Clear evidence of why they are at 9% approval and suggest why the American people believe our Country
is headed in the wrong direction.

Not surprising. Zombies only act upon commands.

Guess you've got selective reading. No where did they say that didn't want to put people back to work; but they want the bill to work . . . not fail. And taxing the rich some more (heaven knows, every LIB I know is for that) instead of . . . OMG, CUTTING this spend happy gov't is their bone of contention. BTW, enjoy these LAST TWO YEARS . . American people have finally figured out . . . they don't work for unions and they don't work for the govt

Another bi-partisan rejection of the Obama economic plan.

When will he ever learn.

Obama spending money we don't have just isn't as cool as it was back in 2009.

@Heartlight3

Every spending cut cuts public sector jobs which we don't need. Remeber, whenever you hire a public worker, you take one job away from the private sector.

We don't need to be paying any more 500K/year union pensions, thanks.

Supposedly Teapublicans are against this part of the Jobs Act because they want a longer-term infrastructure solution. Yet the alternative bill they proposed does nothing of the sort. Of course what both actions in the Senate today tell us is Teapublicans remain uncompromising on any sort of revenue even if only affecting .02% of the population (including the end of cheating with loopholes--like how can be FOR cheating?). Teapublicans will only appropriate funds if more burden is placed on the 99%.

I say the Dems should come up with War Bonds to pay for the wars/defense budget to counter greatly needed maintenance of infrastructure (less expensive now than later) and construction to help stimulate the economy. The Dems need to come up with cuts Teapublicans won't like to prove the point that the GOP/TP is playing politics with American lives.

This is the clear choice in 2012. Vote for Teapublican destructive anarchism, or vote for Dems and a stronger America.

Addie,

What is it the Republicans want to cut to pay for their plan? Be honest.

Brendan,

So you say, let the private sector hire the workers. Yeah, when do you think that'll happen? Why is it soooooooooooo wrong to let the government put some people back to work to get the economy moving? Because you've got a job already?

Heartlight3 is spot on. Spending cuts results in a contracting GDP. A contracting GDP means that the country is producing fewer products and/or services. Fewer products and services being produced means a shrinking workforce.

While debt is a long term problem, our immediate problem is jobs! You want to see the real job creators? Go to any grocery store, or local retail store, or gas station, or ..... See all those people in the check out lanes? Those are the job creators. As long as they are buying, things need to be produced to restock all those shelves and people need to produce them. In other words, only demand creates jobs. So when I hear the meme "when was the last time a poor person created a job", I say they do every day!

brendan-4

@Heartlight3

Every spending cut cuts public sector jobs which we don't need. Remeber, whenever you hire a public worker, you take one job away from the private sector.

Now that is a bunch of malarky right there. Is that what they teach you on fox news? It just defies logic.

More lies from Spanky. Only one Democrat, Nelson, voted against this. Lieberman is not a democrat. He is a politician of convenience who votes where he thinks he will get the most bang for his own purposes.

JoAnnaSmith1

Another bi-partisan rejection of the Obama economic plan.

Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman's votes hardly constitute bi-partisan rejection - Nelson is a Democrat in name only, and Lieberman isn't a Democrat at all.

Message fail. Democrats voted for jobs. Republicans voted for millionaires. Same old, same old.

@jim

Just like the House created those "Forgotten 15" bills with a bi-partisan consensus in mind? They made it thru the Republican controlled house, without the procedural threat of Filibuster, as pure theater. Boehner and Cantor knew full well that they'd never get thru the Senate but that didn't stop them.

But I agree that no one expected this Infrastructure Bill to go anywhere. It was simply to show the American people who supports whom.

hs: I'm confused. Isn't the Senate controlled by the Democrats?

hs, you are being disingenuous. Or you really don't read.

The Democrats have a majority in the Senate, true. But the filibuster rule completely negates any advantage of a majority. Read and learn.

GOP senators hurt a lot of unemployed people today.

No doubt Daddy Norquist is pleased with his peons' dirty work today.

The GOP-er players in the Senate have demonstrated they are not fit to serve this country too many times.

May they remain ever in the pay and service Norquist and his enablers.

Just not in our Congress.

@Everyone who keeps saying "bipartisan opposition" or "he can't get his own party to follow it." I want you to show me one instance in that the ENTIRE party voted unanimously in support of an action that the president had suggested...anywhere in history. Once you show me that I'll show you a fake statistic that showed up on the internet in this chat.

It has never happened that the ENTIRE party voted unanimously in support, there's always a few who will disagree. One or two votes in opposition doesn't mean anything. Again, I'll point out that 63% (I heard earlier 70%, but can't confirm yet) of the American people have said they want this bill passed. That means that 63 of the 100 members in the senate should have voted for it. I see that 0% of the Republicans voted in favor of the bill. Quit trying to make this into something it isn't.

Yeah, uh Amused.

Perhaps you can refresh my recollection?

When Gore ran for President, there was another candidate on that democratic ticket.

Now, what was that fellow's name?

I suppose you'd call Sanders and 'independent' as well? Cause being a socialist, he splits his votes fairly equally between the democratic and republican caucuses.

You libbies are just the best. Always so damn Amusing.

I'm with you JAS1 - Super committee to the rescue!

Holy crap hs321 - who knew Harry has daim Blamage?

Wait, how could you tell?

FRR,

When will you and the rest of the lib cabal demand that Congressional Democrats and Obama honor their own Pay/Go Law???

You know, the one which says ALL NEW SPENDING must be offset by CUTTING EXISTING SPENDING???

Not new taxes.

Not more debt.

CUTTING EXISTING SPENDING!!!

No surprise that is a reality you, your ilk, and they, refuse to accept.

hs: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid suffered a mild stroke earlier this week and underwent tests, but he was not hospitalized and "feels fine," his office said Friday.

I did not know this. I'm glad Senator Reid is feeling well and that he is on the road to a full recovery.

brendan-4 - Really? Is that what you think? There are many public sector jobs at the ...local, county, state government and the private sector is not involved at this level. So what are you talking about? There is a need for public sector workers and it's a myth that they take jobs away from the private sector. They are two separate entities.

@Anna: Sure...where are the house numbers for it? I never said "just the senate" I said the entire party...

So...wanna try again?

JoAnnaSmith1

Another bi-partisan rejection of the Obama economic plan.

When will he ever learn.

Obama spending money we don't have just isn't as cool as it was back in 2009.

Yet ANOTHER brainless nut-job post from the right. Read the GD article! Only 2 Dems voted against it and had they voted for it, it still wouldn't have overcome the REPUBLICAN f'ing filibuster.

You can throw your BS all over as much as you want... doesn't make it any less of a lie.

Keep it up... most of us already see through the GOP for what it is and what it's doing... another lie just converts a few more towards the truth.

I for one am sick and tired of these douchebags in office. They should all, ALL be @!$%#in fired for doing absolutely @!$%#in nothing! They are all, ALL an embarrassment to United States.

Horrible logic, not authorized in the constitution

Brendan,

Neither is the establishment of religion, yet we saw congress spend over $215,000 this week in a single legislative session to reaffirm our national motto "In God We Trust". Is that not an establishment of religion?

If you want to debate constitutionality, be consistent. The Congress wasted that money reaffirming an non-contested national motto. Not to mention the money they will spend to prop that up in all the government buildings and public schools. We need jobs.

And do you think the private sector is going to pay for our infrastructure? Typically bipartisan concept trampled by the republicans for the sake of making the President fail. Treasonous doesn't even begin to describe what the 112th is doing right now. Not by a longshot.

LMarcT: Yet ANOTHER brainless nut-job post from the right. Read the GD article! Only 2 Dems voted against it and had they voted for it, it still wouldn't have overcome the REPUBLICAN f'ing filibuster.

My the Lefty Libs are getting angry. They want their tax hikes, and they want them now! Off their rails and out in the weeds they are.

Lighten it up a tad LMarc - this all gets sorted out in about a year.

Think much spider, the bill had 51 votes, but of course the party of the rich filibustered again so it required 60 votes to proceed.

Obstructionist Republicans are in rapid destruction mode of this Country and their party.

People are getting more and more aware of the tactics of the GOP

Actually 1 democrat the D-bag from Nebraska, big surprise there, and the so called Independent Joe traitor Lieberdouche.

Oh speaking of which:

@Anna: This is extremely sincere. Thank you for being a human being. Although you may disagree with Reid, the fact that you didn't say the expected insults or hopes for an ill fate says quite a bit. Thank you for that.

Bryan,

It's "respecting an establishment of religion." Read, quote, and understand it properly.

It's not about belief in God. It's about not infringing upon the Peoples' Right to do so.

As did the Founders. IN GOD WE TRUST!!!

Joe, the Republican alternative is deregulation so their corporate masters can line their pockets with more cash at the expense of safety and health.

Some of you really need to get a clue, or I guess you all make over a million dollars per year.

And taxpayers pay these yahoos about $175,000 a year plus benefits.

Nelson and Liebermann are Republic Trojan horses. Along with Baucus they only report to their corporate masters. Another Republic fillibuster, what else is new. Lock-step in jack boots. In God we trust, all others pay cash.

