Guess Brian Schatz‘s appointment to the U.S. Senate isn’t going to make a difference after all. Politico has this story. Excerpts:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid bluntly predicted the country was most likely headed over the fiscal cliff, as he began to pointedly blame Republicans in the face of massive tax hikes and spending cuts poised to affect Americans from coast to coast.

As he opened up a rare holiday week session, Reid said Thursday it “looks like” the country was headed over the fiscal cliff without a bipartisan deal that can be enacted before 2013 begins.

“New Year’s Eve is fast approaching, and for decades and decades the American people have watched the ball drop in Times Square,” Reid said. “But this year, Mr. President, the American people are waiting for the ball to drop, but it’s not going to be a good drop. Because Americans’ taxes are approaching the wrong direction. Come the first of this year, Americans will have less income than they have today.”

Republicans fired back, blaming the majority leader and the president for failing to put forward plans that could win broad bipartisan backing before the first of the year.

—Chad Blair

Photo courtesy Kevin Burkett.