Democrats Are 'In Open Revolt' Over President Obama's New Stimulus Plan
President's Appeal: 'If You Love Me, You Gotta Help Me Pass This Bill.'
PRESIDENT OBAMA: 'If you love me, you gotta help me pass this bill.' (Obama: If You Love Me, Help Pass Jobs Bill, ABC News, 9/14/11)
'In five speeches over a week, President Obama has said 'pass this bill' or some variant of it 90 times. That's 18 times in his speech to Congress, 18 times at the University of Richmond, 12 times in the Rose Garden (when he officially unveiled his 155-page bill), 18 times at a high school in Columbus, and 24 times at North Carolina State University.' (Pass The Bill, Obama Says 90 Times,†Politico's 44, 9/14/11)
Dems ˜Prefer To Stay Just Friends,™ Give Cool Reception To Desperate President
Mr. Obama told voters in North Carolina, 'If you love me you'll pass this bill,' but even some members of Congress from that state may prefer to stay just friends.' (Democrats In Congress Balking At Obama's Jobs Bill, The New York Times, 9/15/11)
MSNBC’S JOE SCARBOROUGH: 'Their problem is though of course, Chuck, this morning, the Democrats are the ones that are in open revolt...†NBC'S CHUCK TODD: 'That's right. It's the Democrats.' (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 9/15/11)
· NBC'S CHUCK TODD: 'In a moment, at a time when the campaign, the Obama campaign is desperate to have him seen as a tough leader again, you don't want to get rolled by your own party.'(MSNBC's Morning Joe, 9/15/11)
· NBC'S CHUCK TODD: '¦to have this string of Democratic Senators come out and tell the New York Times' Joe Manchin this thing seems too big and Bob Casey saying, I would like to deal with it piece meal. Oh by the way, Casey and Manchin are up for reelection in swing states/red states in Pennsylvania and West Virginia respectively. So, that is not a good sign.' (MSNBC's Morning Joe, 9/15/11)
JAMES CARVILLE, Democrat Strategist: 'What should the White House do now? One word came to mind: Panic. We are far past sending out talking points. Do not attempt to dumb it down. We cannot stand any more explanations. Have you talked to any Democratic senators lately? I have. It's pretty damn clear they are not happy campers. '¦For God's sake, why are we still looking at the same political and economic advisers that got us into this mess? It's not working.' (James Carville, What Should The White House Do? Panic!, CNN, 9/15/11)
POLITICO: 'It's open season on President Barack Obama , and that's just from members of his own party.' With frustration and disappointment mounting from defeats in Tuesday's two special elections and over Obama's jobs plan, the media is filled on Thursday like never before with Democrats on the record publicly questioning and doubting the president and some of his policies, and a few even unleashing biting criticism.â€(Obama Under Attack - From Dems, Politico, 9/15/11)
THE NEW YORK TIMES: 'President Obama anticipated Republican resistance to his jobs program, but he is now meeting increasing pushback from his own party. Many Congressional Democrats, smarting from the fallout over the 2009 stimulus bill, say there is little chance they will be able to support the bill as a single entity, citing an array of elements they cannot abide. (Some Democrats Are Balking At Obama's Jobs Bill, The New York Times, 9/15/11)
ROLL CALL: 'President Barack Obama's plans to pay for his jobs legislation are facing a cool reception from some House Democrats who wonder how the proposals, ” which went nowhere in the 111th Congress, when Democrats held majorities in both chambers, ” can attract support now.' (Lukewarm Response For Jobs Bill Payment Plan, Roll Call, 9/14/11)
¦the ideas, which include limiting tax deductions to charitable contributions and increasing taxes on hedge funds and private equity groups, have not fared well in Congress, prompting opposition from key Democrats.â€(Lukewarm Response For Jobs Bill Payment Plan, Roll Call, 9/14/11)
POLITICO: 'President Barack Obama's new jobs plan is hitting some unexpected turbulence in the halls of Congress: lawmakers from his own party. As he demands Congress quickly approve his ambitious proposal aimed at reviving the sagging economy, many Democrats on Capitol Hill appear far from sold that the president has the right anecdote to spur major job growth and turn around their party's political fortunes.' (Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan, Politico, 9/14/11)
¦as details of the plan began to be vetted on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, it was clear that the White House needed to redouble its sales job, ” or tweak its plan .” to force Democrats to fall in line at a pivotal point in Obama's presidency.' (Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan, Politico, 9/14/11)
Dems: Bill "Terrible","Frustrating","Not Going To Fly"
