Reid blamed everything that ails Washington and the nation on Republicans. He slammed the GOP for its refusal to go along with tax increases as part of this month's debt-ceiling deal, saying hard-core fiscal conservatives are making it impossible to strike a long-term deal that slows the growth of the national debt.
"(Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell has done a good job bringing the country to a standstill," Reid said.
The reason Republicans have drawn such a deep line in the sand on tax increases, of course, is the Tea Party movement. The populist uprising that was born from Washington's bailouts achieved critical mass after Democrats decided to start spending like no government before. The stimulus. The ObamaCare overreach. Budget deficits that made President George W. Bush look like a piker.
Democrats were tossed from office in record numbers last November. That groundswell is shaping the 2012 campaign.
"The Tea Party was the result of a terrible economy," he said. "I've said that many times, and I believe that."
"That (the Tea Party) will pass. They will lose a number of seats next year."
Reid has amassed his considerable power by never underestimating his adversaries. And he has been known to throw out strategic fibs to create misdirection.
However, Reid left the indelible impression Friday that as long as he's leading the Senate Democrats, the Tea Party agenda is dead on arrival in his chamber. In exchange for a modicum of reduced growth in federal spending, Reid said someone will have to pay more. There will be reductions and entitlement reforms without tax increases. He singled out the rich and oil companies as especially deserving of punishment.
However, town-hall meetings aren’t necessarily an accurate gauge of the country’s mood. In the House, where members are often elected in districts drawn to protect their electoral chances, a town-hall meeting may be little more than a partisan chorus. But it’s enough for some members of Congress, who think what they hear actually represents the overall views of their constituents.
That perception will only worsen the problems in Congress, which has been plagued by gridlock. There are too few moderates in Congress, much less people who will consider a compromise, and that’s especially notable among Republicans. Driven by the Tea Party, Republicans refused to compromise in the debate over raising the debt ceiling. They unnecessarily linked the debt ceiling to massive budget cuts and pushed the nation toward the brink of default.
It’s frightening to consider that type of thing may continue when they return from the break. They will land in Washington to pick up the debate over how to deal with the nation’s debt. Last week, congressional leaders named members to the 12-member committee that will make recommendations on debt reduction. They will face a daunting task given that all six Republicans have signed a no-new-taxes pledge, which has become an article of faith in the GOP.
That promises even more gridlock, and that’s not what people want. They want to see progress in Congress. Polls have shown that people want the nation to cut its debt, and they strongly support some mix of spending cuts and revenue increases — including a repeal of lucrative tax breaks to the rich that the Republicans have clung to.
The president has been clear in calling for cuts, entitlement reforms and revenue increases. He has reached out to Republicans only to be rebuffed time and again. Compromise has become a dirty word in Washington.
While they’ve been fighting in Washington, and the Republicans have blocked progress with their all-or-nothing ideology, the economy has continued to struggle. People are still hurting and they want help. They aren’t as concerned with ideological purity, as the Tea Party is, than they are about getting the economy going again.
The economy should not be held hostage by needless partisanship, and it will take great leadership to break the stalemate. Lawmakers will have to ignore the extremists and put aside their partisan differences and work for the good of everyone.
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