R.I.P. Cut, Cap & Balance

The GOP's Cut, Cap & Balance proposal has been effectively killed in the Senate after a party-line vote this morning. There are a couple important things I feel the need to point out about this vote.

1. This vote was not on whether to pass the bill itself, but on considering a motion to debate the bill. Yes, Democrats expect the GOP to make grand compromises in trying to solve the nation's debt crisis, but they're not even willing to debate the Republican proposal. At all.

2. In a statement following the party-line vote, Sen. Jim DeMint vowed to continue pressing the issue, pulling out all the stops:

“I urge Republican leaders to stop letting the President to drag you back like children into secret meetings where he pretends to do something constructive. The President created this crisis by irresponsible spending and borrowing that has left our economy in shambles, and if he’s unwilling to simply agree to balance the budget in 10 years then he is not a credible negotiating partner.

“No more closed door meetings, no more phony compromises that don’t solve the problem, no more useless commissions. We have a balanced approach supported by a bipartisan House majority that ends our debt crisis if just four Senate Democrats would keep their promise and support a balanced budget.

Despite his outrage, however, DeMint could have objected to unanimous consent requests and forced the Senate to vote on recessing for the weekend.

3.  2/3 of Americans supported this plan.  Will the media bother to ask Democrats to defend their decision to ignore it?  Oh, and calling it "stupid" is not a reasonable excuse.

4.  Apparently we're no longer facing a crisis -- the Senate will recess for the weekend and numerous members are already booked on flightss out of DC -- this just hours after Harry Reid slammed House leaders doing the exact same thing.