Conrad: Obama budget lacks votes, whines about cap-and-trade, urges compromise.

[jefferson_dem]

Conrad: Obama budget lacks votes
By Walter Alarkon
Posted: 03/10/09 04:45 PM

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said Tuesday that President Obama's budget plan doesn't have enough support from lawmakers right now to win approval.

Conrad said that he has spoken to enough colleagues with reservations about several different provisions in the budget that he thinks Congress won't pass it, at least in its present form.

Conrad urged White House budget director Peter Orszag not to "draw lines in the sand" with lawmakers, most notably on Obama's plan for a cap-and-trade system to curb carbon emissions.

"Anybody who thinks it will be easy to get the votes on the budget in the conditions that we face is smoking something," Conrad said Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Budget Committee.

Conrad joined Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.), the top Republican on the Budget Committee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in criticizing the the administration's cap-and-trade proposal for not doing enough to allay increases in energy costs that will be felt by consumers and companies, especially those in energy states such as North Dakota. Conrad said that it would be a "distant hope" to expect the climate change plan to pass unless it includes help for industries that would be hard-hit by limits on carbon emission production.

Conrad said that he hopes the administration understands that "accomplish big things takes compromise around here."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/conrad-obama-budget-lacks-votes-2009-03-10.html

[Cant trust em]

1. Did he really use the phrase "smoking something" in a committe hearing? NT

[msongs]

2. strip out ALL non-budget items nt

[ProSense]

3. Budget debates drag on for months.

This will be debated throughout most of the summer.

[Better Believe It]

4. No Problem It can be passed with 51 votes if necessary

Just challenge the conservative Republican/Democratic coalition to a real filibuster (not the fake ones the Republicans and Senator Reid are so fond of) and if that doesn't work just change the Senate rules (in accordance with the U.S. constitution) so that only 51 votes are required for passage.

[Cant trust em]

5. I thought the budget just needed a majority.

Maybe I'm wrong.