Sen. Reid opens Senate with presidential politics

(CBS News) After a five-week break from Washington, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., opened up the Senate with remarks not about the mountain of work that is on Congress' plate -- including the farm bill, spending bills and the looming "fiscal cliff" -- but slamming the Republican presidential ticket.

"What loopholes do they want to close?" Reid said of Mitt Romney's tax plan. "They will not say. It's part of their fictitious math."

Congress is back in Washington for just two weeks before adjourning again until after the election in November. If that's not enough of a sign that all roads in politics lead to Election Day, Reid's fiery remarks are further evidence that little work will be done until the future landscape of Washington is determined just 57 days from now.

Republicans will "return us to the failed economic policies that brought us to the Great Recession," Reid espoused. "We don't want to go back to that, we can't go back to that," he added, charging that Romney would "tilt the playing field to those that already have everything."

Reid did not save his political attacks for Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan. He said it's "a shame" that his Republican counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has only politics on his agenda.

"His number one goal is to defeat President Obama, not create jobs," Reid said, alluding to remarks McConnell made in 2010.

Like Reid, Republicans used their opening remarks to talk about presidential politics. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., the second-highest ranking Republican, highlighted the "key themes" of the Republican convention: "freedom, opportunity and earned success."

"Returning to free-market principles and pro-growth policies will move us forward," he said.

[wildemanne]

so lets vote out all the obstructionist republicans, and put liberal people willing to actually work for a living, i don't know about you other people, but all those guys there have had a paid vacation for the last 12 yrs." im tired of paying for a buncha fat nothings" wearing fine suits at our expense and they don't do a rats a$$ amount of work? hell they cant even make a 1 year budget since Clinton left politics? so vote out rethuglicans 2012 liberal govt for 2012

[b3trask]

This man is a perfect example of ALL that is wrong with our Government.

A political hack, owned by special interests, with NO allegiance to America. (and NO Budget for the last four years, I might add).

Every incumbent (meaning every politician who has presided over the the financial disaster that is about to bring down America MUST be VOTED OUT OF OFFICE, if not imprisoned for violating the public trust.)

BOTH PARTIES!!!

[nygurl1]

You DO realize that The President put in a budget every year and the reps threw it out?

Or do you just believe what your keepers tell you without checking anything?

Stupid way to live.

[nygurl1]

You DO realize that The President put in a budget every year and the reps threw it out?

You do know that all this mess started with the shrub?

Or do you just believe what your keepers tell you without checking anything?

Stupid way to live.

[chevyhotrod]

by cgallaway September 10, 2012 6:12 PM EDT
we wouldn't know how big the actual debt would be, because Bush kept the cost of the wars off the books.

_____________________

This is a complete and utter lie and total propaganda, the costs of the wars were not "off the books", but covered under supplemental budgets, just as President Obama has done from time to time. One reason being there is no way to know the cost until the Pentagon creates the orders. Everyone got paid, nobody did not get paid and the totals of money spent and money collected were all added up in the end.

President Obama has included some of the war spending in his first budget, but the Democrat Congress has not passed a budget in over 3 years, which is required by law.

Even with Iraq, Afghanistan and aftermath of hurricane Katrina (largest natural disaster ever seen in the USA) the budget deficit for YR2006 was $161 Billion for the entire year.

The Democrats can spend that in their sleep in less than 1 month.

Now, when the Democrats took over congress in Jan. 2007 you will see the budgets begin to explode and when President Obama took over the White House the budget went over $1.6 Trillion budget shortfalls.

Remember, Congress, not the President controls ALL spending bills brought before congress. The President can even be completely eliminated with a 2/3 vote in congress, making the President completely irrelevant when it comes to spending.

[nygurl1]

The shrub raided the SS bank to start his wars after CONGRESS said no!

That is why it is running out of money! Put it back!

[nygurl1]

The shrub raided the SS bank to start his wars after CONGRESS said no!

That is why it is running out of money! Put it back!

