Obama White House Losing Patience On Stimulus

Underscoring the reality that GOP opposition to the stimulus seems firmly entrenched, the Obama administration mounted a more aggressive stance in favor of the recovery package, stating on Monday that there is little time left for quibbling.

"Delay in this town may not mean much," said press secretary Robert Gibbs. "But delay in America means that the help the American people need right now won't get there as quickly as they need it to."

Gibbs stressed on several occasion that the areas of difference between the president and Republicans in Congress were minor, noting that if one accumulated the spending provisions that the GOP objected to you would get $669 million, or "7/100ths of 1 percent of a piece of legislation."

But when pressed later why the debate seemed to be revolving around that 7/100ths of one percent, he said to the inquiring reporter: "They clearly have gotten you to do that."

At another point, when asked whether he thought the Obama White House was losing the debate on the legislation, he called the question/critique "gratuitous."

The remarks come at a time when Republicans seem bolstered in their choice to vote against the stimulus package. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not rule out the specter of filibustering the legislation once it comes to a vote this evening.

Sen Richard Shelby, meanwhile, said he was prepared to use the parliamentary procedure to hold up the stimulus bill. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Minority Whip Jon Kyl, and Sen. James Inhofe have all hinted they would go along. How successful that venture will be, it seems, depends largely on a handful of moderate Republicans who are believed to favor the economic recovery plan.

In the past week, the Obama White House has largely tried to play down the partisan critiques of the legislation, deploying baseball metaphors ("this is the third inning of the game") as a means of dismissing concerns. On Monday, however, Gibbs tried to switch the dynamics, putting forward direct arguments for specific aspects of the legislation. He noted that the legislation included $123 billion on infrastructure -- more money for that venture than any legislation since the 1950s -- and would help build 21st Century classrooms.

"I think the president believes and his team believes if people would look [at the remainder of the bill]," said Gibbs, "you will find that this meets the president's standard of stimulating the economy [and] creating jobs."

Comments

[jdozier]

Such a disgrace?! The bill is still not publicly available. Obama said during the election that EVERY legislation he signs will be available for 5 days on Whitehouse.gov. The bill is currently not available to be viewed, and will not be available until 2 AM EST (13-02-2009) at the earliest. Harry Reid just dropped in 8 BILLION dollars for a rail road line from LA to Vegas, without going through proper Senate Amendment procedure. Yet, the Senate and House will vote 6 hours after the bill comes off of the printing press?! And we, the people, won't even get a chance to review it!?! Obama said he will sign it Monday (16-02-200­9)....It will be passed on Friday (13-02-2009). What happened to 5 days? As it stands, it is not even 1 full business day!!! And only 3 days (13 to 16-02-2009) to review it by any standard. And less probably since everything will be signed 'afterhours'. What happened to transparency? Truth? Oh, I forgot, this is an emergency.­...throw liberty out the window because this is important. Good thing we have such smart government folks to think for us...

[Leslib]

The Republicans are playing their tired old political games. Their opposition is based on a need for Obama and the Dems to fail rather than what is in the best interest of the majority of the country.

[mnyegele]

I agree with carnelld. Here's how. Obama, or rather Henry Reid, needs to count the number of Democratic votes he can count on. If the GOP attempts to stall, Obama needs to resort to the nuclear option (I read about it i Wikipedia and on Google.) But writing on the Huffington Post. Action is quite another.
I'd suggest that any reader who cares about America write to your Senator now. Demand immediate action. Follow the steps I outlined. Participate in the meetings called by the Obama team. Make sure you insist that Obama and/or the Democratic leadership resort to the nuclear option if necessary.
We cannot let an entrenched embittered minority destroy this country just because they didn't win the last election.

[research]

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer:

"The Republicans were Wrong"

http://majorityleader.gov/docUploads/DemvsRepHistoryEconomy020309FINAL.pdf

[bluejay10027]

How many of you people and actually read the bill? You have no clue what you are talking about.

http://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr1_text.pdf

[urban]

And you have read the 650 pages?

[research]

Sorry most of us do not have the time to read the whole thing.

Hoever:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9976/hr1aspassed.pdf

Summarizes it in spread sheet form.

All you Accounts: I'm sure I made a mistake, but I am not an accountant. Please read and correct it. Thanks.

Obama Reinvest in America "spending":

In Billions OVER 10 years:

360 State help
278 Health
182 tax breaks
90 education
62 Roads and housing
49 Green energy
46 unemployment, and Children.
42 Food and water
14 Police, Radio and General R&D.
9 financial stabilization
7 Military

total 1Trillion. (I probably over counted something, I'm not an accountant)

OVER TEN YEARS.

Versus trillions last year for bankers. (including fed bank bailouts)

And now the bankers want another 2 TRILLION dollars.

NOW.

not over 10 years.

No! put 2 trillion into green energy NOW with orders and contracts.

[carnelld]

Politics is a contact sport. Either you recognize your adversary, or you get frustrated.

Obama and his advisors don't get it. The Republicans have no intent on working with him nor the Democrats. All the talk about bi-partanship is just a waste of time.

Many of the Republicans in the House and the Senate are from the South. States like Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisianna, Tenenesee, Kentucky, Arkanasas, etc , all voted against Obama.
A few mid western states also voted heavily against Obama.The southern representatives especially do not like the idea of an Obama administration.

