So, why did Harry Reid get pushed aside?

[chelsea0011]

Why did Biden have to step in?

[Skidmore]

1. I think there is a lot of personal rancor that has built up over the

course of this past 2-3 years. I think some of these people just have problems working with one another. Period. I would kind of like to see a change in the leadership this next round on both sides.

[bigtree]

2. It could be because his bottom line has been to raise taxes above the $250,000 level

and this 'deal' requires him to come off of that.

[unblock]

3. not clear at this point. sometimes in negotiation you just change the scenery to get things unstuck

it's possible that obama didn't like the positions reid insisted on.
it's possible that republicans basically said i'll agree to a deal just as long as we don't have to shake hands with reid.
it's possible that reid threw up his hands and said i give up, there's no deal to be had here.

and it's possible that obama said, hey, let's just shuffle the cards a bit here and see if that changes the conversation any.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

4. Because he's a corporatist stooge

[Wellstone ruled]

5. McTurttle won't

negotiate with a African-American. Our President Obama has been treated like Sh*t by this POS. Must really be rough to live a racist hate filled life like McTurttle. And his spouse is Asian-American,who would have thought.

[gkhouston]

6. Because Biden is a better spokesman to (and probably also for) the American public?

If we go over the cliff (as seems likely), Biden is a far better communicator on television than Reid. Joe's a good pick for popularizing the necessity of rejecting Republican demands.

[scheming daemons]

7. good cop, bad cop