The sheer ignorance of the right wing supporters on this post is pathetic. Where do they get all the unsupported facts and misleading information they regurgitate with such incredible stupidity. The biggest problem being faced in this country is the gullibility, ignorance and sheer stupidity of the right wing conservatives, who follow the lies and misinformation of the Murdoch media with such sheep-like herd mentality.

JoAnnaSmith1

Don't tell me to lighten up. This will be sorted out in a year? It was sorted out 3 years ago and you people didn't give a sh!t.

I'm telling you and others that your BS will not be put up with any longer. We will no longer sit back and "take the high road" while you slam this administration and this country with hate, lies, and filibusters.

Yes, majorities are dangerous. But this congress has shown us just how dangerous a split congress can be when lies, hate , and rancor is broadcast on a 24/7-all-media basis. It is doing nothing but confusing people and distorting our very existence... NOTHING less. It's not a joke any longer. It's not a game. It's not "just politics". And it's NOT "just" going to be sorted out in a year. This is serious business.

Ironic, because the corporations and the rich would benefit very much from improving our infrastructure.

The hero of the Tea Party, Adam Smith, said the wealthy should pay more taxes, because their businesses benefit the most from infrastructure improvements.

This is why today, "conservative" means "idiot"

Today, "conservative" means "I hate that black man in the whitehouse"

It did not used to mean idiot -- I think that today, the Republicans have been hijacked by an anti-black, anti-science, anti-logic, anti-woman, anti-non-Judeo-Christian minority of Rednecks.

I'm wondering, how old are a lot of you? My god people, enough with the bs name calling. We are NOT in elementary school anymore. Grow up already.

"I know you are but what am I?" "What bounces off me sticks to you" "Your momma is..."

Both sides. Damn it people don't you see this is what is killing us all? The fighting between ourselves. "MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!!!" "My beliefs are the correct way EVERYONE should live and believe!!!! NOW!!!!"

It is truly dumbfounding to me. I have always remembered what my daddy told me too many years ago... there are THREE sides to every story or argument. My side, your side and the TRUTH. This is exactly what they (the ones in power) want. We are not united, hence they get what they want. Control and power over all of us. We will only be free when we UNITE and work these problems out.

PLEASE, PLEASE can we stop with the name calling, on BOTH sides?

People can Bit_h all they want that will not change a damn thing, the only thing that will make a change is give the Nay Sayer's the boot in the next coming election, there are way more poor and middle class than there are RICH people, you can whine like a girl or take a stand, there are two parties one that works for the people and the other that works for the 2%, both sides suck but think about the direction this country will take, the goal of the GOP is to repeal the MINIMUM WAGE and take our country back to the 60's remember $2.60 an hour, that's what they want, and whats worst is nothing that is priced today will revert like your wages, look how long it's been since people have gotten a fair wage, We are going backwards not forward ....

These Congressmen are treasonous Low lifes!

We all know the majority of all congressmen and senators have made money off these wars for 10 long years and want to continue their windfall. All they had to invest was YOUR tax dollars and Your children moistly 21 year old's sent to the front lines.

Now they take pride in stalling jobs for Americans all in an effort to "make Obama a one term President"

We the people aren't fooled anymore. It is CONGRESS as they try to blame the President.

People are trying to put food on the table and they want to stall jobs until the elections.

They make me sick!!

Knowing that the Republicans will not vote for a tax increase AND knowing the "Supercommitee" must come up with cuts, why don't the Democrats submit this bill being offset by cuts instead of a tax increase? Is it more important to put Republicans on the spot as a political and campaigning point or to actually pass the legislation and put people to work?

Time to target your State Republican Senator by facebooking your friends information regarding voting them out!!!!

When any Republican Senator starts to campaign we the public are going to start our own campaigns against you to overshadow anything positive that you are saying about what you can do!!!

BYE, BYE you EVIL REPUBLICANS.....

so backhouse, the AJA will create 1.9 million jobs within the year as proposed by obama?? Funny when the consensus among 30 economists surveyed by bloomberg puts out an average of only 250,000 jobs being created. Even Moody's (mark zandis outfit) only estimated job creation at 1 million. While it is always nice to be optimistic, there seems to be quite a disconnect between what obama says and what a consensus opinion of economists projects.

Regardless, $40 billion for first responders, firemen and whatnot??? Talk about fear mongering from the left. I was under the understanding that these were local jobs paid for through local tax revenues and perhaps state grants with possibly a few federal grants thrown in. Isn't it up to the states and local governments to decide on fund allocations?

Times are tough libs, from a taxpayer viewpoint it hardly seems unreasonable to ask other government funded programs to have to experience "shared sacrifice" in allocating their funding for infrastructure. Isn't that more in line with the American way? After all, until revenues once again grow this funding shift will only be temporary, unless of course the libs continue to think that the American taxpayers are a bottomless pit of revenue.

As for the $60 billion infrastructure amount 40% of that is likely to end up back in the federal government hands. Isn't that what the government takes currently from revenue?

oh laurie...can you tell us whp pays for the salaries and benefits of the public workers. Those funds come exclusively from the taxes and fees inposed on the private sector. Think about it, even public sector taxes paid by public sector workers were made possible by the private sector. Without the private sector there is no reason to have a public sector.

If you have ever seen Eeyore from 'Pooh',

You will recognize how he projects a continuous negative view of the world even when good, positive things are right under his nose, like the American Jobs Act.

And no, I did not make up any facts. Independent economists estimate it will create up to 2 million jobs.

The American Jobs Act is ABC and very commonsense to understand & implement. It is a highly detailed plan to get the economy moving forward and it does not add to the deficit.

But GOP has no intentions of creating jobs. That's the thing. They voted it down 3 times now. And so if you don't actually WANT to create jobs, it will neverever be good enough, will it? And everything will look glooomy, like Eeyore.

Meanwhile, the GOP pretend proposal cuts 200,000 jobs and cuts $40Billion from firefighter, police and first responders;

As if GOP governors had not already fired 600,000 public employees while shifting those monies to tax cuts for the wealthy.

See the facts at whatever level interests you @ @http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobsact

All this arguing won't matter much for much longer keep your eyes open and watch as this movement of the 99% grows, to those of you who wish to disagree I'll just say if you're not on the train then get out of the way!

Leave it to the teapubliCONZ to destroy any job creation in America.

They love creating jobs in COMMUNIST China so they can sell their tainted garbage at Walmart.

Yup good ole "Bring it home to the USA" Walmart bringing communism home to America from China any way they can. No wonder Walmart owns the teapubliCONZ in CONgress.

Yep Republicans, keep protecting those millionaires. Those spending cuts you want for jobs, just cost more jobs.

talkingtoyou55 said "if you're not on the train then get out of the way!"

I would like to add; and get that Koch brothers paid tea party bus off the tracks.

@AB, or on the tracks it won't matter much. More showed up in Oakland not to mention Seattle than all Koch Bros. funded "parties" combined.

WHY DONT YOU LIBERALS UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS THE SAME JOBS BILL THAT OBAMA SIGNED 2 YEARS AGO AND FAILED. It did not create jobs and cost billions of dollars. Do you want the same thing to happen again - spend billions and create NO JOBS!

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL "Heaven forbid we put people back to work before the upcoming election!"

I presume you're talking about the 15 jobs bills passed by the Republican House that the Democrats in the Senate refuse to even allow to be discussed.

Another sad day for America and what the hell is wrong with these GOP idiots. Talk about traitors to the American people, I say put a set of antlers on their heads and send them in the woods.....

Still these Damn Democraps have a hand in this problem, they could have ended the filibuster rule last January when the new Senate invokes it rules, but these gutless weasels chose not to. Even though it passed 51 to 49, that is not a majority anymore here in America???? Unfrickenbelieveable....

And Roy Wilson, There are no jobs bills up there in the Senate that Harry won't allow a vote on, there are only more derugulation and rape the stupid American bills there by the Repuks,,

It becomes very obvious who is and has been responsible for the deficit spending that the Republicans like to rant about if you look at the historical reports posted by the OMB on the white house.gov site.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals

Like I said in an earlier post today, do the Republicans think the majority of the voters are stupid? Apparently so.

The only president in recent history that left a surplus was Clinton.

And as Cheney would say "Deficits Don't Matter", if you're in office and a Republican.

For the record, this little "every vote requires a supermajority" rule is a direct violation of the US Constitution.

Republicans, deregulation of air and water do not create jobs.

The other bills proposed are all big give-a-ways to big oil, aka, Koch brothers.

brendan-4, and other right wingers. First you don't know anything about constitution. So don't even try that. So you saying we should have private Police? Fire department? EMS? Private military? Private FDA, FAA, should I go more? If you think so you don't have much brains cells left in your head. Public workers, don't make 500,000 a year, where you get this number? FOX? please give government source or something like that. I am public workers, you know how much I make: $35000 per year before taxes, and I have Bachelors Degree and 14 years of military experience. So who's job I am taking I wonder? or you going to compare me with burger flipper job? Not all government jobs are in the union, but you definitely don't know anything about unions either. Hey if you have at least one Republican politicians support labor than may be will get some union support, but unions can't support politicians that don't support them and only want to hurt them.

If you don't know what you talking about, better not talk at all. stop lying.

