Harry Reid angers Republicans: Kills Baucus bill, narrows focus of jobs legislation

By GottaLaff

So he couldn't get tough with the GOP on the health care bill? I'd love to have seen him get the Rushpublics riled up sometime... last.... spring. Heaven knows they've gotten us riled up non-stop for a year now:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is rewriting a jobs bill after Democrats complained of too many concessions to Republicans.

Reid announced Thursday that he would cut drastically back on the jobs bill Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced only hours earlier, essentially overruling the powerful chairman.

Ding!

The Democratic leadership aide disputed the notion that Reid had yanked the rug out from under Baucus, noting that Reid has decided to keep the four core provisions of Baucus’s legislation.

The aide said Reid decided to simplify the legislation to “short-circuit potential criticism from one side or the other,” referring to potential Democratic and Republican critics.

Reid’s bill also does not extend unemployment and COBRA benefits that many in both parties want; an aide to the majority leader said those extensions would be handled in a separate bill.

For what's in and what's out, follow the link.

Here's the money line, via Jay Rockefeller:

Rockefeller predicted the Republicans would not support Reid’s revised proposal.

“Why would the Republicans vote for something?” Rockefeller said.

Double ding!