Reid blocks attempt by McConnell to vote on president's jobs bill

[pintobean]

By Josiah Ryan - 10/04/11 03:16 PM ET

In a lively spat on the Senate floor Tuesday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) attempted call up President Obama’s jobs plan for an immediate vote in the upper chamber.

However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who supports the legislation, blocked the vote.

Reid used a procedural maneuver called "filling the tree," which allows the majority leader to say a piece of legislation has had all of its possibilities for amendments.

McConnell had tried to offer the president's job package as an amendment to the China currency legislation, which was being debated in chamber. By "filing the tree," Reid blocked that move.

More:
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/185455-reid-blocks-mcconnells-call-for-an-immediate-vote-on-obamas-jobs-plan

[Broderick]

1. I thought Republicans were blocking in the Senate?

[patrice]

3. Obviously, the objective is to maintain control over your own legislation.

[pintobean]

10. Reid wouldn't bring it up

because he didn't have the votes. The Republicans didn't need to block it.

[WCGreen]

2. Does it get anymore childish than this....

[Imajika]

4. Well, it looks kind of pathetic...

It's pretty hard to accuse McConnell of blocking the Jobs Bill when he is offering to vote on the entire bill as is right now.

The problem, again, is a handful of "moderate" and conservadems.

[pintobean]

5. The problem is

the whole fucking lot of them - Dem, Rep, and Obama. They all need to quit playing politics with our futures. This shouldn't be a campaign issue, it should have already been done. They need to get their asses together and work something out. Americans need to go to work ASAP.

[spanone]

6. slimy fuck - piss on the people? mitchie would in a heartbeat.

[pintobean]

7. That should be plural.

[spanone]

12. i'll take mcconnell as the slimier fuck

'The GOP leader, before he brought up the legislation, made it clear he was doing it to embarrass Democrats'

[pintobean]

13. We don't need his help on this one.

We've got it covered.

[kelly1mm]

8. McConell knows that Reid does not have the votes now. To push back

against the President's blasting the R's for not voting on his jobs bill, McConell called his bluff.

Politics as usual.

[groundloop]

9. EVERYONE - READ THE ARTICLE !

McConnell is playing games with the jobs bill, while claiming he wants to give it a vote. According to the article, he offered it as an amendmant to the China Currency legislation, which is totally unrelated.

[pintobean]

11. Yes, by all means, read it

This thing is a political football and Obama is the quarterback.

[Greywing]

14. Exactly ...

Before you blast Reid take a good look at what the McConnell was actually trying to do!

[patrice]

15. Thank you. We have a habit here of pretending that Congress is simpler than it is.