Just how stupid is Obama's American Job Act? Let's run the numbers. It will, according to Obama and lib supporters create 1.9 million jobs, doubtful, but let's be generous and say 2 million jobs. It will also increase the GDP by 2%, again I doubt that but I will use their numbers. The AJA will cost 474 billion. hmmm

474,000,000,000 creates 2,000,000. doing the math that means each job cost $237,000. wow hope I can get one of those government jobs!

Current GDP is about 15 trillion. That is 15,000,000,000,000. Multiply that by 2% and you get

300,000,000,000 (that is 300 billion for people who have trouble with higher numbers). So that means we will spend 474 billion to increase the GDP by 300 billion and each job will cost 237,000.

Love those liberal spending programs. Just keep spending until we get rich. Kind of like keep digging a hole deeper until you get out or fill it up. Just ain't gonna happen people.

Tell me, why do we elect Democtratic Senators if they are going to vote Republican?

I love all these people complaining about the bill not passing and actually know nothing about the bill. Talk about know nothing people. The only ones thatthis bill will help is the unions. To be able to get this money you have to have all the work done by unions. Some states will not receive any because they refuse to make it an all union thing which is only right. This is obummers way of repaying the unions for there help in getting him elected.

Which is the way it should be. Unions are the backbone of our society. They are the reason we even have a middle class. If you get rid of Unions, you get rid of the Middle class. Republicans don't need any more help in that direction.

LMarcT....."But this congress has shown us just how dangerous a split congress can be when lies, hate , and rancor is broadcast on a 24/7-all-media basis. It is doing nothing but confusing people and distorting our very existence... NOTHING less. It's not a joke any longer. It's not a game. It's not "just politics". And it's NOT "just" going to be sorted out in a year. This is serious business."

You got that RIGHT. So, I would suggest you send this quickly to Mr. Obama, Mr. Reid, Mr. Obama's Czars, Mr. Obama's Liberal cabinet members, and Mr. Obama's special interest friends. Congress matters no more when Mr. Obama is going to use Executive Orders to get his agenda on the road by bypassing Congressional procedures. This is the first step in his TRANSFORMING AMERICA. Welcome to BrazilUSA.

Brainwashed-1971919 ....."Leave it to the teapubliCONZ to destroy any job creation in America. They love creating jobs in COMMUNIST Chinaso they can sell their tainted garbage at Walmart."

You got that WRONG. Better do a quick check and see how many jobs GE has exported to China. GE leads the pack for outsourcing jobs. Is the GE CEO a "teapubliCONZ" ? Oh, don't forget that the CEO GE is Mr. Obama's JOBS CZAR. I am sure there are more non-teapubliCONZ companies out there.

Wait a minute, Mr. Obama's ELECTRIC CAR is being built in Finland with American taxpayer money, and his GHOST BUS was built in CANADA. Yep, those are your "teapublicCONZ" Liberals for you.

Yep Fiesty....time to control YOUR LIBERAL FREINDS.

What a sad, sad state of affairs we are in.

A couple observations I'd like to add to the mix...

1. The construction jobs created to rebuild our infrastructure would NOT be public sector jobs! They would be private sector, hired by the companies who win the bids to do the work!! Then when you factor in the construction equipment needed to complete these projects, this adds even more jobs. And while we're on the subject, I'd like to know where the logic comes from that we don't need public sector jobs. We've seen what happens when public sector jobs like police, fire and EMS are cut...higher crime rates and longer response times. Not to mention that when crime goes up, so does the level of overcrowding in prisons which means more people living completely on the taxpayer's dime. There's a cause and effect to everything. Why do so many people seem to be ignoring this?

2. We are in a position right now where we need to spend money to get money. I would think business owners would agree with this logic. Spend a little (very little) on taxes now and then reap the benefits when there are more consumers creating demand for your goods and services. So if 140k jobs are created, thats 140k more consumers out there looking for goods and services. Then the more consumers and workers there are, the more tax is collected by the government. This type of envoronment would also be a lot more conducive for the next big idea to take off, thus creating more and more jobs. Seems to me like that's a win for everyone...But what do I know? I'm in the 99% so I must not know what I'm talking about.

3. There are ways we can get our country back on track: infrastructure, energy, deficit reduction if it comes from the right places...like a reduction in defense spending, elimination of the taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil, or actual tax reform. Just to name a few...but Doing things like eliminating the EPA will do nothing but eliminate jobs and make pollution a serious problem in this country. Or are we supposed to depend on these industries to self regulate? What a joke.

I'm so thankful to see more and more Americans are taking a stand. There is an epidemic of greed in this country. Greed makes people stupid, and stupidity is running rampant. Just look at the current GOP field of Presidential nominees. Their biggest contribution to our society is the endless material they provide for Jon Stewart and SNL. I believe there are republicans out there with good ideas, and I also believe there are republicans who would support this bill if they started listening to their constituents without fear of good ole Grover.

Power to OWS! Obama/Biden in 2012 (or so help us all...)

phantom-396954 "474,000,000,000 creates 2,000,000. doing the math that means each job cost $237,000. wow hope I can get one of those government jobs!"

That's at taxpayer expense and only if we believe Obama's numbers - that's quite a stretch.

Contrast that with the average annual payroll of a private sector employee of about $42,000, and it costs the taxpayers $0, and they actually produce a product or service that can be sold for a profit.

Gee, I wonder which system works best??????????????

ROY WILSON-336103

Gee, I wonder which system works best??????????????

Your party does an excellent job of wondering. It's probably the best group of wonderers ever assembled.

JOEJOE,

What a lie dude, there are not Unions everywhere in this country where our infrastructure in falling apart so most the money will be going to private companies and the American people, and not these Evil Unions you portray and lie about.

Get a life dude, Putting Americans back to work now is just not on the Repuklican agenda is it????

Roy Wilson, Tell the truth dude, This bill was for 60 billion and not 474 billion, and it was for rebuilding America's crumbling infrastructure?? Typical Repuk lies...

Roy, Phantom, The bills don't just cover labor. There is a lot more cost in material than labor in repairing a bridge or building a road. but let's not let any kind of common sense ruin your partisan talking points.

ROY WILSON-336103

phantom-396954 "474,000,000,000 creates 2,000,000. doing the math that means each job cost $237,000. wow hope I can get one of those government jobs!"

Roy, please don't resort to the old distortions... it gets very tiring. Don't you get this? JOBS are a by-product of rebuilding our infrastructure that NEEDS REBUILDING ANYWAY. This is a win-win. And the numbers do not reflect the consumer confidence that will occur due to the "feel good" part of the projects and the sub systems businesses that pick up work. This is MUCH more than a countable job. It's called "Congress getting off it's dead a$$ and doing something for a change".

And your Republican bill? You mean that tired rag that removes more taxes and regulations for corporations? There IS NO DEMAND, Roy! There is no demand for products, Regulations are not the problem.

If you are in business or have half a business sense, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I have had what seems like a thousand meetings with business associates and the subject at hand is DEMAND. Taxes and regulations have NEVER been mentioned as a blocker to expansion. It's nothing but "Big Corporation" fodder.

I hadn't seen the Republican Jobs Plan. Actually it's not easy to find it all laid out. The first thing I noticed when I was numbering it was the Republicans have problems within problems. The second thing is I can't find the 15th problem which I'm starting to think may be the "plan" in itself. And the third thing I noticed was I really didn't have to see it in the first place...it comes down to TWO things....deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy....surprise, surprise. :(

Republican Jobs Plan

1. Empower Small Business Owners and Reduce Regulatory Burdens

Job creators are being bogged down by burdensome regulations from Washington

that prevent job creation and hinder economic growth. These regulations are

particularly damaging for the real job creators in the country: small business owners.

We must remove onerous federal regulations that are redundant, harmful to small

businesses, and impede private sector investment and job creation.

2. PROBLEM: BURDENSOME REGULATIONS

The Small Business Administration has reported that government regulations are

estimated to cost our economy over $1.75 trillion a year. To make matters worse, in

2009, the Administration had – under various stages of consideration – another 184

regulations that are estimated to cost the economy in excess of $100 million each,

and likely to cause more Americans to lose jobs.

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

In order to ease the regulatory burden on the economy and to promote job

creation, we will approve legislation that requires a congressional review and

approval of any proposed federal government regulation that will have a significant

impact on the economy.

•

While such legislation will impact future regulations, House Committees

are actively conducting an audit of existing and pending regulations to

identify and address those that are hindering economic growth.

•

Background: The House has already acted on several regulations that

hurt job creators both large and small including: The EPA’s regulation

of greenhouse gases, the Federal Communications Commission’s

net neutrality proposal, and duplicative and burdensome pesticide

regulations.

3. Fix the Tax Code to Help Job Creators

America’s tax code has grown too complicated and cumbersome, and it is

fundamentally unfair. It is filled with loopholes and giveaways. Congress should

eliminate the special interest tax breaks that litter the code and reduce the overall

tax rate to no more than 25% for businesses and individuals including small business

owners. This would make the tax code flatter, fairer, and simpler. Common sense

changes to the tax code will ensure that everyone pays their fair share, lessen the

burden on families, generate economic expansion, and create jobs by making

America more competitive.