SEN. BOB CASEY (D-PA): I think the American people are very skeptical of big pieces of legislation For that reason alone I think we should break it up.' ˜I think the American people are very skeptical of big pieces of legislation,' said Senator Robert Casey, Democrat from Pennsylvania, in an interview Wednesday, joining a growing chorus of Democrats who prefer an a la carte version of the bill despite White House resistance to that approach. ˜For that reason alone I think we should break it up." (Democrats In Congress Balking At Obama's Jobs Bill, The New York Times, 9/15/11)
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): 'I have said for months that I am not supporting a repeal of tax cuts for the oil industry unless there are other industries that contribute' (Some Democrats Are Balking At Obama's Jobs Bill,The New York Times, 9/15/11)
LANDRIEU: 'That offset is not going to fly.' "That offset is not going to fly, and he should know that,’ said Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu from the energy-producing Louisiana, referring to Obama's elimination of oil and gas subsidies. 'Maybe it's just for his election, which I hope isn't the case.' (Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,â€Politico, 9/14/11)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): 'I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet with the president's jobs bill.' ˜I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet with the president's jobs bill, but we're going to have a full caucus meeting on it on Thurs,’ Reid told reporters, saying merely that he had introduced the bill Tuesday. A number of Democrats have previously opposed some of the ideas in the bill.' (Reid Not Sure if Obama's Jobs Bill Can Pass, Fox News, 9/13/11)
SEN. JIM WEBB (D-VA): 'Terrible.' 'Terrible,' Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told POLITICO when asked about the president's ideas for how to pay for the $450 billion price tag. ‘We should't increase taxes on ordinary income. There are other ways to get there." (Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan, Politico, 9/14/11)
SEN. MARK BEGICH (D-AK): 'Frustrating' There's an unfairness to it. Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, from the oil-rich state of Alaska, said it was 'frustrating' to see the president single out the oil industry after calling on the congressional supercommittee in last week's address to Congress to find savings. ˜When you start singling out certain industries, there's an unfairness to it, he said in an interview. On the pay-fors, I have a problem. (Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan, Politico, 9/14/11)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I have serious questions about the level of spending that President Obama has proposed, as well as the actual effectiveness some of these policies will have when it comes to creating jobs.' (Manchin's Strategy For Surviving 2012 In A Red State: Bash President Obama, The Hill, 9/14/11)
SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D-MD): I disagree with the president. Senator Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat whose state includes some of the wealthiest counties in the U.S., said she didn't support the health-care tax. 'I disagree with the president, she said. (Obama Plan To Tax Health Benefits Stirs Democratic Opposition,Bloomberg, 9/14/11)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA): 'I don't think anybody expects it to pass en bloc. 'I don't think anybody expects it to pass en bloc,’ Kerry told reporters Tuesday afternoon after the Senate Democrats' weekly policy luncheon. 'So, the issue is going to be what, if any, parts of it might be cherry-picked. And really that depends a lot on the overall mix of the negotiation. (Obama Jobs Proposal Wont Pass In One Piece, Kerry Says,Washington Post, 9/13/11)
SEN. TOM CARPER (D-DE): I think the best jobs bill that can be passed is a comprehensive long-term deficit-reduction plan That's better than everything else the president is talking about ” combined. (Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan, Politico, 9/14/11)
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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
202.228.NEWS
For Immediate Release, Thursday, September 15, 2011
Contacts: Don Stewart, Michael Brumas 202-224-2979; Robert Steurer, Pam Simpson 202-224-8288
President's Second Stimulus Bill Garners Bipartisan Opposition
`So I know the President and his advisors are keen on this idea of making Republicans look bad, but from what I can tell, he's got a bigger problem at the moment lining up supporters in his own party. And that brings me to the real issue. The truth is, the President has a problem that no amount of political strategizing can solve: his economic policies simply haven't worked.'
