Reid Occupies Isolated Position

The pitched budget battle between Democrats and Republicans has left Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with few comrades, Politico reports.

Reid has historically worked amiably with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. But the Republican hasn’t been heavily involved in budget negotiations. And Reid hasn’t received much help from President Barack Obama who stayed out of the budget fray until this week.

Liberals criticize Reid for supporting too much in spending cuts, and conservatives complain that he’s unwilling to cut enough. Democrats of all stripes count on the majority leader to deliver s budget compromise they can support.

“He has probably the toughest job because the caucus is so diverse,” Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, told Politico.

As for Reid’s own view, “We’ve made some tough choices,” he said on the floor Wednesday. “We made those choices because we know that at this late stage of the game, reality is more important than ideology. We know the sacrifices of the cost of consensus, and we think they’re worth it.”