Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., advocated both jobs spending bills and spending cuts in a Morning Joe interview today during which she discussed the political value of voting on a bill that has no chance of passing the Senate.
McCaskill, a vulnerable Democrat seeking reelection, answered with a flat “no” when asked if a proposal to spend $60 billion on infrastructure spending would pass the Senate today. “So what are we doing here?” asked Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinksi.
“Frankly, what we’re trying to do is make sure the American people understand the contrast that’s going on right now and how hard we’re trying to work at this,” McCaskill answered, adding that the vote might lead to a “two year extension of the surface transportation bill.”
Her comments on the political value of the vote tend to corroborate the assessment of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who rebuked Democrats on the Senate floor yesterday for not advancing bipartisan proposals and characterized the infrastructure bill as “designed to fail.” McConnell’s remarks followed a speech by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., when he — to argue the contrast, apparently, that McCaskill mentioned — said that the infrastructure spending vote would show whether Republicans are on the side of the very rich or of the middle class.
Reid’s speech feautured a shot at tax reform activist Grover Norquist, whom Reid said Republicans “fear,” describing the Republican senators as “in a thrall” to Norquist. McCaskill echoed that criticism today, describing him as someone “that they’re all afraid of.” McCaskill even compared him to Lord Voldemort, the villain of the Harry Potter novels, calling Norquist “the man who shall not be named.”
After indicating her support for the infrastructure bill, McCaskill called for compromis and rebuked Democrats, saying “there [are] some in my caucus that are still in denial” about the need for spending cuts. “I’ll never forget one of our meetings that an appropriator stood up and said ‘we’re not going to cut another dime!'” she said. “Are you kidding me?”
