On a day when House and Senate lawmakers have vowed to resolve the most divisive and far-reaching provisions in a broad financial overhaul package, they didn't exactly get off to a lightning start.
On Thursday, the tensions standing in the way of the bill's final passage -- some of them partisan but the most notable involving rifts between Democrats -- boiled to the surface early.
Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) complained that a handful of senators "almost are hijacking the process" over a few very parochial issues.
"I just want to say to my friend," he said, addressing Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), "there are a number of ways to get to 60 votes. . . . I'm ready to talk."
Although Corker didn't mention any names, he seemed to be alluding to a series of political deals that Democratic leaders eagerly tried to hammer out in recent days to secure enough votes to pass a final bill.
One includes a proposal by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) that would force big banks to spin off their derivatives businesses. The provision has faced opposition from Obama administration officials, some regulators and, most conspicuously, a sizable collection of centrist Democrats.
Lincoln's amendment has been a tricky issue for Democrats because the party is polarized over how to revamp U.S. financial regulations. Many liberals have supported her provision, while some moderate Democrats and a bloc of House Democrats from New York have opposed it. Lincoln has shown no inclination to back down on her provision, saying it is essential to shielding taxpayers from future bailouts
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