4. PROBLEM: AMERICA’S GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS

At a combined state and federal rate of just over 39%, the U.S. currently has the

second-highest corporate tax rate among the developed nations of the world (those

in the OECD). The U.S. federal rate of 35% is nearly 10 percentage points higher

than the average of our competitors. This wasn’t always the case. In 1990, the U.S.

corporate tax rate was below the average of our competitors. As a result of today’s

high U.S. tax rates and other antiquated features of our tax rules, U.S. based firms are

placed at a competitive disadvantage against their foreign counterparts when trying

to sell their goods and services around the world.

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

We will set the top tax rates at no more than 25% for job creating businesses. This

would level the playing field with our competitors and would help to generate

investments and create American jobs allowing the U.S. to be more competitive in

the global marketplace and attract business.

•

Congress should also reform the tax code to allow worldwide American

companies to bring back their overseas profits without being subject to

double taxation so they can invest in our economy.

•

Background: Unlike almost all of our major trading partners, the United

States taxes its companies on their foreign income when that income is

brought back to the United States, even though that income has already

been taxed in a foreign country. This discourages our companies from

bringing profits back to the United States to invest at home.

•

In 2004, Congress allowed companies a limited time to bring

moneearned overseas into the United States and pay a reduced tax rate

of 5.25%. The policy resulted in more than $300 billion dollars of profits

being returned to the U.S.

5. Increase Competitiveness for American Manufacturers (Passed)

The more that businesses export, the more they produce. The more businesses

produce, the more workers they need. This means job creation.

6. PROBLEM: IDLE TRADE AGREEMENTS

For more than three years free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South

Korea have sat idle, blocked by House Democrats’ political posturing. As President

Obama said on January 27, 2010, “If America sits on the sidelines while other nations

sign trade deals, we will lose the opportunity to create jobs on our shores.”

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

We will pass three pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and

South Korea. 250,000 jobs.

7. Encourage Entrepreneurship and Growth

America has historically been on the cutting edge of innovation and technological

development, but we are increasingly falling behind our global competitors.

Stronger protections for new ideas and products, greater access to a well-educated

workforce, and a more efficient and predictable government approval process will

empower American business owners to compete in the 21st Century economy.

We will make it easier for existing businesses to grow and allow more start-up

companies to flourish.

8. PROBLEM: PATENT BACKLOGS

Our patent system protects American ideas and products. It has historically been the

envy of the world, but today it is failing to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

Under our current patent system there is a backlog of 700,000 patent applications.

The current system of filing, challenging, and litigating patents can also lead to costly

and unnecessary delays.

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

We will modernize and improve the patent system to discourage frivolous lawsuits,

expedite reviews, and provide better protection for job creating entrepreneurs.

Streamlining the system will make it easier for existing businesses to grow and allow

more start-up companies to flourish. The House Judiciary Committee voted to

approve a bipartisan patent reform bill to address these challenges.

9. PROBLEM: VISA SYSTEM FOR HIGHLY SKILLED

Our current visa system is failing job creators who need access to a skilled and

specialized workforce. America has always stood as a beacon of opportunity to the

best and brightest from around the world and the nation has benefitted from their

contributions. Yet today, our visa system is not addressing our economic needs.

Leading high-tech companies in America are struggling to hire qualified employees

while the government visa system sends home highly skilled workers educated in

America’s universities.

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

After a systematic review of our visa system, the Congress should undertake

prudent reforms. The House Judiciary Committee is reviewing our visa system to

determine the needs of American employers and the reforms necessary to ensure

that American businesses maintain their leading edge in innovation and technology

development. Possible solutions include keeping the most accomplished graduates

in math, science and other critical fields here in America as well as making it easier

for start-up entrepreneurs to obtain visas.

10. PROBLEM: FDA PRODUCT APPROVAL PROCESS

Innovators need certainty and timeliness from the government’s product approval

process in order to create and sustain jobs. While some have referred to the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration’s approval process as the “gold standard’ for the

world, the life sciences and medical device approval process lacks transparency

and consistency. This delays access to potentially lifesaving treatments, hinders

job creation in this critical growth sector of our economy, cripples the ability of

companies to make major investment decisions about new research projects, and

sometimes bankrupts promising opportunities with millions of dollars in unexpected

costs.

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

There are two major programs that must be reauthorized next year by Congress

to improve the FDA approval process: the prescription drug user fee program and

the medical device user fee program. Under these two programs, the FDA collects

funds from industry to help expedite the drug and device approval process. These

two reauthorizations present an opportunity to bring transparency and consistency

to the FDA approval process, and with that, more efficiency, growth, and American

jobs.

11. Production to Ensure An Energy Policy for the Twenty-First Century

The energy sector is crucial to our economic growth, and high energy costs have a

major impact on job creation. We have an abundant supply of natural resources in

America that we must use to meet our nation’s energy needs. We need policies that

allow us to harness our own resources, develop new sources of energy, and create

jobs here at home.

12. PROBLEM: RISING ENERGY COSTS

Since President Obama has taken office, American energy production has been

halted and the average national price of gasoline has doubled. The rising cost of

gasoline and dependence on foreign oil mean less money for families struggling to

make ends meet and for business owner who are trying to get our economy moving

again.

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

Over the past 220 years, America has created the greatest economic success

story in the history of the world. Our innovative society has dramatically improved

the length and quality of life for billions of people around the globe. This same

ingenuity must be unleashed to meet our energy and employment needs. House

Republicans are taking immediate action through our American Energy Initiative by

passing bipartisan legislation to expand energy exploration and production. This will

help create American jobs, grow our economy, and enhance our security.

13. Pay Down America’s Unsustainable Debt Burden and Start Living Within Our Means

The federal government is spending and borrowing so much that the United States

will soon go broke. Washington’s spending binge has put our nation in debt,

eroded economic confidence, and caused massive uncertainty for private sector job

creators.

14. PROBLEM: THE NATIONAL DEBT

President Obama and congressional Democrats have overseen the largest budget

deficits in the history of the U.S. In the last two years, non-defense discretionary

spending has increased by over 80%. They’ve maxed out our nation’s credit cards

and are asking us to increase their credit limit so they can spend more. To create

jobs and save our country from national bankruptcy, we must stop spending money

we don’t have.

REPUBLICAN SOLUTION

We will work to control the federal deficit to assure investors and entrepreneurs that

our nation’s elected leaders are finally getting serious about paying off the debt over

time and will bring back confidence by supporting long-term economic growth.

House Republicans have already begun to reduce spending in a meaningful way by

approving legislation to decrease spending for the rest of the year and adopting a

budget that reduces government spending by almost $6 trillion over the next ten

years.

www.gop.gov/

Thanks Rico! And after all that... can ANYONE provide just one example of a regulation that, if dropped, would result in new jobs? If this is such a huge problem for the GOP, I'm sure there's one "biggie" out there that we can discuss. No?

Fiesty,

Maybe your president should be as concerned about non-union workers as he is union workers. Maybe that's the reason some of us don't support his job bill? I'm sorry to admit that I voted for him, but have since learned to despise him. One of the reasons for that is I'm part of the private industry and as far as he is concerned, I can go to hell.

I'd hate to think that you are as naive as your inflammatory posts suggest, so I'm going to place a bit of faith in my fellow (wo)man and suggest that your posts have the goal of stirring the coals so you can get some humor out of the trolls.

"Republicans lined up unanimously against the measure which would have been paid for by a .7 percent surtax on millionaires."

If only they would also try and protect the poor and middle class against tax increases with as much zeal. Instead, their leading candidate with his 999 plan wants to raise taxes on the poor and middle class so he and the rest of the rich can have a tax break at the expense of the 99%.

The Republicans are doing more to get Obama re-elected than all the Democrats combined.

As long as they are discussing a job bill, why don't they come up with something to create jobs for people who are not construction workers?

Look Everyone and their mama knows what the GOP don't want. "JOBS" and bringing down the unemployment rate, which by the way is dropping anyway. 9% I think we can do one more point by the end of Nov 3, 2012 7.9% is good to be re-elected don't you think? It was slow but we got there. Plus we will get rid of most of the GOP and once again we will have the super majority and do big things.

What we NEED is the GOP to take over the senate so we can get our jobs bills passed.

And Republicans will take over the senate. Over 20 Dems up for re-election and only 10 Repubs. The odds are the GOP taking the House and Senate, probably the presidency too.

15 +plus Jobs Bills have already been PASSED by the GOP House. All have been blocked by the Dem senate.

That's why the GOP will take over in 2012.

Willing.Sniper, independent analysis shows that the so called Republican jobs bills won't create any jobs. They will only add to profit for the corporations who are already making very good profits.

Actually putting people to work building things will create jobs, private sector jobs. The ones being paid to build things will use that money to buy things and pay bills. Thus the impact of building things will spread to other sectors of the economy.

The so called jobs bills passed by the Republicans are truely just politics.

And the Democrats' bills are not!? (just politics)

TES, of course they are politics, nothing done in Washington isn't politics.

But unlike the Republican bills, they are not JUST politics, they will actually put people to work and improve our crumbling infrastructure. Something that is greatly needed.

