Is Rep. Paul Ryan going to be the gift that keeps giving - to Democrats? (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
I have to say, I love this idea:
Senate Democratic aides expect Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to force Senate Republicans to vote on the Paul Ryan budget plan.
Reid hasn’t made a formal decision yet, and won’t until he returns from an overseas trip.
The idea is to drive a wedge through the GOP caucus and put vulnerable incumbents such as Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) in a political jam.
I really hope Reid follows through on this plan, because it could cause a lot of pain for Republicans - and not just this cycle, but further down the road as well. As we noted in the Daily Digest this morning (and as The Hill article mentions, too), Sen. Susan Collins has already put her Maine colleague Olympia Snowe in a bind by coming out in opposition to the Ryan plan. Now Snowe has to decide whether to enrage the teabaggers or risk her standing with independents and Democrats. I'm not sure why Collins felt the need to open her mouth in the first place, but if Reid schedules a vote on Paul Ryan's Medicare-killing budget, then there's no way Snowe can dodge the question.
Moreover, it gives Dems a great opportunity to re-affirm their commitment to Medicare in boldface—and it shows the GOP we have every intention of making their lives utterly miserable for the next two years. Harry Reid should not pass up this chance to play some serious hardball. Make them vote!