Leadership in action.
(WaPo) — In a Congress crippled by partisan gridlock, each side is increasingly transparent about its political motivations. It used to be that the various press operations would spin and the leaders would at least pretend to lead. But in recent years, all pretense has fallen away.
Last week, for example, when asked about the status of a jobs proposal, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) came clean about the factors affecting his scheduling of votes — mainly the desire for media coverage. “We’re not going to do that at midnight tonight. We’re going to have the votes when you folks can write about it during a decent news cycle,” Reid told reporters on Thursday.
On Wednesday, rather than huddling for negotiations or voting on different proposals, the Senate opened for business at 11:30 a.m. and closed its doors a little past 6 p.m., without holding any roll call votes. The House, meanwhile, approved an anti-regulatory bill that GOP leaders first discussed putting to a vote in late August.