Since Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) rocked the political landscape, President Obama, Leader Reid and the media elite have sounded a trumpet for bipartisanship. Its funny how losing a filibuster-proof majority can reorient your perspective.
At the same time, the clarion call from the American people was that jobsnot health care takeovers, cap-and-trade energy taxes or financial regulationsshould be Washingtons main focus. Leader Reid had a chance to embrace the bipartisanship he claimed to desire and advance his jobs bill. However, he realized that bipartisanship means compromise. It means accepting things you may not want. And he decided hed rather advance a stripped down, ineffective bill than swallow a bipartisan proposal.
Senators Baucus (D-Mont.) and Grassley (R-Iowa) thought they had Reids blessing as they put forth a bipartisan effort to stimulate employment and cut taxes. But Reid killed the bill in less than a day. Reports of objections from Reids left flank were too much for the Leader.
Today, Reid will get a cloture vote on his own stripped down jobs bill. Its still unclear if the measure will pass. But if the weak and ineffective measures in Reids bill die on a party-line vote, he will have no one to blame but himself.
So much for the majoritys commitment to bipartisanship.