Reid Readying Bill For Up-Or-Down Vote On Monday

[ProSense]

Reid Readying Bill For Up-Or-Down Vote On Monday

Responding to President Obama's instructions at a White House press conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Friday said he was preparing a bill for an up-or-down vote should talks with Republicans fail this weekend:

“We had a productive meeting at the White House, and I am hopeful that we will be able to avoid the fiscal cliff. At President Obama’s request, I am readying a bill for a vote by Monday that will prevent a tax hike on middle-class families making up to $250,000, and that will include the additional, critical provisions outlined by President Obama. In the next twenty-four hours, I look forward to hearing any good-faith proposals Senator McConnell has for altering this bill.”

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/reid-readying-bill-for-up-down-vote-on

Obama To Congress: Come To A Deal – Or Else
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022088083

[SidDithers]

1. DURec...nt

Sid

[ananda]

2. Excellent.

Get em to commit. Then there's something to attack.

Good.

[spanone]

3. k&r...wonder how many times mitch has called harry since that press release?

[madokie]

4. And that is how you need to deal with these jackasses from this point going forward

[mzmolly]

5. Oh no!!! This is going to thwart Obama's secret plan to kill Social Security!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. From what I can glean the offer is going to be a basic band-aid style one.

Obama said he had asked Reid and McConnell to draw up a Senate bill. But in the event of no deal being struck, he has also instructed Reid to draw up a basic package to be put before the floor for an "up or down vote".

That bill would be based solely on his own remedy to the immediate fiscal crisis facing the US at year end. Nonetheless, Obama expressed a belief that such a bill could pass both the House and Senate.

Obama said the measures would protect "the middle class from an income tax hike, extends the vital lifeline of unemployment insurance to two million Americans looking for a job and lays the ground work for future cooperation on more economic growth a deficit reduction."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/28/obama-senate-leaders-fiscal-cliff

Sounds band-aid like to me. I'm hoping that's what the proposal is, at least. I am not comfortable with creating such an air of impending catastrophic doom before serious negotiations which have an extremely limited time to be made. Unless it's to let the Republicans fade the heat for permitting such catastrophic doom by their failure to compromise. That I could live with.

We all need to keep in mind it (whatever "it" end up being) would still have to pass a House vote. What type of bill Boehner can get his caucus to just vote on, let alone pass, is where the real mystery lies.

[tritsofme]

7. Any single senator could force a 60 vote threshold.

I don't see the connection to an "up or down vote"