Reid blames GOP for public's record-low approval of Congress

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid on Sunday expressed hope, but not much more, that Congress can set a new tone of cooperation this year.

Leaving any olive branches at home, Reid blamed Republicans during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" for the record-low public approval ratings of Congress. The Senate majority leader from Nevada said three different times during a 15-minute segment that the GOP has pursued "obstructionism on steroids" in a drive to defeat President Barack Obama.

"You can be against having someone re-elected but not have that as your No. 1 goal, and that is what the problem is," Reid said.

Whether Republicans are on board or not, Reid said the Senate's agenda for the year is to "create jobs, to have the richest of the rich contribute to the problems we have in the country" by paying slightly more in taxes for job initiatives.

Reid, making a rare appearance on a Sunday morning interview show, was pressed by host David Gregory on how he or Obama might cut through the partisan­ship that has plagued Capitol Hill.

Obama can't be blamed, Reid said. The president "bent over backwards" to solicit Republicans during the first 2½ years of his presidency, by inviting them to the White House and venturing to Capitol Hill, without success.

Reid said he and Obama finally concluded Democrats must act alone if anything is to be accomplished. But Obama still struggled to get most portions of a new jobs package through Congress in the fall.

Reid said extending the two-month reduction in Social Security payroll taxes for workers will be the top goal when Congress returns over the next two weeks, and he hoped Republicans in the House were sufficiently chastened by bad reviews for their handling of the matter before the holidays.

Republicans held out for a yearlong extension, but with Christmas fast approaching and the tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, were forced to accept a short-term deal.

"That was disastrous for them," Reid said. "I hope the Republicans have learned a lesson. I would hope they understand not everything has to be a fight."

Reid's message wasn't all negative. Despite gridlock, "we have been able to accomplish a lot of good things," he said. According to congressional scholar Norman Ornstein, "we had the most productive Congress in the last 75 years."

Reid said he was hopeful of advancing job-creating highway and aviation reauthorization bills. But he said more work needs to be done on one bill set for early votes that would give government stronger powers to curb online piracy by forcing service providers to block access to pirate sites.

Reid said he was persuaded by Silicon Valley companies that raised objections that the Protect IP Act would stifle growth on the Internet.

"In recent weeks, organizations like Google and Facebook and others have said there are some problems this could create and I think they are right," Reid said. "We need to work on this. It's important we do this on a fair basis."

In other matters:

■ Reid defended Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray to become head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, over Republican objections that Congress was not technically "in recess."

On the same day, Obama named two members to the National Labor Relations Board who had been blocked by Republicans.

"I think the president did the right thing," Reid said. "I am confident the president's recess appointments will be upheld in the courts."

Reid noted that he was the one who initiated the practice of Congress not officially recessing, to prevent President George W. Bush from filling controversial posts.

Bush did not challenge the practice, Reid said, "because we worked with him. We gave President Bush hundreds and hundreds of people. He didn't have to worry about recess appointments because we were working with him."

■ Despite the seeming muscle of tea party Republicans during budget fights in 2011, Reid stuck to a prediction he made last year that tea party influence will wane as the economy improves.

"The tea party is dying out as the economy is getting better slowly," Reid said. "No question about it. I hope the tea party doesn't have the influence this year they had in the previous year because it has been really bad for this country."

■ Reid said Democrats "are looking pretty good" heading into this year's Senate elections, but he did not make any predictions.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.

Trending topics:

• Barack Obama
• Congress
• Democrats
• Harry Reid
• job creation
• Meet the Press
• Republicans

Comments

Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

1. Scotwith1t Jan. 17, 2012 | 9:16 p.m. Report Abuse

   Reid honestly believes that it is only Republicans to blame, but the sad case is, and the majority of Americans know and believe this, is that both parties are too blame, thus the low pubic approval. It is ridiculous for someone who is a majority leader of the senate to point fingers at everyone but himself and his party. If I believe correctly, this is still a republic democracy, which means, that Democrats can't 'act alone' unless there is some serious dismantling of the U.S. Constitution. There needs to be real discussions about the solutions of the problems this country is having, and compromise on all sides. Reid's idea of Republicans must accept the bills he, Obama, and the Democrats author, while at the same time, telling the Republican controlled House that any bill they voted for and pass is 'dead in the water' before it even comes to the Senate for a vote is not compromise in any form.

