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By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 | 2:56 p.m.
In an election year move, U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., broke with many in his party Wednesday, voting against a Republican budget proposal that would have dramatically reshaped Medicare and cut trillions from the federal budget.
Heller, who twice before voted in favor of the Republican budget crafted by Rep. Paul Ryan, described his vote as a protest against a showmanship process that was never meant to result in a new federal budget.
“Today’s votes were not a serious effort to pass a budget,” Heller said in a written statement. “After this charade, our nation is no closer to economic prosperity or addressing our massive national debt.”
Heller voted no on a series of five non-binding budget resolutions, including President Barack Obama’s budget plan, which was unanimously rejected by the Senate.
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and Democrats also described the process as a charade, lodging their own protest votes.
“It’s almost universally acknowledged that Republican obstructionism has reached new heights in the Senate,” Reid said on the floor Wednesday. “Democrats would have to break a filibuster to declare the sky blue or the Earth round.”
But Heller’s budget votes also were a strategic campaign move, as he enters a pitched battle for his seat against Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.
Heller’s vote against the Ryan budget—which Democrats consistently point to in their argument that Republicans want to undermine Medicare—will allow him to counter an expected deluge of attacks from Berkley.
Heller also will use the vote to portray himself as willing to stand up to the silliness in Washington, D.C., even when that silliness is perpetrated by his own party. Indeed, Wednesday’s budget votes were a tactical maneuver by the GOP to force Democrats to vote on the various proposals.
Heller was one of five Republicans to vote against the Ryan budget, which was defeated 41 to 58.
The move also will keep voters guessing as to his real position on the Ryan budget. In his statement, Heller neglected to say equivocally whether his opinion has actually changed.
“I have voted on Republican budgets in the past,” Heller said. “It’s no secret where I stand.”
"But Heller's budget votes also were a strategic campaign move, as he enters a pitched battle for his seat against Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev."
Is that statement and the following paragraphs based on facts confirmed by Sen. Heller (or his office) or is it speculation?
boftx said: "Is that statement and the following paragraphs based on facts confirmed by Sen. Heller (or his office) or is it speculation?"
Has any politician ever announced that they made a move for strategic political reasons?
This is The Damon Political Report. The subtitle is Political News and Analysis.
I, and I'm sure many others, infer that Heller's change of VOTE on Ryan's plan is political.
In today's other letter, http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may..., President Obama gets slammed for changing his OPINION which is different than voting twice for a budget plan and then voting against it. Especially when marriage is a state issue.
I do agree with Senator Heller that the votes were a stunt. After all, the bills put forth by a Republican in each chamber that they called "Obama's Budget" were about 50 pages in length instead of the 2000 that budgets usually run, according to ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/201...
By staging a BS vote just to claim Obama's budget was unanimously defeated, once again REPUBLICANS demonstrate their UTTER CONTEMPT for We the People. Compromise with the Democrats and do something useful for the COUNTRY for a change.