Why did Senate Dems vote against Obama's budget proposals twice?

[renie408]

I have this guy who says that the reason he will not vote for Obama is that he is not an effective leader even of his own party and he keeps using the fact that Senate Dems rejected Obama's budget out of hand earlier this year and another time before that.

I get that he is factually correct, but suspect that there is some nuance here that explains this other than that Obama is a sucky President. I have found several articles that outline the vote, but nothing that fleshes out the whys.

Can you guys help? Or at least point me in the right direction?

[renie408]

1. I know the events in the Middle East are huge, but going to kick this in hopes somebody responds

[SharonAnn]

2. In the Senate, Harry Reid will sometimes vote against something

he favors so that he can bring it back up later for vote or modification. If he votes for it and it loses, then he doesn't have the right to open it up for vote again.

That has to do with the unusual rules of the Senate and I'm not sure that I understand it very well.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

3. Haven't House Rs themselves created parodies of the President's budget priorities,

ostentatiously voted them down, and then sent them over to the Senate?

I think "the President's budget" is NOT the President's budget when it is written and introduced by Paul Ryan and company.

[renie408]

4. So it was procedural and not necessarily brought to vote by Dems??