Some people don't like real numbers I guess. Wow, materials will cost most of the money, like I don't know that. The fact is that it will cost of 474 billion to create 2 million jobs. However, part of those jobs will not fix any infrastructure. Just what bridge, road, pipeline etc will be fixed by the police, fireman, teachers and other public union employees? What happened to the almost 800 billion that was passed to fix infrastructure and all those "shovel ready" jobs (or as Biden likes to say: a three letter word Jobs, Jobs, Jobs)? What about when Obama joked that the shovel ready jobs weren't as shovel ready as he thought? Are they shovel ready now? Says who? What needs to be passed is the money for the public union employees so that they can continue to have a job so they can continue to pay union dues so the unions can continue to contribute to Obama and Democrats. This is call money laundering. Of course all of the real numbers that I used don't include all the interest that the taxpayers will have to pay since we don't have an extra 474 billion just lying around.

Fact is, this is just a political stunt that most dems in congress didn't want to vote on because even they know it was nothing about jobs but just a tax increase. Reid wasn't even going to bring up the bill until the Repubs said they wanted to have a vote. And regardless what party you belong to, EVERYONE with HALF a brain knows that even if the bill (s) were passed in the Senate they would not pass the House. Thus it is all a political stunt.

I don't care for all this phoney language these Senators use with each other. Why can't their expressions match their combativeness? Leiberman should be addressed as "the bastardized walking catfish". McConnell; "the flappy lipped fat lizard hiding behind coke bottle bottoms". Nelson; "the tangle eyed mental nubbin". Reid; "the culled sidewinder who can tail walk." Isakson; " Acne, and the perils of ignored hygiene". Sessions; "the thief who gets riper with age". Demint; "the true blue southern Son-of-a-bitch" etc. Might get something done once they clear the air.

LOL....sounds reasonable to me Mac.

BUILD BABY BUILD

Occupy DC is in McConnell's office.

Made my day to hear that.

Brendan,

Who in washington isn't playing politics? Mr. "Make Obama a one-term President" McConnell? You, like the rest of the conservatives here, are laughable. Really, if the situation weren't so serious. And please get off the taxes and regulations kick. Businesses have already published reports stating DEMAND is the issue. BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE F-ING JOBS.

By the time November 2012 comes around, you all will understand the power of the American electorate. They giveth and they taketh away.

At the risk of incurring the rath of my fellow progressives, why should the fed be involved in funding fire fighters, police, and teachers at the local level? BTW..I stopped by at the local OWS movement in Phoenix which I make a point to drive by every day after work which is usually between 4 and 7 PM. Once again there were 4 Phoenix cops "policing" a grand total of 4 peaceful demonstrators. Phoenix city government has spent three hundred fifty thousand dollars to police these people. A total waste of funds. These cops should be out serving warrants and catching criminals rather than trying to make criminals out OWS.

The point being that each "jobs" bill should stand or fail on it's own merit.

Down with Wall Street and their K Street Pimps and Whores in Congress.

Backhouse: The "Republican transportation and Infrastructure' bill is a joke. It cuts $40Billion fom firefighters, police and first responders. It is created to CUT 200,000 American jobs. It rolls back environmental protections such as air and will not act to control mercury, soot or arsenic in our air.

First show me the link where this bill cuts $40B from firefighters, police and first responders.

Second, If it did, then it should as the feds should not be funding a states firefighters, police and first responders, This is a state issue not a fed issue.

Third, show me where it rolls back environmental protections you listed above.

What's nautious?

GOP senators hurt a lot of unemployed people today.

No doubt Daddy Norquist is pleased with his peons' dirty work today.

The GOP-er players in the Senate have demonstrated they are not fit to serve this country too many times.

May they remain ever in the pay and service of Norquist and his enablers.

Just not in our Congress.

Torpedo,

Maybe those phoenix cops can go over the cali and help there....looks like the occupy movement in Oakland is a little more dedicated to the cause!

Under normal circumstances the bill passes 51-49

Republicans can stick their filibuster up the middle classes ass.

That's what they do, that poor person who makes 1.1 million a year would have to pay an additional $700 in taxes.

What a bunch of cowards and crooks.

JB: Under normal circumstances the bill passes 51-49

The vote was to bring the bill to floor for debate, it was not for passage. As with the entire Obama spending bill, and the previous pieces of it, many Democrats have put the White House on notice that they would vote to bring it to the floor but would vote "No" on the bill in it's current form.

Yeah, I know, details.

JB: That's what they do, that poor person who makes 1.1 million a year would have to pay an additional $700 in taxes.

Umm, that would be more like $7700.

Republicans lined up unanimously against the measure which would have been paid for by a .7 percent surtax on millionaires.

WOW!!! I never saw that coming.

Do your homework YOU are wrong about the money.

without a filibuster the bill needs 51 votes to proceed to debate and thus would have passed.

I gotta go, punch out time.

Backhouse -

Posting the same tripe over and over does not make it true...

...No matter how much you would like it to be.

The sheer ignorance of the right wing supporters on this post is pathetic. Where do they get all the unsupported facts and misleading information they regurgitate with such incredible stupidity? The biggest problem facing us in this country is the gullibility, ignorance and sheer stupidity of the right wing conservatives, who follow the lies and misinformation of the Murdoch media with such sheep-like herd mentality.

Larry,

The 2nd piece of the President's Rebuild America Jobs Act that was again blocked from debate today by GOP:

Was to provide hundreds of thousands of workers with jobs rebuilding and repairing bridges, roads, railways, airports that have deteriorated, having been built 50 years ago. Traditionally over the decades, infrastructure has been bipartisanly supported.

Commerce needs decent, functional roads and bridges to travel on, as well as the rest of us, right?

1) 68% of $1+ millionaires agree that contributing a little more on their part is good. 2) Two-thirds of Americans want the provisons in the American Jobs Act.

It is the lobbyist Grover Norquist that has 95% of GOP Congressional Republicans signed on to never raise taxes, even when WE ARE DEMANDING THEY DO SO. GOP is deaf to all cries or reason because they only look out for their benefactors and themselves.

Norquist takes his orders from others, probably ALEC and Koch. But today and today and today I am blaming all those sheisters and pretenders and gamesters on the right hand side of the aisle, for their lack of moral fibre and lack of feeling for the ordinary Americans were conned by GOP into believing they were on their side.

GOP Senators now voted against 1.9 million jobs in whole and in two parts.

@brendan-4

you must be 12.... democrats don't know how to stimulate the economy....?

so that huge surplus we had when Clinton left office... just imaginary right?.... and anyone educated knows that the only interests republicans have is defeating Obama and will tank the US economy to do so.... Government regulations existed far before we had this crisis, it didn't start until GW bushed his tax cuts that made it extremely profitable to ship jobs overseas.... educated people not going to vote republican... look at them there extremists that shift positions based on popularity... as a person with a 4 year accounting degree and a CPA license i can tell you i rather vote for someone that cant get anything done... than one that will f**k us... so stop pulling figures out of your ass and actually read the legislation before you do something idiotic like call it a union hand out... unions have nothing to do with the bill... demand is non-existent because people are running out of money... and people are running out of money because the don't have jobs.. I don't see why companies with more than enough money to hire... would all of a sudden hire because things are deregulated... and if you think the average small business makes over a million a year in profits.. your on crack.

BOTH parties are laughable. What about the "forgotten 15. siiting on Reid's desk?? Those of you saying they are trying to block everything set forth by Obama need to look at this whole thing more closely. We cannot afford his plan and it will NOT improve jobs in the private sector where they are so needed!!! YOU (libs here) are the ones making this political, MANY Americans see the truth!!!

The head of the US chamber of commerce and the head of the US department of labor both came out and said a few weeks ago... "we need to invest in infrastructure"... and then hell froze over because you will never hear those two organizations agree with each other again.... bill would of passed too with majority vote... but because of the filibusterer function.. that is not even in the constitution... prevents it from moving on... you would have to be a right wing extremist not to want to invest in infrastructure.

Please don't call a union handout a jobs package. If obama was serious about creating jobs he wouldn't be spending money, he would be shrinking government and providing certainty to employers and markets -- not demonizing the rich and profitable.

Excellent post Brendan. The government has never been as efficient at creating jobs or wealth as private industry, because an additional job created by the government is paid for out of the pocket of individuals in the private sector. This simple, obvious fact, seems to escape many on the left.

If this sort of stimulus had worked the first time, they wouldn't be asking for a repeat. And if it didn't work the first time, why should we expect it to be more successful, or more efficiently managed this time around? Daily, we see new articles about how the spending passed by Obama and the Democrat controlled congress from early in his term has resulted in huge waste (i.e. Solyndra and other 'green jobs' companies, the completely ineffective 'green jobs' training program, etc. etc). And yet here we are, acting as if simply dumping more money into a pit, without changing the business-hostile regulatory environment, will magically result in new jobs. . . .when it has already failed to do so when tried previously.

