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Senate GOP blocks Obama infrastructure plan
WASHINGTON (AP) —
Republicans in the Senate Thursday dealt President Barack Obama the third in a string of defeats on his stimulus-style jobs agenda, blocking a $60 billion measure for building and repairing infrastructure like roads and rail lines.
Supporters of the failed measure said it would have created tens of thousands of construction jobs and lifted the still-struggling economy. But Republicans unanimously opposed it for its tax surcharge on the wealthy and spending totals they said were too high.
The 51-49 vote fell well short of the 60 votes required under Senate procedures to start work on the bill. Every Republican opposed the president, as did Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska and former Democrat Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who still aligns with the party.
Obama’s loss was anything but a surprise, but the White House and its Democratic allies continue to press popular ideas from Obama’s poll-tested jobs package in what Republicans say is nothing more than a bare-knuckle attempt to gain a political edge by invoking the mantra of jobs but doing little to seek compromise.
“The truth is, Democrats are more interested in building a campaign message than in rebuilding roads and bridges,” said Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “And frankly, the American people deserve a lot better than that.”
“Their goal is to do everything they can to drag down this economy, to do anything they can to focus attention negatively on the President of the United States in hopes that he can get my job, perhaps, and that President Obama will be defeated,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. “So let’s not talk about campaign speeches here on the Senate floor. Let’s talk about reality.”
After Republicans blocked Obama’s infrastructure plan, the president’s Democratic allies immediately killed a competing GOP infrastructure plan that would have extended existing highway and transit spending programs and paid for the spending with a $40 billion cut in unspent funding for other domestic programs. The White House opposed the measure over its spending cuts and provisions that would block recent clean air rules and make it harder for the administration to issue new rules.
Obama unveiled his $447 billion jobs plan in September and has launched a campaign-style effort — featuring multiple rallies in states crucial to his re-election bid — to try to get it passed. In votes last month, Republicans blocked the entire $447 billion jobs package and a subsequent attempt by Democrats to pass a $35 billion piece of it aimed at preventing layoffs of teachers and firefighters.
Another political flash point is the way Democrats have sought to pay for Obama’s jobs measures — a surcharge on income exceeding $1 million. The idea enjoys wide backing in opinion polls but is stoutly opposed by Republicans, who say it would hit small business owners and therefore threaten job growth.
With the demise of Thursday’s measure, an announcement could come as early as Friday on what’s the next piece of Obama’s jobs agenda to break out for a stand-alone vote. Democratic aides say the next measure would be legislation to provide a $4,800 tax credit for hiring an unemployed veteran and increasing the tax credit for hiring a veteran with a service-related disability to up to $9,600.
Republicans back the idea of the veterans hiring tax credit.
Thursday’s legislation would have provided an immediate $50 billion investment in roads, bridges, airports and transit systems. It also called for a $10 billion bank to leverage private and public capital for longer-term infrastructure projects.
The measure would be financed by a 0.7 percent surcharge on income over $1 million.
After Obama’s full $447 billion jobs bill was filibustered to death last month, the White House immediately announced it would seek votes on component pieces. That’s a way to exert political pressure on Republicans sensitive about their own jobs agenda, which so far has centered on relaxing regulations and boosting offshore oil exploration and drilling.
Obama last week uncorked a “We Can’t Wait” initiative that relies on executive authority rather than legislation from a bitterly divided Congress to help homeowners refinance “underwater” homes and give borrowers relief from their student loans.
Meanwhile, House GOP leaders are casting blame on the Senate for failing to act on 15 “forgotten” jobs bills, including a measure to repeal a law requiring federal, state and many local governments to withhold 3 percent of their payments to contractors until their taxes are paid.
Also Thursday, the House is poised to approve bipartisan legislation to remove a Securities and Exchange Commission ban that prevents small, privately held companies from using advertisements to solicit investors. The SEC ban, says bill sponsor Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., unfairly limits the ability of small companies to raise capital.
“While the president is out doing campaign events all over the country, what he could do is to actually come to Washington and be focused on trying to help pass bills that would create a better environment for job creation and help put the American people back to work,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said.
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Posted in Economy, Government, Politics
6. November 2011 at 12:05 pm :
For such an astute politician Mr. Obama appears to be very naive when it comes to the GOP and even his own party – his insistence in trying to “negotiate” has nearly crippled him as a leader. The Republics believe that their strategy will win back the White House. The Democrats – who knows what they think anymore. For all intent and purpose they are, with few exceptions, Republican-lites. No one in Washington is listening to the plight of the American people. And no one is offering plausible solutions to the problems we face. They are all bought and paid for. And Mr. Obama is alpha dog when it comes to that distinction. As the political season heats up there is not much hope for us. And as the reigning super-super-power on the decline, not much hope for the world. Shakespeare, if he were alive today, could not have found a better story line for this tragicomic play.
I appreciate your thoughts here and sort of agree. I say ‘sort of’ because I think it’s premature to start writing Obama’s political obituary. The fact is, regardless of all the amusing ‘debates’ and pronouncements of would-be republican candidates, the nominee of that party is going to be Romney. That sets up some interesting dynamics, not the least of which is the complete loathing of him by the Tea Party fanatics and other lunatics in the right wing of the republican party. Considering that these people constitute 80% of the republican base makes for an interesting political recipe for next year’s political kitchen wars. I do not think Obama’s low-key posture during this period is necessarily a bad thing. Why should he spend a lot of political capital venting against these people when the election is still a year away? Let them continue to pike-pole each other until Romney is the only one left. Then the Dems can start to reveal who he really is and what he and his party really represent. I think there’s ample time. I also credit David Plouff with being one of the most brilliant political strategists on the planet and would not want to bet against him. For what it’s worth, I think what Obama should be doing right now (and is doing right now) is talking to the country about what the government is trying to do to cure unemployment. He should be introducing all sorts of plans and strategies to get people back to work. I wrote to the White House last week advocating they start a national ‘YouthCorps’ to get kids working. They could do all sorts of things to focus attention on how the White House works on solutions while Congress just says ‘no’. I think the last thing Obama should do is get into a pissing match with Newt Gingrich or Fox News or anyone over ideology. That would be playing right into the reps playbook.
Having said that I must remind you that while it sounds crazy that this country would elect a republican after what they did under Bush, they did elect Bush twice. This country is, in my view, politically and socially insane. In his excellent book about the European economic crisis (Boomerang) Michael Lewis talks about America being a nation of gluttons raised on the notion that wealth and power is our birthright. He points out that the colors of the national political map almost perfectly overlap the colors of the national distribution of obesity and diabetes. The cultural manifestations of this land of gluttony are displayed clearly every night on Fox News when politicians who don’t know shit from Shinola make fatuous speeches about waging war on everyone in sight and their audience laps it up like drooling fans at a wrestling match. The republicans are all Hulk Hogans thumping their chests. Lots of bluster. Little substance. That’s why it’s foolish to step into the ring now. Romney is not like that. Romney is cool, intelligent, suave. And he uses just the right amount of Grecian Formula to make grandma flutter. That’s why he’s dangerous. He will not pick Sarah Palen as a running mate. He will not talk about preventing China from getting the bomb (re: Cain this week). He will be the great white hope to all those truck drivers and TV moms out there in the burbs. While the audience is swept up with the action in the mud pit Romney is quietly lifting their wallets. He’ll sell them back for votes next year. That’s what the democrats must defeat. And the way they can do is is by creating jobs. I hope they do. SH