Senate Dems Winning Game Of Chicken

by Josh Orton, Fri Dec 12, 2008 at 06:29:32 AM EST

In the last few days, Senate Republicans tried to play a bad-faith game of chicken: they'd join Democrats and the Bush administration in support of the bailout, but only if the auto workers got thrown under the bus. They wanted a sacrifice.

But Reid and his caucus didn't budge, because they know that Republicans privately acknowledge the enormous fallout that would follow a failure of the big three.

Well, looks like it may have worked:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Bush administration said Friday that it will consider using the money set aside to help banks and Wall Street to rescue the auto industry.
The statement -- a change in the administration's long-held position -- might be the last best chance to keep troubled automakers General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Chrysler LLC out of bankruptcy.
The defeat of a $14 billion bailout plan in the Senate late Thursday left the administration little choice but to tap the $700 billion bailout approved by Congress in October, the Troubled Asset Relief Program or TARP, according to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.

This is what Democratic Congressional leaders called for at the beginning. The Bush administration wanted to push this off on Congress, but it didn't happen.

Tags: Barack Obama, Harry Reid (all tags)

Comments

9 Comments

Sort by

permalink

No WAY!

Awesome.

Color me surprised and delighted. Reid gets kudos from this guy, and I don't EVER give him kudos.

Way to go Congress (man, that feel wierd to type)!

by teknofyl 2008-12-12 06:37AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Senate Dems Winning Game Of Chicken

You are exactly right. Hopefully this will cause some people to rethink the frame that "Dems always cave in on everything."

by Colorado Luis 2008-12-12 06:54AM | 0 recs

permalink

I'm hoping to rethink that

if the evidence let's me.

Waiting and hoping in OKlahoma...

by teknofyl 2008-12-12 08:47AM | 0 recs

permalink

I'll believe it when Bush does it.

How many times have we been snookered by this guy?

Don't count your chickens.

by Dracomicron 2008-12-12 07:10AM | 0 recs

permalink

Holy crap

If Bush does the bailout from the TARP, it makes the Senate Republicans look like they're being obstructionist for it's own sake.

By and large, Republicans still like Bush, and would likely take any action on his part as "the right thing to do". It's weird that the Senate Repubs didn't make sure Bush had their back on this. Wasn't it obvious they'd get caught in the crossfire otherwise?

by Neef 2008-12-12 07:40AM | 0 recs

permalink

My head is exploding!

Bush is now the responsible face of the Republic Party.

by Bush Bites 2008-12-12 08:08AM | 0 recs

permalink

Unintended Consequences

I'm wondering if the hard headed and anti-worker position staked out by Republicans is going to backfire.

Is the population in general, now realizing that the GOP is more than willing to throw workers (and by extension main street) under the bus, now less resistant to the Employee free choice act when it gets introduced next session?

Are Unions, seeing this naked GOP hate, willing to unite create their own independent political faction separate from the Democratic Party?

How much longer and harder did the GOP make this Recession with their extremist vote?

Did the GOP just turn all Midwest states that have manufacturing, Blue?

Much as the Election of 1932 basically put Roosevelt firmly in power, the Congressional antics of the GOP was reflected by so much Democratic gain in the Elections of 1936 to maintain a vast majority for the next 40 years or so. Does the Big three rescue create a similar scenario to become part of the coming election cycle?

by NvDem 2008-12-12 08:24AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Senate Dems Winning Game Of Chicken

Reid must insist, as a part of any new rescue plan, that CEOs and other senior managers take an even bigger haircut. All bonuses and excess compensation that were taken out of the Big Three as they were being driven into the ditch must be returned to the company treasuries.

by Bob H 2008-12-12 10:05AM | 0 recs

permalink

Re: Senate Dems Winning Game Of Chicken

This isn't the first time that Reid has shown that he knows very well how to play the game. The problem is that he doesn't do it often enough.

by 1arryb 2008-12-12 01:15PM | 0 recs