2. MadMan Mark Jan. 17, 2012 | 1:17 p.m. Report Abuse

   So, Jack, you have no problem with a Senate leader not producing a budget, catering to special interest groups, and basically neglecting the state he (supposedly) represents.
   
   I see you're still stuck on the "it's all GWB's fault" excuse. Newsflash: Bush left office in Jan 2009, 2 years after Reid and Pelosi began their systematic dismantling of the American dream.

3. Jack.Webb Jan. 17, 2012 | 6:20 a.m. Report Abuse

   What has Gov. Brian Sandoval (R), Gov. Jim Gibbons (R), Sen. Honest John Ensign (R), or George W. Bush (R) done for Nevada in the last 20 years?
   
   You can hate the career democrat for machine politics, but the real reason most of the posters on these boards having Harry Reid derangement syndrome hate the man is due to the endless vilification and demonization of Reid by the dumbstream media (mostly Fox Noise and AM radio). And dumbstream media devotees simply, automatically, and uncritically accept whatever backflush oozes from Limbaugh's piehole.

4. Scary Harry Jan. 17, 2012 | 4:49 a.m. Report Abuse

   Hey Jack.Webb.....just once why don't you try to defend Harry Reid. Come on, just once. You never, never defend this guy that you support. Please, what has he done for Nevada in the last twenty plus years? You like to call people stupid, so show your intelligence and defend this guy.
   Harry Reid - THE MOST HATED MAN IN NEVADA.

5. Scary Harry Jan. 17, 2012 | 4:44 a.m. Report Abuse

   Harry Reid.....your arrogant and senile attitude is an embarrassment to everybody in this great state. The Tea Party isn't going away so get use to it. Your hypocrisy on the recess appointment is sickening and we can't wait until next year when you're the senate minority leader.

6. Franklin Jan. 16, 2012 | 6:28 p.m. Report Abuse

   From politico.com July 14, '10 **** Immigration reform critics are seizing on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's comments this week that seemed to downplay the number of illegal immigrants working construction jobs in Nevada, even though a recent study found that his home state had the largest percentage of undocumented workers in the country. When a reporter from KLAS-TV in Las Vegas told Reid a 2009 Pew Hispanic Center report found 17 percent of the nation’s construction workers were undocumented, the Nevada Democrat replied: “That may be some place, but it’s not here in Nevada.” **** Sen. Reid. Out of touch. Out of mind.

7. Truthsayer Jan. 16, 2012 | 6:04 p.m. Report Abuse

   ¿How do you starve an Obama supporter?
   
   Hide their food stamps,......................
   
   under their work shoes!

8. gbigs Jan. 16, 2012 | 5:44 p.m. Report Abuse

   jack.dregg gets the same attention as a dog hit by a truck. people feel sorry for them both.

9. Oscar.Jones Jan. 16, 2012 | 4:29 p.m. Report Abuse

   Why doesn't Harrito Reid ( the illegals best friend), give up his wealth to support the entitlements the illegals he invited here by voting against Everify for Nevada employers? He made his money on sweet business deals in politics while he was in office. Give up YOUR money Harrito. Those people got you reelected, you owe them. Pay them back out of your OWN pocket. Not American Taxpayers pockets. You crumb.

10. BackInTheDayYo Jan. 16, 2012 | 4:24 p.m. Report Abuse

    Harry Reid is so out of touch with reality. He's been too busy jockeying for son Josh to get the posh Henderson City Attorney position. Funny how the City of Henderson lowered the qualifications so Josh could "get accepted". Harry should lower his expectations of the GOP to coincide with America's lowered opinion of our government and Democratic politicians.

Read All Comments