Do you find this frustrating?
With a vote coming up Monday to begin debate on a jobs bill, Democrats are hoping they can get a few Republican votes for cloture. But the Republicans are looking to block the bill, even though they support its content, claiming instead that they’ve been mistreated by Democrats.
We have a 10.6% unemployment rate. In Michigan, the rate is almost fifteen percent. Harry Reid has decided to chop the overall jobs effort into several discreet bills. The $15 billion measure he wants to move on Monday shouldn’t be controversial, but he isn’t allowing amendments. The Republicans’ feelings are hurt, and Durbin and Schumer are busy picking over Reid’s corpse and making things even more difficult.
I’m just guessing here, but the obstruction has become so extreme and transparent that I think this spring is going to be all about calling Republican bluffs. The health care forum is the first course, but other courses will need to be served until there is a clear narrative in the electorate’s mind about what is going on and who is to blame.
The question, as usual: who controls the narrative?
What’s actually occurred doesn’t even seem relevant, when the most media-savvy Americans in history can be thoroughly convinced that Osama bin Laden is Saddam Hussein in drag.
This had better be the first course of action (these tax cuts), or they’re going to be completely worthless. Even Ben Nelson understands that. I was impressed by his studious response. I was expecting him to be humping these tax breaks like no tomorrow. I guess being an obstructionist for your pork > tax breaks for businesses.
The real trick is going to be whether the narrative can transition from “Republicans Obstructionism” to “Republicans purposly hurting American for political gain”. Dems clearly look weak when they can’t get anything done, even with a giant historical majority.
The best defense is a good offense, and the rank hypocracy coming from the GOP is sticking. Dems need to keep hammering it home, over and over again. Then, transition to the fact that Republicans are voting against what even they think will help America – instead hoping Americans suffer – in the hopes that continued American pain will help them politically.
Obstructionism is bad, sure. But being so politically craven that they would purposly hurt Americans to get ahead electorally…that’s a sledgehammer.
That’s what every single Dem candidate should be saying every single time. Instead of worrying about the inevitable whines of “unfair”, make the hostage takers prove it ain’t so.
What I find most frustrating is the fact that every time I turn on my TV or radio I do not hear the Democrats placing the blame for the lack of progress squarely where it belongs, on the shoulders of the Republicans in Congress. There continues to be no cohesive message, no consistent discipline and a continuing appearance of incompetence and lack of leadership. For goodness sake, Democrats, get your shit together or the sense of massive fail is going to quickly become insurmountable.
I wish I could share your sense of anticipation that “this spring is going to be all about calling Republican bluffs”, but somehow I get the feeling that when the tulips are in bloom that Democrats will still be doing the circle jerk in search of “bipartisanship”. Yes, the blogs will continue to be fervently “calling bluffs”. And the Democrats will run like hell to distance themselves from it because we all know the blogs are full of nothing but shrill and far-left wackos who will only bring political misery to those who are connected in any way to them.
I would love nothing more than to have confidence that there was some precedent on which I could hang my hat that the Democrats are capable of doing something which would establish a “clear narrative in the electorate’s mind about what is going on and who is to blame”. There just doesn’t seem to be anything looming on the horizon that indicates the Republicans ways will change or that they might pay any kind of political price for their unprecedented antics.
There have been little glimmers of hope with some of the recent push-back from the White House. But the White House can’t do it all. The lions share of this work has to be done by the Democrats in the trenches of Congress. And so far, they have not inspired a lot of confidence that they are up to the task.
So they purpose of this maneuver is getting a few Rep votes or what? I think Durbin and Schumer are probably right about how making business tax cuts the first order of business will play. I suppose the best outcome would be failing to get those votes even on a basically Republican priority. Is that the idea?
It is definitely frustrating! As time passes, it seem that there’s only minimal progress along the economic agenda. In times like these, it is really a difficult nut to crack over what to do about unemployment – numerous folks have only unemployment checks standing between them and foreclosure or eviction and starvation. Unemployment positive aspects, as payday advances of sorts from the taxpayers to themselves (that’s why you pay for it), but at what point ought to they be cut off, or ought to they be? An individual who is out of work through no fault of their own doesn’t deserve to suffer for it. It seems that government needs to be out of the way of any business that may create jobs, because that is the unquestionable key to curbing the recession.