Harry Reid says he will be "conciliatory"
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) speaks at a news conference discussing the election results on Capitol Hill on November 7, 2012 in Washington, DC. / Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
After a successful Election Night maintaining - and increasing - his Democratic majority in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid held a morning-after news conference to pronounce his willingness to compromise with his Republican colleagues, and he insisted on the need to reach a deal on the "fiscal cliff."
"I'm not kicking the can down the road," Reid said about the pending tax increases and budget cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" that Congress and President Obama must address in the coming weeks or risk economic challenges.
"Of course" a deal is possible with the House and Mr. Obama, Reid said, adding that he had a "pleasant" conversation with House Speaker John Boehner this morning and a "nice conversation" with President Obama last night about moving forward on fiscal cliff negotiations.
House Speaker John Boehner indicated earlier this week that a comprehensive deal during the lame duck session of Congress is not likely, but that a temporary "bridge" to avert the dramatic jolt to the economy.
Congress is returning to Washington next week to work on unfinished business, including the "fiscal cliff."
As the debt ceiling is expected to be reached around the New Year as well, Reid said Republican's won't succeed at threatening to shut down the government to lift the debt ceiling. "They tried it before," Reid said, referring to Republicans who refused to lift the debt ceiling without large spending cuts in 2011. "If it has to be raised, we'll raise it."
Maintaining the status quo government - a Republican House and a Democratic Senate and White House - Reid said he is "going to do everything in my power to be as conciliatory as possible." But he cautioned that he won't be "pushed" around.
He placed some responsibility with his Republican colleagues, inferring that they have been closed to compromise. "Compromise is not a dirty word," he said.
"It's better to dance than to fight," he added. "It's better to work together."
Reid said the election proved that Americans want a "balanced" approach of tax increases and spending cuts to deal the deficit. Exit polls show that 60 percent of voters want the wealthy to pay more in taxes.
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cjasko
EGAD another "Bush Blamer" This train wreck is Obama's and those who voted him back in entirely. It will get interesting when he runs out of other peoples money to spend.
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Say what you want about Obama, but Bush is the worst president in U.S. history.
More than 240 Republican filibusters is obstruction.
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Harry Reid said the same thing in his 60 minutes interview when he tried to compare his difficulties with what LBJ achieved as Senate Majority Leader.
The only thing is that LBJ was a better vote counter. He would never have submitted bills if he knew they would be filibustered unless it was a path to achieving some better down the road.
Reid is an abject failure.
It's good press but we both know the repubs will obstruct any measures that will contribute to economic recovery.
They're all about torpedoing the economy as best they can to try to improve their chances in 2014....
he kept the minority from ruining this country.
It could have been a hell of a lot worse.
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That's your excuse? Things could have been worse under Bush, it doesn't make him a good president.