Obama should organize with the Democratic leadership and move on with his program. I don't buy into the idea that he needs Republican support for the Stimulus bill. Some are saying without Republicans, the Democrats will be held responsible if the effort fails.

If it is a good bill it won't fail.

Obama is losing support of those who put him in office, and he is still wandering around in the wilderness appointing Republicans and seeking Republican support. There will be no support from the Republicans.

Move on Obama.

[1liberalconspirator]

Democrats and moderates need to just move ahead with the business of rebuilding this country. The GOP for the most part only serves to destroy the economy, the environment, our systems and national identity. They had eight years to advert a crisis that was known to be coming and they could not muster enough courage or ideological direction to assist the American people. It's time that they are afforded the respect that they are due-nothing more.

[harpen1]

Recently I hear of a good example of "trickle down" economics. In the 1800's it was referred to as the "horse and sparrow paradigm", is states; if you over feed a horse with oats, then some of the oats will pass through the horse and the sparrows will be able to pick through the feces and find the undigested oats.The more the horse is stuffed with oats the better off the sparrows . The Republican party sees most of the citizens in the country as a flock of sparrows.

[Leslib]

To be exact a flock of sparrows they want to serve great steaming piles of horse droppings to. Exactly.

[boogiewoman]

Forget the ReThugs on this one. They want to matter some kind of way, they could care a less if the American people can't wait anymore. The want to go on every T.V. show and cry about how they don't want any public programs., just tax cuts. I hate them all. After 8 long years of them tax cutting us into hell, they still don't get it. Move along RE-Thugs and take Rush with you.

[Ted LPD]

Who cares what the Republcans think? It is time to ignore the noise and move on. Tell them to go home and come back in a year or two.

[wdw505]

ignore a filibuster­........go­od luck with that......­.Republica­ns are doing their jobs well finally

[slinkymom]

Then that means they did their job well during that mythological time the past two years when the dems controlled congress. The repubs fillibustered over 100 times, well past the previous records. Great job they do stopping anything from getting done.

[research]

Nuke the filibuster.

[Ted LPD]

Why can't he fire GOP Congressmen and women? Executive order works! Bush used it!

[Ted LPD]

He can't fire them? Why?

[haramagoti]

Not only are the banks NOT spending the taxpayers' money back towards the taxpayers, they have targeted those taxpayers for it at the cost of their homes, their security, their jobs and their sanity.

Banks reward top brass for stealing workers' gold.

This is a challenge for revolution from this astounding level of both mismanagement corporately and misrepresentation politically.

Taxpayer derived bonuses, Taxpayer derived parties, Taxpayer derived jets and cars, Taxpayer derived massages and spa retreats, Taxpayer funded subsidiary tax shelters, Taxpayer funded travel for foreign employees flown in on Taxpayer dimes so they can take Taxpayers' jobs with wages paid out of Taxpayers future earnings, Taxpayer-paid opaqueness of entire process, Taxpayer investments made by Paulson at 1/5th to 1/100th the integrity of basic Buffet models.

Taxpayer-paid quick-bleed of Taxpayer.

Every single worker in the history of the US economy stands humiliated for buying into America's higher ideals, thinking there was going to be enough sense to prevent a bunch of people, the likes of which we find at the receiving end of the bailout, from annihilating the integrity of the entirety of the US economy's history.

Well we are here to tell them, after all that struggle and heartache, after pushing through impossible odds, inequality, dealing with the worst abominations of work conditions and business management imaginable, enduring painful years of sweat and toil, that it was all just going to dead end in a heist.

On our Watch.

Revolution.

[shaitan]

Bill Bonner has a good analysis on why none of the easy credit of the bailout or tax cuts Repubs or Obama wants are likely to attract more buying, See
http://www.dailyreckoning.com/the-depression-of-2008/. Also at the same webiste see his humorous and on target commentary titled The Good War

[billw8017]

Inflation can liquidate debt. Ordinary people do not make out so well under inflation. To go this route, it is essential that everything should be done to support the wage earners as they might fight for their interests.

[tedawson12]

Dear Poster Gang! I am very ready for the Obama, ENOUGH! Comment! After reading the 76 page pdf Stimulus Package Summary-its clear to me, that I voted for a man, who has little control over the Speaker of the House, and Obey and Senator Reed. As a Republican who voted for Obama, Obama is drinking the kool- aid, and he is acting Presidential simply because he has won. It doesn't work that way on the HIll, the fight continues, the play ground changes, and you best bring your best bat.

The bill has more positive balance, more than the republicans state, but god-what's wrong with calling it a job bill, not a cram it down while we can bill>. I think the Republicans really would destroy the working American Citizen if they could-they have devalued the American citizen to the point of destroying our financial creditability over the world, 2-7 trillion missing, and my 58,000 dollars contribution might not be enough for me to shoot myself, but god-with the news, the media(save Huntington) not telling how we have been literally financially destroyed and enslaved because of WS + the Repub. 1.4 trillion tax savings and their 4.5 trillion 7 year increases, all passed without these crocodile tears. We should allow the funding for the gutted Democrats programs that Bush clan so destroyed. Our government departments and social needs must be at full throttle- while we depend on the oversight capacity of our government.

[tantamnt]

To play in the REALLY big leagues Obama is letting the Republicans act like a bunch of little Rush-es and they want to filibuster the stimulus!
And how will the American populace react to that?
Local lynchings of Republican representatives by their constituents who are out of work??