A poll of Florida voters showed that 49% think the Republicans are "intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to insure that Barack Obama is not reelected." And this a state that was so conservative that it elected far right Medicare fraudster Rick Scott for their governor. Maybe they're beginning to catch on to the Republicans' racket.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/will-voters-buy-the-idea-that-gop-is-sabotaging-economy/2011/03/03/gIQAJHziiM_blog.html#comments

MireVo3,

Brendan-4 is just blinded by ideology. The facts are very clear. At the end of the Clinton Administration we had full employment and a record 23M new jobs had been created. The Stock Market was booming and we had a budget surplus that would have reduced the public portion of the national debt to zero in less than 10 years if we had kept it. After two massive taxcuts, a complete lack of oversight and regulation of the financial sector and a couple of unpaid for wars, we have the current economy. And yet, Bendan and his fellow travelers (including the very erudite George Will) still insist that low taxes and no regulations are the prescriptions of choice, and that only Republicans know how to apply them. That's beyond partisanship; it's delusional... or criminal insanity.

Marv Leit - Its called the dumbing down of America.

Backhouse -- Let's hope these a$$holes lose their job in the next election. Disgusting and shameful bunch of do nothing part-time overpaid idiots, otherwise known as the senate GOP. When you step on the middle class you step on the majority. Did they forget we vote???

JAS1 -- Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Another bipartisian defeat for the President.

Incorrect. You get an F in civics class.

"A poll of Florida voters showed that 49% think the Republicans are "intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to insure that Barack Obama is not reelected.. . .Maybe they're beginning to catch on to the Republicans' racket."

Or maybe they're as ill-informed as the majority that believed Obama would change things for the better if he were elected President.

At the end of the Clinton Administration we had full employment and a record 23M new jobs had been created.

Unemployment was low, but we did not have full employment. Also, you should note that hand in hand with the creation of those jobs, he cut federal spending by hundreds of billions, rather than raising spending to levels unheard of since WWII (as Obama has done).

What is downright stupid is people who believe in the "invisible hand," "trickle-down" from the rich "job creators" and other superstitious chicken crap. Teapublican lies that tax cuts and deregulation will create jobs is what? It's government policy -- policy that has resulted in the largest disparity between rich and poor since before the Great Depression, and has NOT created jobs. This is simple supply and demand. To solve the problem we must create jobs first. We sure as heck can't keep destroying jobs by laying off first responders, teachers, etc. What is wrong with conservatives, do you have brain damage?

When the private sector can't (or won't) do what it needs to do, government is the only other entity that can try to do something, and must. Everyone knows (well those who tune into something other than FOX Noise and Hate Radio) that the stimulus was not large enough. So you can move off that fallacious argument.

Construction has been the way to recovery in the past. Since the housing industry has been decimated thanks to deregulation of Wall Street, and tax revenues have also been decimated thanks to foreclosures and lay-offs thanks to Wall Street, we need a BIG infusion to jump start our economy. Asking the richest .02% to pitch in the revenue for construction that is needed anyway is the MINIMUM, and needed to be done yesterday.

In asking the people who made the mess to pitch in to fix the mess, I hope the "transaction fee" for making money off of money is implemented as well. Yes, a fee on Wall Street and the banks instead of a fee on consumers to bank. How's that for you Teabaggers?

You "starve the beast" idiots who think a small surtax on multi-millionaires or transaction fees on Wall Street will hit your pocketbooks are truly stupid. What WILL hit your pocketbook is how much more it will cost YOU to completely replace bridges, roads, schools, etc. later on when interest rates higher. Not to mention cuts in education, development of alternative energy, affordable health care, and on and on -- Things that are needed to survive let alone thrive in a global economy.

We must invest in these things if we want to come out of the recession a stronger, more competitive nation. Why do conservatives hate Americans and the USA so much?

Yashmak

"A poll of Florida voters showed that 49% think the Republicans are "intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to insure that Barack Obama is not reelected.. . .Maybe they're beginning to catch on to the Republicans' racket."

Or maybe they're as ill-informed as the majority that believed Obama would change things for the better if he were elected President.

Or maybe you're too ill-informed to understand that Obama having saved the auto industry, avoiding a second Great Depression made conditions aa heck of a lot better than the alternative actions the Republicans wanted to take.

Once again the Republican/Tea Party has shown us that they do not care about the country only their billionaire employers. These GOP traitors move their mouths and sounds come out but amazingly not one coherent thought emerges with the sounds. They were full of hot air when they ran Washington and since that time all they can do is sabotage the economy so they can blame it on the Democrats……do they think we’re blind to their “all politics all the time” approach to governing. The Republican/Tea Party has caused and continues to cause massive damage to this country, damage that’s going to take decades to repair. In order to move forward we must first remove the GOP from the American political landscape for at least 20 years.

If King Harry and the libbie fools in Congress had an ounce of intelligence, they would negotiate, like grown ups do. Clearly they disagree on how to pay for new spending. Previously, democrats supported PAYGO, and now suddenly they will not support it. This is PURE PARTISAN POLITICS.

So go ahead and twist this any way you like, the truth is the majority of voters spoke in Nov 2010, and they will speak loud and clear in 2012.

Also - you should check out the little story today about ACORN stooges and the OWS liberal debacle.

Paul F -- You can't negotiate with terrorists. It's been a waste of time, so why should the president and Dems put anymore good effort after bad faith on the part of Teapublicans? Get real.

The thousands of people marching in support of OWS, far surpassing the Tea Party in only one month's time, which continues to grow in size and intensity, are not going to vote in 2012?

OMG, ACORN? The problem is congress does not spend enough time on commemorative coins (during the two weeks they work between the one week off), and the electorate does not spend enough time on nontroversies. Riiiight.

cool TP - that means obama can't handle the job as POTUS, then again he has already proven that fact.

All past presidents have found the means to work with congress, but not obama. Golly, the jr senator from illinios just can't handle the job. He may be a great assassin but his domestic policies all line up with "it's my way or the highway".

Think you got mixed up there american, that's your slogan! Along with the "party of NO". Confused, are we?

The right-wing would like to convince everyone that the Republicans have proposed job-creation bills in Congress. The so-called, "Forgettable 15 Jobs Bills" that the GOP proposed in Congress were shelved by the Democrats for damned good reasons.

--------------------------------------------------

A Look at GOP’s Forgettable Fifteen

Rather than work with Democrats on bipartisan bills that are fully paid for and would help put more Americans back to work, Republicans insist on pursuing a partisan agenda. Now, they are urging members to use a new pocket card to talk about their so-called “forgotten fifteen” jobs bills.

Unfortunately, what Republicans' bills really forgot is to create any jobs. Their "forgettable fifteen" include bills to roll back critical consumer and environmental protections that won’t create jobs or boost our economy, according to economists:

Former Reagan economic advisor Bruce Bartlett: “Evidence supporting Mr. Cantor’s contention that deregulation would increase unemployment is very weak… As one can see, the number of layoffs nationwide caused by government regulation is minuscule and shows no evidence of getting worse during the Obama administration… McClatchy Newspapers canvassed small businesses, asking them if regulation was a big problem. It could find no evidence that this was the case… Academic research has also failed to find evidence that regulation is a significant factor in unemployment.”

Macroeconomic Advisors: “Regulation does not prevent the economy from achieving full employment. After all, the economy wasn’t that much less regulated in 2007 when the unemployment rate was 4.5%, half of today’s reading… The problem here is the difficulty of quantifying the productivity gain from many of the regulatory proposals…For example, we have no reliable way to measure the effects on national employment or overall productivity of preventing the EPA from tightening its regulation of dust in rural America.”

Gus Faucher, the director of macroeconomics at Moody’s Analytics: “But in the short term, demand is weak, businesses aren’t hiring, and consumers aren’t spending. That’s the cause of the current weakness — and Republican Senate proposals aren’t going to address that in the short term… In fact, they could be harmful in the short run.”

A look at the “forgettable fifteen” shows these bills won’t create jobs or help our economy:

Budget for Fiscal Year 2012 (H.Con.Res. 34): The Republican budget would hurt job creation, due to the deep cuts to investments in areas like infrastructure and education. It doesn't balance the budget and it ends Medicare and raises costs for seniors while protecting tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.

The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act (H.R. 2018): This bill addresses the relationship between the states and the federal government in setting water quality standards and issuing clean water permits. No jobs claims were made during the Floor debate, and no jobs analysis has been done on clean water permitting. In fact, the House adopted the Capito amendment, which called for a jobs analysis.

Consumer Financial Protection & Soundness Improvement Act (H.R. 1315): This bill would undermine critical consumer protections, leaving consumers and the U.S. financial system vulnerable to the risks that led to the 2008 financial crisis and resulted in record job loss.

Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act (H.R. 2587): This bill would roll back protections of middle class workers and make it easier to ship jobs overseas.

Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act (H.R. 2401): This bill calls for a multi-federal agency analysis of the impacts of the regulations that are already the subject of several other Republican bills. Not only does this bill not create jobs, but Republicans have already addressed these issues in other bills.

Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2681): The EPA is already working with the sector on implementation. Not only will this bill not create jobs, but the EPA estimates that when the rule is implemented it will increase productivity by preventing 130,000 days of missed work due to respiratory illness.

The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011 (H.R. 2021): This bill calls for the issuance of Shell’s air permits for OCS drilling in Alaska. EPA has already issued them on September 20, 2011.

North American-Made Energy Security Act (H.R. 1938): This bill references permits for the Keystone pipeline. State Department is expected to act on the permit in three weeks.