Washington, D.C. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Thursday regarding the bipartisan opposition to the President's half trillion dollar stimulus and tax hike bill:
It's been a week now since the President unveiled his second stimulus. And today, a week later, White House aides are expected to hold a briefing to explain it all to Democrats who don't understand the details.
Well, one would think they'd want to be briefed on the details before the President demanded they pass it ,right away, not after. But then again, the White House probably expected stronger support from Democrats than it's gotten so far.
After all, this bill's top selling point, according to the President, was that both parties should like it.
Yet, so far, the only thing both parties in Congress seem to agree on is that there's got to be a better way.
Earlier this week, after several of us suggested that the President would have a hard time convincing members of his own party to support this plan, a number of them proved us right.
While the President was out in Ohio insisting over and over again that Congress pass the bill, it seemed like the only Democrats who were even willing to talk about it here on Capitol Hill were tearing it apart.
You had the Democratic Majority Leader basically treating it like a legislative afterthought.
One freshmen senator called parts of the bill `frustrating' and `unfair'.
Another Democrat called a central part of the bill `terrible'.
One veteran Democrat was tamping down expectations of it passing in one piece.
And another veteran Democrat suggested a completely different approach to jobs altogether.
So I know the President and his advisors are keen on this idea of making Republicans look bad, but from what I can tell, he's got a bigger problem at the moment lining up supporters in his own party. And that brings me to the real issue.
The truth is, the President has a problem that no amount of political strategizing can solve: his economic policies simply haven' worked.
Yet he and his advisors seem to be the only folks in Washington who aren't ready to admit it.
I mean, we're in the middle of a crisis.
The average length of unemployment is at an all-time high. Median income is going down instead of up. Poverty levels are higher than they've been in nearly two decades. Millions of Americans can't find work.
The numbers just keep getting worse.
And the President's solution is to demand another Washington stimulus bill, because the first one worked out so well.
The first stimulus is a national punch line. Turtle tunnels, sidewalks to nowhere.
And now we're hearing reports that the White House fast-tracked a half billion dollar loan to a politically-connected energy firm that their own analysts said wasn't ready for primetime.
This place was supposed to be the poster child of how the original stimulus would create jobs. Now it's bankrupt and most of its 1,100 employees are out of work.
And they want another stimulus?
Look: even if you didn't know about any of the waste or the alleged cronyism, here's the bottom line: two and a half years after the President signed the first stimulus, there are 1.7 million fewer jobs in this country, 1.7 million fewer jobs after borrowing and spending $825 billion to create them.
What more do you need to know than that?
We've gone down that road.
Shouldn't we try something different?
How about we do what job creators in America are telling us they need in order to create jobs: tax reform, loosening the grip of government regulations, and free-trade agreements.
That's how we'll create a better environment for jobs in this country.
It might mean the President doesn't get his tax hikes, but it would mean more jobs.
Now, I know that some people sometimes get attached to a single idea. And this President seems to have come into office with one big idea- that there isn't a problem we have that bigger government can't solve.
But at a certain point, you've got to take stock. You've got to check your results, see how you're doing.
And I think it's pretty clear to most people what the results suggest.
Mr. President, it's time to change course.
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POSTED PER NATIONAL DIRECTOR DARLA DAWALD.
FROM AN EMAIL SHE SENT ME.
I LOVE IT!
-Admin II Rev. Larry Wallenmeyer.
"Disobedience to tyrants is Obedience to God." -Benjamin Franklin.
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