Will Republican "Moderates" Allow Themselves to be Used by the Right to the Gut Obama Jobs Program?
The next week will answer the question whether self proclaimed Republican "Moderates" like Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins will allow the right wing of their party to use them to gut key elements of the Obama Jobs and Economic Recovery Program.
It is no accident that even though the Jobs plan passed the House last night with a huge 56 vote margin, not one Republican voted for the bill. The Republican leadership convinced their members to oppose the bill to set up pressure on Senate Republicans to follow suit. While the votes of Republicans don't matter in the House, the Senate is a different matter.
To cut off debate and pass the legislation, Senate Democrats must muster 60 votes. There are currently 58 Democrats. If Al Franken ultimately prevails in the Minnesota courts, that will provide Democrats with 59. But the court case is unlikely to be concluded before the second week in February. So at least for now, Democrats need at least two Republican votes.
If Republican Leader Mitch McConnell can hold onto every Republican the way House Republican Leader Boehner did last night, he could force Democrats to negotiate away the most critical elements of the package in exchange for the same tax cuts for big business that were the foundation of the failed Bush economic program of the last eight years.
The Republicans want to cut money from the bill for health care, education and other state services. That would lead directly to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in states and localities across the country. They've also targeted provisions in the bill that provide tax relief and benefits to the working poor so they can provide tax savings to their corporate friends.
Most Americans think that the biggest corporations in America have had enough "economic bailout" to last a lifetime. But what's worse is that economists of every stripe agree that the expenditures the Republicans want to cut provide the largest number of jobs per dollar for the economy.
Put money into the pockets of low income workers and they won't save it or use it to pay down debt - or take a European vacation. They'll spend it and create American jobs.
Money that prevents the layoffs of hundreds of thousands of teachers, policemen and firemen directly create jobs - and protect services upon which we depend for long term economic success.
The Republicans are trying to replicate the Democrat's unified stance against the privatization of Social Security that began to turn the tide against the right wing assault after Bush's second term victory in 2004. Then Democrats stood firm and refused to provide the votes necessary to consider privatization in the Senate.
But there is a big difference between the 2005 battle to stop the privatization of Social Security and the Obama Jobs and Economic Recovery plan: the shape of the battlefield.
In 2005 Democrats had the high political ground - by the time Republicans made their move, privatization was becoming politically radioactive. Today's Jobs and Economic Recovery plan has been proposed by an extremely popular President, to cope with a grave crisis with proposals that are very politically popular. In other words the Republicans have decided to make their stand in a political ditch.
The key battle ground will be increasingly-Democratic New England. All eyes will be on Republican Senators Collins and Snowe of Maine and politically vulnerable Judd Greg of New Hampshire. If McConnell can convince them to vote against ending debate on the motion to bring the jobs bill to the floor, they will empower the right wing to demand more of the same failed "trickle down" Bush economic policies as the price of passage. And if he succeeds, McConnell will set a precedent for all of the legislative battles to come.
Collins, Snowe and Gregg all represent areas that have been hard hit by the recession. Will they prove themselves true "moderates" -- independents who represent the interests of New England's working families who desperately need jobs? Or will they hand the keys over to Republican Leader Mitch McConnell the rest of the crowd that just keep mouthing the old failed Bush economic nostrums, and want to shower the rich with more tax giveaways as they blindly drive America off an economic cliff?
Time for everyone in New England - time for all of us - to let Senators Collins, Snowe and Gregg know in no uncertain terms that the we must turn the page on the failed Bush economic program and take action to create jobs now.
Robert Creamer is a long time political organizer and strategist and author of the recent book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com.
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IT amazes me how many are so well versed in economics and are able to tell how good this bill is when the professional economists don't know exactly what will work.
For now I am employed, but if I should lose my job I would need my health care extended and my unempylment extended as well. My son just started college so I need that extra money to go to tap and pell. So as it's commendable for all of you that all is well in your life and you want this plan to stall or fail, there are more than many of us who need pray and hope this passes and is successful. I'm just curious as to how many of you took the time to read any of the stimulous plan or are just regurgitating what you hear on television or radio. It can be found on www.speake
647 pages is a lot to read but you should read it to make amore educated determination.
PLEASE! Take my tax dollars, haircut my unborn child's standard of living, ANYTHING so that John Q. Irresponsible will have $1,500 extra to go to Best Buy and purchase an XBOX360 for his Cadillac Escalade!
Stupid idiots. I'd be laughing if it weren't my dollars.
Who is John Galt?
You left out John Q Executive at Bank of America with his $3,500 Toilet and a pocket full of bail-out millions while the rank-and-file at BOA are cheerfully being handed pink slips. Shame on you!
Silly ReThug Wabbit -- Tax Breaks are for the Rich and Famous who could care less about you and your tax dollars
Read the headline and I say yes. But, for the wrong reasons. The rethuglicants are just plain ignorant or stupid. They should do it because the stimulus bill is not a good bill.
President Obama has not chosen wisely in the areas of justice and economics. You will lose, not win, as a country.
In other matters, President Obama is doing very very well.
