Democrat Senators Grumbling Today in Washington D. C. - Jan 8, 2008

As expected and detailed yesterday, "senility reigns" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided that an omnibus public lands bill that Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has objected to for spending and other reasons is apparently the first priority this year. So Reid has scheduled a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the bill at 2 PM on Sunday. Reid has also said that after the lands bill is completed, he wants the Senate to take up a retread from last year, the Lilly Ledbetter bill, which is designed to eliminate statutes of limitations on suing employers over discrimination.

Meanwhile, the Senate Democrats’ week of chaos continues today as the news is filled with stories of Democrat senators grumbling about President-elect Obama’s proposed economic stimulus bill including tax cuts. The headlines tell the tale. Politico's The Huddle this morning, is titled “Democrats vs. themselves” and presents a sampler of headlines: "Politico: ‘Dems quarrel over stimulus plan’; AP: ‘Democrats criticize Obama’s proposed tax cuts’; N.Y. Times: ‘Senate allies fault Obama on stimulus’; The Hill: ‘Dems and Obama split on taxes’; Dow Jones: ‘Senate Finance Panel Democrats Scornful of Obama Tax Cut plan.’” There is a Reuters story headlined “U.S. Democrats skeptical on stimulus tax breaks.”

The criticism wasn’t just coming from rank-and-file members. Most of those questioning the tax cuts are Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s committee chairmen. Among the complaints was that of who told The New York Times reports: a) Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) said, “I am a little concerned by the way that Mr. Summers and others are going at this in that, to me, it still looks like a little more of this trickle-down, if we just put it in at the top, it’s going to trickle down.” and b) “[Foreign Relations Committee chair] Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA), and others also criticized a proposal to give businesses a $3,000 tax credit for each new employee they hire, saying it was unlikely to influence business decisions.” The AP identies that “Democrats such as Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad complained openly that many of the incoming administration’s proposed tax cuts wouldn’t work.” And The Hill reports, “[Armed Services Committee chair] Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said he was dissatisfied with the plan’s tax cuts and lack of initiatives for the manufacturing sector.”

Golly Gee, it appears that the Democrat leadership is more concerned over the prospect of giving money back to the taxpayers than about proposals for more government largess that would balloon the already $1.2 trillion deficit. Also interesting was Read telling The Hill newspaper "I don't believe in the executive power trumping everything... if Obama steps over the bounds, I will tell him... I do not work for Barrack Obama. I work with him." Do you really believe that Harry Reid will "butt heads" with Barrack Obama? [double entendre intended]

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