Andrew Nyerere
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 10, 2008
- 3,007
- 2,429
45 p.m. ET: When today began, President Obama seemingly had his work cut out for him if he hoped to attract any additional Republican votes for the economic stimulus plan.
But though he spent a good deal of time meeting with House and Senate Republicans, there's little evidence that Obama's lobbying campaign did much good. Mike Castle -- who should be low-hanging fruit for Democrats -- tells the Wall Street Journal that he's still undecided on the bill and that Obama will get "a couple of dozen" Republican votes, at most. And, tellingly, Eric Cantor praised the president for his willingness to work with the GOP but added: "Unfortunately, Congressional Democrats have not shown the same willingness for bipartisan compromise and that is reflected in their bill." Mike Pence took a similar tack, complaining that "House Democrats have completely ignored the presidents call for bipartisan cooperation."
Democrats have sought to combat that perception today, releasing a memo outlining all the hours of committee debate and all the opportunities Republicans have had to offer amendments to the package. Good or bad, this is not an instance where the bill was dropped in the dead of night -- something both parties have been guilty of doing in recent years. And Democrats are starting to chafe at the GOP's definition of bipartisanship. "Being bipartisan does not mean having to lay down and say we'll do whatever you want," Steny Hoyer said today. And even Obama's willingness to compromise has its limits; he reportedly told Republicans he would not compromise any further on tax cuts.
Continue Reading »
But though he spent a good deal of time meeting with House and Senate Republicans, there's little evidence that Obama's lobbying campaign did much good. Mike Castle -- who should be low-hanging fruit for Democrats -- tells the Wall Street Journal that he's still undecided on the bill and that Obama will get "a couple of dozen" Republican votes, at most. And, tellingly, Eric Cantor praised the president for his willingness to work with the GOP but added: "Unfortunately, Congressional Democrats have not shown the same willingness for bipartisan compromise and that is reflected in their bill." Mike Pence took a similar tack, complaining that "House Democrats have completely ignored the presidents call for bipartisan cooperation."
Democrats have sought to combat that perception today, releasing a memo outlining all the hours of committee debate and all the opportunities Republicans have had to offer amendments to the package. Good or bad, this is not an instance where the bill was dropped in the dead of night -- something both parties have been guilty of doing in recent years. And Democrats are starting to chafe at the GOP's definition of bipartisanship. "Being bipartisan does not mean having to lay down and say we'll do whatever you want," Steny Hoyer said today. And even Obama's willingness to compromise has its limits; he reportedly told Republicans he would not compromise any further on tax cuts.
Continue Reading »
