Just how serious are Democrats about negotiations to prevent the US from going over the fiscal cliff? Harry Reid and Democrats in the Senate refuse to hold an up or down vote on the president's fiscal cliff plan. Does that sound like they're serious to you? The Hill: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday offered an amendment to force a vote on President Obama's deficit-reduction plan, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was having none of it. "Last week [Treasury] Secretary [Timothy] Geithner brought up a proposal that was so unserious," McConnell said on the floor, "I would like to see if my Democratic friends would like to support it." McConnell suggested that the Senate vote on what he called the president's "ridiculous" plan as an amendment to the Russian trade bill that is being considered. Reid, however, objected to McConnell's suggestion, saying the Russian trade bill, H.R. 6156, is about job creation, not political stunts from...(Read Full Post)