Politically stung and legislatively out maneuvered much of the last year, Senate Democratic leaders yesterday issued a “sternly worded” letter to both their Republican counterparts and Wall Street executives in attempt to wrest back policy-making power and public approval.
Unveiling the missive in a Capitol Hill press conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid read out some of the most aggressive excerpts from the two page letter.
In frank, unapologetic terms, the letter called out Republicans’ “partisan obstruction” and Wall Street’s “blatant arrogance and ignorance of” the financial situations faced by middle class Americans, asking both sides to change their ways “or else.”
“As Democrats, we stand for something,” it said, “and will no longer tolerate that something to be obstructed and blocked at every single turn by you guys.”
“To our Republican colleagues,” the letter continued, “we simply cannot abide by your political gamesmanship, and demand that you help us deliver real change for the people that sent us here. The American people demand as much, so seriously, stop it.”
Growing more animated as he read, Reid later hinted that his caucus could perhaps threaten to take the filibuster away if the obstruction continued for another year or so.
The really seriously angry letter then set its sights on Wall Street, specifically CEO’s that seemed to “disregard” their customers and were enriching themselves on taxpayer bailout money.
“While millions of Americans are out of jobs, out of homes and seemingly out of hope, you continue to enrich yourselves on their tax dollars, which were dedicated to cleaning up the mess you caused for them,” the Democrats wrote. “It’s looking really bad, and you’re already rich, so seriously, cut it out.”
Taking his turn at the lectern, Tom Harkin of Iowa unveiled a serious of punitive measures the caucus was considering to rein in big banks and their CEO’s, including a non-binding resolution declaring their opposition to banker bonuses that were “too big,” and a blue ribbon panel that would report to Congress in six months on other ways it could keep pay packages “to a reasonable size.”
“Honestly guys, this has got to stop,” Reid said as he waved his finger at the camera, “you can’t trick the American people into thinking you have their best interests at heart when it’s this blatant.”
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