It's pretty standard tacktics to try and force the other party to go on record supporting or opposing something that can be used as amo against them in the election. What suprises me here is that the leadership allowed this to come to a vote at all.
In my opinion it was a stupid move on the part of Democrats. It gave the party in the majority the ease to squash the measure.....while allowing certaint Republicans who might be facing a fight in the next election the opportunity to look like they broke party line to vote for this proposal.
You get them on record as being for deep benefit cuts and massive debt increases.
The ones who falter are not going to be protected as hard by the GOP. Easier to run against them that way. Rove was VERY successful with this strategy last election cycle.
I have to agree with Partha on both counts here. It doesn't even matter if the gains by GOP in the last election were due to this type of "rock and hard place partisan measure to make the other side look bad" politics, as it appears to have been. This move by the Dems was very smart politically, and might give them back a huge voter block that they lost last time when the GOP forced similar votes that made the Dems look squishy at best on defense and security issues and downright immoral on everything in between.
That said, I am surprised this measure even made it out of comittee. The GOP fell for it hook line and sinker.
Perhaps one day when I am an old and feeble man enough of our elected representatives will have given over to common decency and common sense, that a compromise bill won't equate to the pork from both sides getting through at the expense of good policy from one or the other, and this type of silliness will no longer be needed.