Byron York: McConnell Didn't Surrender

Writing at The Examiner, Byron York lists the concessions McConnell is said to have gotten for moving the health care vote up several hours. It's a surprisingly long list. Of course, it is coming from the Republicans, who want to put a good face on the deal. But in this day and age, it is easily checked. I imagine it will be, as it should. RedState might have a look.

I had no objections, by the way. America won't be watching no matter what on Christmas Eve. Only we political junkies without real, or perhaps with surreal, lives will. ha!

But according to a well placed GOP Senate source, it was Majority Leader Harry Reid who approached McConnell in hopes of holding the vote earlier, and McConnell, who was prepared to go ahead with the evening vote, got some key concessions from Reid in return for agreeing to move the vote up a few hours.

There's no doubt that McConnell, with just 40 Republican votes, holds the weak hand in negotiating with Reid. But according to the source, in exchange for agreeing to hold the vote on Christmas Eve morning instead of evening, McConnell got Reid to agree to hold a high-profile debt-limit vote next month -- just before the president's State of the Union address -- instead of burying the issue later, as Democrats had wanted. In addition, McConnell got Reid to agree to showcase a number of deficit-related Republican amendments, forcing Democrats to vote on issues they had hoped to avoid.

Comments

[Peter]

I still think McConnell surrendered. This statement made in response to Dingy Harry's Rodney King "Can't we all just get along?" comments almost made me want to projectile-vomit:

"Let me just add to my good friend the majority leader, he and I have an excellent relationship, we speak a number of times in the course of every day and have no animosity whatsoever, and we are working on an agreement that will give certainty to the way to end this session and hopefully the two of us together can be recommending something that makes sense for both sides in the not-to-distant future."

Screw both of 'em. The GOP needs leaders. Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint come to mind. Enough of the girlie men. Fight, damn it. This is not the time to be polite or bipartisan. Our liberty and freedom is at stake.

Thank God George Washington showed more courage in crossing the Delaware in 1776 than Mitch McConnell has shown in this fight.

[Anita]

Looks like obamacare bill will be delayed further to Feb-2010.

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=BBD58EFD-18FE-70B2-A8F54EEBC6015A68

[PA]

McConnell got rolled like a bowery bum with a $20 hanging out of his pocket. He conceded the game in the bottom of the 9th, down one run, with a man on third, and two out.

Are you probably going to lose that game? Yea. But its a game that the OTHER TEAM can help you tie up by throwing a wild pitch/past ball, or the pitcher can always balk and force the tie run in.

All it would have taken is JUST ONE of Reid's minions to decide to blow town or have some trouble getting to the capitol for the vote. Car crashes, sudden heart attacks, someone cuts them self pretty bad in a kitchen, one of their kids gets caught up in a drug bust somewhere else in the country, etc, etc.

With a man on third, there's a LOT of ways the other team can help you score. McConnell just caved. The debt limit debate is small potatoes. Everyone knows they're going to vote to approve it. They have to,

[Ron Snyder]

McConnell caved. Stop trying to spin it. BHO/Pelosi/Reid have shown time & time again that they are liars and cannot be taken at their word. Neither can McConnell.

[Ca Jones]

McConnell is just trying to save face and show he is a good soldier all the while he's garnering his position for further ear marks and hand outs as the Democratically controlled Congressional store remains open and viable. Those in McConnell's state should remind him of his malfeasance in office and not defending nor serving his oath taken protecting the US Constitution agains enemies foreign nor domestic, ie Soon to be removed Senator Harry Reid.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

What's to make Reid keep his word? McConnell caved - there are times that you need to stand up even though you're certain you're going to lose. *sigh*