Many of the “forgettable fifteen” bills are a complete waste of time and taxpayer money, as the regulations they repeal aren’t even in effect yet – meaning they won’t have any effect on job creation:

The Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act (H.R. 872): This bill attempts to roll back clean water rules that are currently not in effect, so it won’t create jobs.

The Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910): This bill overturns portions of the Clean Air Act that the Supreme Court has affirmed could be used to regulate greenhouse gas pollution. However, there are currently no regulations proposed for utilities and factories, so this bill would not create jobs. The bill was opposed by the Small Business Majority, a group that represents 6 million small businesses with 43 million employees and nearly 22 million self-employed people: “H.R. 910 … is an affront to small businesses and only satisfies a narrow ideological agenda, no matter the consequences. This legislation is a distraction from the real challenges small business owners face and presents a threat to the millions of entrepreneurs who benefit from the Clean Air Act… Our research has continually shown that the Clean Air Act is good for small businesses. A report we released in October of last year found that the benefits of the law have far outweighed the costs.

EPA Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2250): This bill attempts to roll back Boiler MACT rules, which are currently not in effect so it would not have any impact on jobs. In addition, the bill is opposed by the boiler manufacturers due to the potential loss of manufacturing jobs: “The ABMA urges you to vote against H. R. 2250, to let the rulemaking process within EPA go forward without Congressional interference, and to cast aside any further delaying tactics or excuses that only serve to retard growth, defer job creation and spawn confusion.”

Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273): The bill is yet another attempt to roll back clean air protections. However, this regulation is not currently in effect, so no jobs would be created as a result.

Disapproval of FCC's Net Neutrality Regulations (H.J.Res. 37): This bill would block the FCC’s proposed Net Neutrality regulations that are widely considered a compromise that preserves the status quo of an open internet and are currently not in effect, so it would not create jobs.

And in touting the job-creating benefits of three of these bills, Republicans cite a study about the bills’ job creation potential that was completed in July 2010, more than eight months before the bills were introduced and that did not analyze the actual legislation in question. The study used the “worst case sce

(...Continued)

... The study used the “worst case scenario” of permanently ending drilling in the Gulf of Mexico as their estimate of job creation, which ignores the Obama Administration’s resumption of shallow and deep water permitting after the BP oil spill:

Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (H.R. 1229): Ends a non-existent moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which will not add any jobs and actually costs taxpayers $6 million from 2012-2016.

Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R. 1230): Most of the areas proposed for oil leasing in this bill are already scheduled to be leased by the administration this year.

Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act (H.R. 1231): Sets a national goal for oil and gas drilling, which does not create jobs, and refers to a non-existent moratorium.

www.democraticwhip.gov/content/look-gop-s-forgettable-fifteen

There are so many fast and easy things that could be done, like reinstating the "transaction tax" on Wall STreet, but also just increasing the cap on FICA withholdings to reflect current income distribution, and of course just getting out of Afghanistan. There is NO need to attack the least among us who rely on Medicare, and definitely NO need to mess with Social Security unless it's to repay the IOU currently in the trust fund box.

Enough with the top fortune 500 companies paying as little as 17% in taxes, with the top companies paying zero and even receiving government money. These corporations are the "people" who are not paying taxes. Even the working poor pay more than that just in FICA payroll taxes and sales tax.

Backhouse, barry's $60 billion part of the bill is not a bill at all, it is a reciept. A reciept to the American taxpayer for more taxpayer money being wasted. $800 billion was way to much for the socialist POS to spend over 2 years ago, cut spending don't increase spending. We the American people will not approve of anymore spending by this reckless inexperienced socialist. So you and DBO, Navy, fiesty and the rest of the socialists on FR can accept it or bitch and whine about it. Mark my word no more spending by barry for the year he has left trying to destroy the Country. Whine and bitch, bitch and whine. "popcorn" :)

My God...really? REALLY? When was the last time a bill actually made it to the floor of the Senate for debate. At this rate, they are never going to get anything done. The Republicans think the Democrats suck. The Democrats think the Republicans suck. I get that. But anything is better than what we are doing now, which is nothing. I don't care who the Hell is in Congress, just do something! Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. But they'll never know until they try.

This isn't one party or the other party's fault...it's all of their fault. Jesus people... None of these Congressmen give a d@mn about any of us. In my opinion, every single one of them should be fired. Regardless of which d@mn party their in, their job as a group is to enact laws that protect us from this crap...and they've failed. Can them all.

My message is: Do something and quit screwing with us!

Not quite. The "In God We Trust" bill that was pushed by the republicons to be our national motto (you know, because it was in danger) was passed.

So we got that big issue out of the way.

That is a great start! Even some libs voted for it!

May as well trust in god, since there doesn't seem to be anybody trust worthy left in Congress.

Too bad we can't trust Republicans to do what's right. I can't wait for the political ads to start highlighting the Republican votes of the last year and the reason behind them. I am sure everyone is going to understand Mitch's reasons.

IR12 - can't wait for the ads pointing out reids refusal to bring house backed bills up for debate in the senate either. Then there is the obamas lack of concern for seeing that the senate addresses the creation of a FY2012 budget. Poor obama, can't even get the senate to get a FY 2012 budget debated.

Well american, I did notice the small "a", I guess maybe people will then look at the bills. Then what are you going to do?

Well I see there are a few democraps who didn't drink all of their barry koolaide lmao. The ones that voted against this $60 billion waste of money "popcorn" :)

The Republican House has already PASSED 15+ plus Jobs Bills, that have been blocked by the Dem senate. That's a fact.

The proper next step is to have the Democrat Senate bring those 15 jobs bills up for debate and a vote, but the Dems are obstructing and refuse to do so.

So, "willing", since you seem to be SO well informed, you will have no problem naming those "15+" bills and how many jobs they are going to create.

Unfortunately, when you're daily talking point is a lie, it makes you seem dishonest when you parrot it.

The bill won a majority of votes if you read it. 51-49. Things need 60 votes to get over the filibuster, not a "majority." Read. Learn. Grow!

If you can't read, don't type until you learn how. I pray for the day when Republican comments are the result of knowing what they are talking about. This war on ignorance must be won.

Umm, no. They need 60 votes to get it fully passed without a filibuster. There are not 60 democrats in the Senate. Repubs need to vote for anything to pass and we know they don't vote for anything.

Only if it gets past the filibuster, which the R's, one D, and one I prevented from happening. Had it come forward for an actual vote it would have likely passed.

dante2308: You are correct. Nothing will ever be accomplished in the Senate when they need 60 votes to pass almost everything.

Julie, you do realize this wasn't a vote on the bill right? It was a vote to begin debating the bill. A majority was achieved in the vote but 60 was needed to allow it to be debated. Even if every Dem voted for it, it still needs some Republican support.

The Senate voted 51-49 in favor of a procedural motion to bring up the component of President Obama's jobs bill, nine short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster.

In the Senate, you need 60 votes before you can bring anything for an up-or-down vote because of procedural rules! The Republicans have taken advantage of this rule ever since Obama's first day in office to make sure that his biggest initiatives either don't get passed or are seriously watered down. Even if every Democrat voted for the bill, the Republicans make sure it doesn't go anywhere by blocking it from coming up for a regular vote, which at THAT POINT would only need a majority. This system needs to be changed-a supermajority that large shouldn't be needed just to bring a bill up for an up-or-down vote!

There are only 51 democrats and 2 independents who usually vote with them. That is a total of 53. You need a total of 60 votes in the U S Senate to get anything passed. Only in the U S Senate would 51 not be called the majority.

Did you not read the article? Have you not paid attention since Obama got elected. A simple majority is not good enough in the Senate. You need 60 votes to proceed, it's called the fillibuster and the republicans will not vote for anything the president proposes even if it was their idea or have agreed with it in the past. Republican mantra - Jobs - who needs them, we have to make sure Obama is one term.

Its the senate's job to keep divisive, marginal bills from squeaking through. The House is designed for mob rule.

We need to put pressure on Reid to bring it up again.

BUILD BABY BUILD.

Build CONSENSUS ..... not showmanship.

Duh...

Julie, in the senate you must have 60 votes to break a fillibuster.

And if anyone is wondering why the Republicans filibuster everything these days, it's because they want the economy in the crapper until Nov. 2012.

Mitch McConnell quote: My number one priority is to make sure President Obama is a 1 term President.

What a guy, turtle @!$%# doesn't have a clue about how bad it is for people.

John Bayner

And if anyone is wondering why the Republicans filibuster everything these days, it's because they want the economy in the crapper until Nov. 2012.

Mitch McConnell quote: My number one priority is to make sure President Obama is a 1 term President.

What a guy, turtle @!$%# doesn't have a clue about how bad it is for people.

I have to disagree with you here. Mitch McConnell knows how bad it is for the people, he just doesn"t care about the people, plain and simple. Sad, very sad...

Oh nonsense Mark. McConnell wants Obama to have only 1 term, because it's clear how much damage that has been done to our economy in just the 3 years of it that have already passed. Rather than improve unemployment, it has gotten worse. He's added more federal debt in his 3 years in office, than Bush added in his full 8. He's wasted the early part of the term when he SHOULD have been working on a jobs initiative (and when he had a strong majority in BOTH chambers of congress), passing a costly healthcare reform law that remains terribly unpopular, and is falling apart at the seams (and which our nation couldn't afford even if it wasn't falling apart).

