you deserve better!)
Sue, did you see the video ladyhawke linked earlier today on TOD of a group of women senators speaking up today? It is riveting!
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/WomenSena
I did, and I could not be more proud. 2016 should usher in the America’s First Female President.
Even though I am of limited financial resources, I am off to donate to some “Fierce” Women Senators funds.
I especially appreciate how they refused to let the MSM go off topic. Our MSM is disgraceful and fueling so much of America’s confusion…..not all, but they are a huge influence, and an insidious one at that.
And thank you to the source for that link: this should go viral.
Thanks M for the CSPAN video link. I barely watch CSPAN anymore because they are not covering the White House or the Press secretary Jay as much.
Now they have done it – they have ticked Harry off!
Unfortunately (I will probably take some heat on this) I have to partially blame Dems for this.
They have caved on many other things and it’s only because of that the Repukes are playing chicken with them on this expecting them to cave yet again. Dems probably could have prevented this by not caving on a lot of other things that would not have shut down Gov’t. Most of that caving was because of Blue Dogs and other more conservative Dems many of whom are now gone.
I suspect, unfortunately, that Dems will cave on this as well and Repukes will have chipped away even more into their overall agenda.
I don’t blame Obama for any of this btw. As President he is doing exactly what he is supposed to do which is to try bring everyone together to reach an agreement. He cannot chose where the center is and therefore how far left or right the agreement falls. The voters chose that center in 2010.
I don’t think they’ll cave. You have to draw a line somewhere. Obama won’t let Reid cave because this undermines Obama ACA.
I hate the word cave…compromise is the corner stone of our legislative system. Why label it caving….why not instead highlight the Republicans obstinance, belligerence and political sheenanigans.
Democrats would have to play the same games as Republicans…I’m not for that. I believe we let the Republicans own there own
deceitful conduct and political manipulations.
Nobody is arguing that Repukes are taking a much lower deceitful despicable path in all this. Least of all me!
What I am saying is that, by letting them get away with it over and over again the Dems have enabled/empowered them to continue doing it. Only this time the stakes are higher.
So I am not suggesting Dems lower themselves to that level. I am saying Dems have already compromised far too much on this and many other things. Unfortunately, I think they will be the first to blink on this yet again and Repukes know it.
I understand your point.
Democrats need too stand their ground, they have compromised and bargained in good faith. From here on in Republicans need to answer for their self-serving and irresponsible conduct. I don’t want the Government to shut down, but IMO the Democrats are right to draw their line in the sand.
Theo’s comment below is spot on and perfectly articulated….the Republicans are sick bastards, and I mean that literally.
I can’t call it “caving” when one side cares about people and the potential harmful impacts that might befall them, and the other side is pathological about their disregard for human beings and their livelihoods. It’s like negotiating with a psychopath who’s holding children hostage. He doesn’t care about the well-being of those kids, and may not even have a real reason for doing what he’s doing – but he’s willing to lose it all to win his crazed battle. The only option for the sane ones in this group is to inflict as little damage as possible, while trying to negotiate for the safety of the innocent.
I blame Democrats for not passing last year’s budget last year, and for not giving the President cover on so many issues. But I certainly don’t afford a single ounce of blame to Democrats for the psychopaths that they’re dealing with on the right. I don’t blame them for that at all. I blame voters who let these psychopaths in and put us all in harm’s way.
Well put Theo!!! And good for Harry!!!
I wonder where Anthony Weiner and the other camera hogging lot where last year when they should have passed a budget!!!
They won’t do their jobs, then turn around and somehow blame President Obama when he works overtime to clean up the mess they make when they slack!!! I am so sick of it all!!!
Weiner has been and continues to be fundraising for his 2013 NY Mayoral campaign. Most of his theatrics were never about helping out Democrats and Obama which has been most obvious as of late in his criticism of both. It was about helping out his own agenda.
Wow! Rarely do you see Harry Reid so fired up. More of this please. I think the Republicans will be on the wrong side of history here. And I may have to send Planned Parenthood some money.
I hope Democrats see that when they come out in force – the many hundreds of them – then it’s much easier to get a message out, than when they hide behind the President’s knees, whining for him to “lead”. They’re all supposed to be leaders – this is what it looks like when they take that responsibility seriously. Imagine what we could have accomplished if they’d been doing this all along, and the President could have been focused on defining and executing the strategic agenda. They’re going to need to learn this lesson so they can fight the debt ceiling and 2011 budget fights coming up just around the corner.
President Obama’s hands off approach is community organizing the Dems in Congress…
That’s right Theo. That’s why Harry Reid’s title is Senate Majority LEADER…he’s supposed to LEAD on issues pertaining to congress. And this is one such issue.
M,
Thanks fornthe link. The female senators and reps. made me so proud! They were fierce. Called the extreme right-wing members out in no uncertain terms. It is so sad that we still have people in power who are willing to hold and entire nation hostage to push forward their backward ideas that the majority of us have long left behind. What kind of country are we becoming? May cooler, reasonable heads prevail.
Pray for our leaders and our country.
I see that Harry Reid has taken to a similar verbal strategy our President uses to make a point…talking in threes
E.g., 1. “As a legislator, I’m frustrated.
2. “And as an American, I’m appalled.”.
3. “As a husband, a father and a grandfather, I’m personally offended.”
I say give ’em hell, Harry!!!
Couldn’t be prouder of the male and female senators and representatives Democrats. They have drawn a line in the sand and I hope that they will not cross it. They are showing their backbone, which they will need when they deal with the 2012 budget. I am hoping that they call for a clean budget; riders need not be included.
In my opinion, the Republicans are using and will continue to use every opportunity to infuse their social agenda. This needs to be nipped in the bud before the debates start.
Clean budget. Clean bills. Deal with riders at another time.
A rally you will not see on msm the War on Women from the Republicans in Congress.
Stand Up for Women’s Health Rally – C-SPAN Video Library
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Upfor
Move over PBO I think I’m now in love with Harry Reid! I am joking, but my respect and admiration for Senator Reid has certainly jumped up many notches today! Stand strong Senator.
From his statements we know he truly cares about women….how wonderful! Do these other men not care about the women in their lives? Do they not see that treating “women in general” this way speaks for how they treat their own family members? I think we saw today why Harry Reid is the leader of the Democrats. He’s not bombastic, particularly eloquent nor charismatic, but he has deep core principles and works from those. When he put this whole thing on the grounds of women’s health, the other side looked pretty bad! What is with the Republican women working against women!!!