I actually hope the Repubs do fillibuster, and delay this stupidity some more. In the meantime, the resolve of The American People may just kick in, and people will do what they need to do to get their own lives back in order, get off their asses and stimulate this economy from the bottom up, as things should be.
Ah! It's been so long since I've heard the "bootstrap theory" of economics it's almost nostalgic.
tm
I reckon that's what makes Neo-con philosophy and corporate greed so prevalent and appealing. Some Americans NEVER have to take responsibility for their actions, and never need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Not when they can get a free-ride bailout and buy $3,500 toilets while dumping their employees in the unemployment line--all while having chump-seat cheerleaders watching their back and singing their praises.
Isn't that right, PlaceboStudman?
I would like to see the Senate vote fall a couple short and the Republicans begin a filibuster. Obama could then call their bluff and point to them talking while layoffs continue. Sooner or later he is going to have to call their bluff.
It is a mistake to think of Collins or Snowe as "moderate". They have carefully cultivated this image in order to maintain their appeal to state residents, who tend to vote straight ticket Democrat.
The tactic is to give speeches and tv soundbites placing themselves on the Democratic side of the issue, then vote Republican when the vote comes up.
They're not smart enough to pull themselves out of this ditch. I, for one, have no intention of warning them about the trap they have walked into. When the nuclear option comes up, they will get nuked.
They should come up with valid ideas if they actually disagree. They have proven over the years, they don't care about deficits so that is a false argument. I heard the they plan they submitted was all tax cuts (if you don't have a JOB what will a tax cut do?) Boehner also told them to vote against the stimulus BEFORE the President had even show up. How is that negotiating in good faith? It's up to their districts if they win reelection, but if I were jobless in some of these Congressmens' states, I would be voting against them in the next election. They don't have to agree with President Obama, but come up with something else. If they had all these answers that actually work, why didn't they tell President Bush?
The problem with the Republican Party is "moderate Republicans". They're just Democrat Lite.
This bill is a disaster, and cannot work.
It borrows 100% of the funds, which are to be used as nothing more than a payback to campaign supporters.
This is a supplemental budget which will be paid for by future generations.
It is the height of selfishness and greed.
yeah, like 100% of everything the government spends money on. Take a look how the Fed works. Selfishness and greed was the banks getting bailed out... again.
Absolutely right! And who wrote the bill that did that?
I am not sure if the bill will work BUT I KNOW that the same old tired crap of Tax Cuts for the rich and for business will NOT work . We have been downTHAT road for the last 8 years and have PROOF that it didn't work .
It is absurd that NOW yoy worry about the fact that the money will be borrowed and paid for by Future generations . Where was this concern as Bush doubled the National Debt in his 8 years
yup.
The money will not be borrowed. It will be printed. We do need to sell Economic Disaster Bonds sort of like the War Bonds of WWII however. The money going into and out of these should be tax free and the interest should be the inflation rate plus 1 %. This would give everyone a chance to save and "put some skin in the game."
NO! The republicans want to destroy the Federal Government.
If the R's want to fillibuster, make 'em do it, not just threaten to. Make them read phone books, Moby Dick or the Bible.. The last 2 years all they've done is threaten !! Make them break out the cots!!!
Just like Jimmy Stewart in "Mister Smith Goes To Washington", except that they would be doing it for all the wrong reasons.
I 100% agree with you AND every night make sure it gets on the news as to just WHO is OBSTRUCTING the peoples business
Snowe has pledged her support to the Stimulus already. Collins? So far this session, shes voted out of step with the President more so than Gregg or Voinovich.
Judd Gregg is a tricky one. His reputation is by no means moderate; past rankings have put him solidly in the more conservative half of the GOP Senators. But, hes from NH, which is getting more and more liberal. On the other hand, NH is a very anti-tax state. While we are spoiled by not have state sales or income tax, NH voters still get a little cranky at the prospect of federal spending (however, if partnered with tax cuts, as the stimulus is, it would tend to be enough to get their support) Anyway, my point is, if Gregg votes on his record, he'll be against the Stimulus. If he votes his constituents, there is good cause to argue that his vote will go either way
Actually, there are quite a few economists who are appalled by this spending spree. They point out that less than 5% of this bill involves infrastructure.
The details of it are just now getting out to the public. I predict there's going to be some real backlash.
Still trying to discredit Pres. Obama. Get over it PumaAnn Hillary lost and she is part of the O team.
Which economists?
Not the credible ones
Paul Krugman, TODAY.
If they are from Heritage, CATO, or AEI, they don't count as credible.
Yes it's true! Economists like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, John McCain, Phil Gramm have all spoken out against the stimulus package.
OK. Now it's clear. The Republicans are committed to not fixing the mess they made.
If the repugs use the fillibuster to gut the bill, will unemployed america revolt?
if not, you deserve what you get!
by the way, anyone see the irony of boehner's artificial tan (it is the middle of winter), when Barrack is the Boss??????????
micheal jackson in reverse?
I don't think his tan is artificial. I remember seeing something last week about the repugs having a big get together with the lobbyists in Florida the weekend before the inauguration. It still looks ridiculous though. His skin looks tanned enough to make a saddle out of it.
Saddle bags with eyes......
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