Reid Says the Ball Is in GOP’s Court
Fresh from his victory in Nevada and operating on little sleep, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made it clear on a conference call this afternoon that
Jul 31, 202058K Shares1.3M Views
Fresh from his victory in Nevada and operating on little sleep, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made it clear on a conference call this afternoon that Democrats are willing to compromise with their Republican colleagues — and expect the same attitude from the GOP.
“Republicans must take responsibility to solve the problems of ordinary Americans,” he said. “No is not the answer. It has to be yes — not our yes, but a combined yes, a consensus yes.”
“The ball is in their court,” he continued. “We have made the message very clear that we’re willing to work with Republicans.”
And if they refuse?
“The American people can see that like a very, very slow curveball — and they will feel like that’s what they’ve been dealt if Republicans are unwilling to work with us,” he said.
The first practical issue area in which you’ll most likely see this playing out is the tax code, where decisions need to be made before the expiration of the Bush tax cuts at the end of the year. On the call, Reid insisted that the most important thing Democrats are focused on is avoiding a tax hike on the middle class. He also called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) proposal to extend the tax cuts for all income brackets indefinitely and take on an additional $4 billion in debt a nonstarter.
So what’s the next move? Everyone’s playing his hand close to the chest at present, but the ball, apparently, is back in the GOP’s court.
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
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