He submitted budgets every year and the reps threw them out!

Katrina budget was that low because they NEVER received the help they needed!

You are crazy!

[tsigili]

Reid is not in charge of the Senate. Obama is. Reid is simply an Obama mouthpiece.

[b3trask]

It's worse than that... the Global Progressive movement (read New World Order) has been orchestrating the collapse of America for over a century. Did you ever wonder who writes the speeches that Obama reads from the teleprompter?

[mountainstates1]

Now that it appears President Obama will win reeleciton, America's big effort should be ensuring Repubilcans in the Congress are removed from office. We can't afford another 4 years of the do-nothing Republicans!

[thatchmo62]

Yeah, Harry and his cohorts in the Dem-controlled Senate have really done a lot the past 4 years. When's the last time they've come up with a budget? Give me a freakin break.

[thatchmo62]

Yeah, Harry and his cohorts in the Dem-controlled Senate have really done a lot the past 4 years. When's the last time they've come up with a budget? Give me a freakin break. The election isn't in the bag for either candidate by any means.

[starkeraving]

Reid needs to keep his opinion on election issues off the Senate floor. He is there to work on issues relating to legislation not to campaign.

[raflin1]

tb91006 - too bad - you are clearly in the MINORITY. Barack Obama WILL BE RE-ELECTED! DEAL WITH IT!

[nygurl1]

There will be nothing accomplished in the 2 weeks they will be in session. ... Just more busting chops and stopping anything from being accomplished. ... That is the reps claim to fame, lying, cussing, nastiness and saying no!

Reid can say what he wants! .... You sure do! .... Even when it's nonsense!

[CaptainSmollett]

It has been Harry Ried's responsibility to submit a federal budget, a responsibility which he has ignored for four years. That is just flagrant, defiant irresponsibility. Isn't there any mechanism for him to be held accountable for failure of duty? America deserves better, especially given trillion-dollar annual deficits. That is the Senate Democrats' fault.

[raflin1]

Wrong! He's submitted numerous budgets, all of which have been opposed by the Republicans, whose PRIMARY GOAL is to say NO!!!

[1notrub11]

raflin, Wrong. No democrats have voted yay, for any of the proposed budgets. I wonder why?

[Rod_Smith]

"Reid did not save his political attacks for Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan. He said it's "a shame" that his Republican counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has only politics on his agenda."

Anybody else catch the irony in this statement?

[rksharma-2009]

It is not time to let down, in fact it is time to hold republicans responsible for what they have been doing for the last two years. If you ever thought that republicans were suddenly going to do something positive, then you need to have your head examined as soon as possible.

[CaptainSmollett]

What the GOP has done?!!! Now that is irrational backward logic! You are in such denial you think everything is the GOP's fault. Can you just imagine how massive the federal debt and deficits would be if there was no GOP to hold the Dems accountable. OMG! When you're driving toward a cliff, someone must apply the brakes.

[cgallaway]

@CaptainSmollett....we wouldn't know how big the actual debt would be, because Bush kept the cost of the wars off the books. That's one of the biggest reasons why the debt exploded under Obama, because he actually put the financial costs of the wars on paper, for the world to see. Also, considering the explosion of debt under the past three republican presidents was greater (when all counted in todays' dollars) than the debt racked up by the past 3 Democratic Presidents, well, I can understand how one would think that the republicans are chiefly responsible for destroying the economy. And since they have done nothing but use parliamentary procedures to block any of the democrats' agenda (including nuclear arms treaties), I can understand how anyone would blame the GOP for the recovery not being quicker

[cntrygirl3]

They might as well talk politics it is not like they are going to do anything else. With a republican house that averaged voting to repeal affordable care at least once a week and the next favorite topic no abortion (which isn't any of the business of the federal government anyway) no exception almost as often the senate doesn't have all that much to do. I seriously doubt the republicans will agree to anymore than a 6 month farm bill on the grounds if they win, they can just give everything to ADM and be done with it.