I really can’t blame Speaker Pelosi for cussing out Harry Reid. Consider that the Senate has already allowed the Republicans twelve chances to amend the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill. All of those efforts failed, as they had to if Reid was going avoid sending the bill back to the House for another vote. (House and Senate versions of a bill must be identical). Despite allowing the Republicans to force difficult votes on his caucus (voting for earmarks, voting against money to investigate unsolved civil rights cases, voting against restricting money for forced abortion and sterilization, voting against funding for Native American safety and health) the Republicans now demand another twelve amendments before they’ll allow cloture.
That is what happens when you telegraph your position. Harry Reid needed to pass the bill by Friday or it would be necessary to pass another continuing resolution to keep the government functioning. Knowing that, the Republicans knew that the Democrats would have to defeat all their amendments, even if they were inclined to support them. They crafted most of their amendments to take advantage of this sitting duck situation. Harry Reid did not protect his caucus.
When Reid failed to win passage of the bill, Pelosi was forced to call the House back into session to pass the continuing resolution. She was inclined to just give up on the bill and punish the Republicans by taking away all the earmarks they keep complaining about. She was talked out of that drastic measure, but she has a point. At least, now, the Democrats don’t have to vote against every one of the next twelve Republican amendments because they have time to let the House vote on any changes.
There are two lessons here for Reid and Pelosi. First, don’t let a bill like this come up against a hard deadline where the GOP can play you for suckers and exact real damage on your caucus members. Second, limit amendments and make sure they are germane. Twenty-four amendments to this bill (all of them initiated by Republicans) is excessive.