There's a reason Obama's administration has become more reluctant to point the blame finger on the economy at his predecessor. Even HE realizes that time has passed. . .that he's had enough time in office that blaming his predecessor is no longer plausible, and falls on deaf ears with voters.

If the DEM's would agree to actually cut entitlement spending, then you might find that getting some of the middle of the road republicans would be easy. They have the majority but refuse to make serious cuts to those who vote for them. If they were smart they would say cut "everything" 10% across the board and see if the republicans take it. That won't happen though because neither side wants to cut their own programs.

The GOP do nothing group is at it again. They are nothing but obstructionists who don't give a damn about this country and will not be happy until they totally destroy the middle class. There is no such animal as a "middle of the road" Republican. They have all become disgusting.

The dimwit mantra is getting old.

Every president has lived under "the other party wants to make them a 1 term president" mantra. Grow up.

As to "do nothing, party of no", King Harry wins that title. He is sitting on more bills than at any time in recent history, not allowing votes on bills from the house.

What is King Harry afraid of? His party can vote on on every one of them, ahhhhhh, but then he would have to answer for this in the general election.....

Yeah, party of do nothing, party of no, party of spending us into oblivion, party of con-men and women, party of Solyndra, party of bail out the banks, unions, and government jobs.

Yashmak, then perhaps McConnell should have waited until Obama was in office for any length of time before stating his goal was to take him out of office at all costs. If your theory were correct, he would first have to observe him 'destroying the country'. In McConnell's case, he stated that right out the gate.

Obama was in office for barely a month, with no impact on anything in the country as of yet, and McConnell stated: "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term President."

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/10/25/126242/mcconnell-obama-one-term/

I think it's safe to say with a fair amount of certainty that the only goal the GOP has followed since Obama was elected was to make him a one-term president at the exclusion of all other priorities. About the only thing the GOP has been doing is appeasing it's base with social agenda's which do nothing for the economy.

@Yashmak (domestic terrorist wannabe)

Sorry kid...nice try but 'W' raised the National Debt 27.8% vs Obama's 9%. That's 3 times as much fer yer 'W' as Obama.

Big Ronnie raised it 20.6% by his self and Bush Sr. added another 13%.

Buba reduced it by 9.7%.

So by 'doing the math one can conclude that since 1981 or over the last 30 years the Democrats have reduced the National Debt a cumulative .7% whilst the GOPer's have raised it a whopping 61.4%.

I know that math is not one of your strong suits nor is seeing the facts right in front of your face. You have got to be one of those poor brainwashed individuals that will be standing in line for the TRICKle down that has 'never come' in the last 30 years.

I'm also certain that you are one of those fine individuals that has voted to raise your own wages or not voted to not raise them and have voted to give yourself a retirement pension 80% of your average last 3 years 'on the job' wages plus lifetime healthcare and a weeks 'paid' vacation for every 2 weeks you spend voting on junk bills and deciding if the Country's motto should remain what it already is.

The chart below says it all my friend. A quick google and the 'facts' were right there a click away.

Do us a favor and look things up before you step on yer own.... making false and erroneous statements concerning things you know nothing about.

'ave a great day M8. :D

Ronald Reagan
R
1981–1985
32.5%
43.8%
+823
+11.3%
D
R

Ronald Reagan
R
1985–1989
43.8%
53.1%
+1,050
+9.3%
D
99th R, 100th D

George H. W. Bush
R
1989–1993
53.1%
66.1%
+1,483
+13.0%
D
D

Bill Clinton
D
1993–1997
66.1%
65.4%
+1,018
-0.7%
103rd D, 104th R
103rd D, 104th R

Bill Clinton
D
1997–2001
65.4%
56.4%
+401
-9.0%
R
R

George W. Bush
R
2001–2005
56.4%
63.5%
+2,135
+7.1%
R
107th Split, 108 R

George W. Bush
R
2005–2009
63.5%
84.2%
+4,521
+20.7%
109th R, 110th D
109th R, 110th D

Barack Obama
D
2009–2010
84.2%
93.2%
+3,542
+9.0%
111th D, 112th R
D

Isn't it interesting that the president cannot be blamed for anything because his party does not control 60 votes in the senate but bush can be blamed for everything even though his party never controlled 60 votes in the senate. Hmm, was bush much more effective?

Julie, while I do not want to disparage you, you really are the problem in the United States. I assume you understand by now your severe lack of understanding of the Constitution and how bills are passed. The problem is you tend to believe the paid traitors who post things on boards such as this that try to call votes likes this as a bi-partisan failure. By saying the bill failed by a bi-partisan vote, they know the illiterate will believe that Democrats as well as Republicans were against the bill so President Obama must somehow be wrong.

This is as good a place as any to inform those who persist in the Senate Super majority lie of the 111th Congress and the continuing obstruction of the 112th Congress. And don't give me any crap about "well how did anything get passed?( ie. Healthcare Reform, etc.) because even then and now, every bill needed votes from the Independents, Blue dog Dems and Republicans

No matter how many times you repeat that Super Majority lie it is still a lie. And don't forget the Blue Dog Dems,either(ie. Evan Bayh, etc?) In fact, you could really say they never had a super majority because of Leiberman(I. Conn), just another pissed off Independent that consistently votes with the Republicans. he backed McCain, didn't he?

There was never a "super majority" for any length of time. Stop with the lies. The GOP/TP has set a historical record for the number of filibusters in this administration and it continues to obstruct any bills to move us forward. Senate Supermajority myth

January 3, 2009 - 111th Congress sworn in. 55 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents, 2 vacant.

January 15, 2009 - Roland Burris sworn in to Barack Obama's seat. 56 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents, 2 vacant.

April 30, 2009 – Arlen Specter changes parties. 57 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents, 1 vacant.

July 7, 2009 – Al Franken seated. 58 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE DEMOCRATS HAD A SHOT AT A
60-VOTE MAJORITY.

August 25, 2009 – Teddy Kennedy dies. Kennedy had missed 97% of the votes in 2009 and over 90% in the last half of 2008. 57 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents, 1 vacant.

September 25, 2009 – Paul Kirk appointed to Teddy Kennedy's seat. 58 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE DEMOCRATS HAD A SHOT AT A 60-VOTE MAJORITY.

February 4, 2010 – Scott Brown sworn in to replace Paul Kirk. 57 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents.

June 28, 2010 – Robert Byrd dies. Byrd had missed over 90% of the votes in 2010 and almost 50% in 2009 due to illness. 56 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents, 1 vacant.

November 29, 2010 - Mark Kirk sworn in to replace Roland Burris. 56 Democrats, 42 Republicans, 2 Independents.

Super-majority? It existed only for a total of 6 months AND only during
two periods when Teddy Kennedy and/or Robert Byrd were unable to vote AND
required them to get the votes of every Democrat plus BOTH independents.

FACT: The "Democrat supermajority" is a G.O.P. lie.

FACT: The GOP used every roadblock, filibuster, and secret hold they could think of so that EVERY bill had to have a 60-vote margin to pass.

The point you are missing Cynthia while so doggedly insisting the G.O.P are lying, is that GW Bush and Clinton both were able to negotiate and compromise without a super majority or majority because they were leaders not blamers and instigaters. The BO administration continually displays weakness in governance and is a collosal failure that needs replacing at the first opportunity. You should be thanking the Republicans for blocking ill-conceived, economically short-sighted and destructive legislation. America will be in much better shape for a sustainable recovery when a leader with experience and negotiating skills and without a liberation, socialistic agenda. Blame BO for the outcomes during his tenure just like you blame Bush, Chaney, et. al. Blame not if you're a practicing hypocrit.

It's just not hypocrisy anymore. It's the LeftyLibDem's new way of doing business.

Excellent post Cynthia. One minor point. At the end of your post you noted they had a supermajority for 6 months, which is still not true. An independent is an independent, not a Dem, and not a Republican. There have never been any instances where the Dems held a 60 seat supermajority in the 111th congress.

Super-majority? It existed only for a total of 6 months AND only during
two periods when Teddy Kennedy and/or Robert Byrd were unable to vote AND
required them to get the votes of every Democrat plus BOTH independents.

Steve, the economy was recovering had had shown constant growth for months before the Republicans took the house. As soon as they took office and started filibustering in both houses, the economy stalled.

I don't consider that a 'win' for America.

Do you seriously consider $7000 dollars out of a million a burden for the rich? That would have put hundreds of thousands back to work, and started much needed repairs on our infrastructure. This has historically always been a bipartisan approach. They can't even get on board with this now, all in the effort to protect the rich. At least they can have that extra bottle of Dom, and some caviar now...

All the GOP/TP has done since they came into power is to push social 'religious' agendas which do nothing for the economy, and push to kill unions, lay of federal workers by the hundreds of thousands, and slash and burn.

Only an idiot would start killing jobs in a recession.

Good point Julie, but reality is his own party knows hes not the general and when his campaign bus tour comes to their states they avoid him like the plague, wait he is the plague to the United States. lmao

"D Senators", Julie? If you would have read the article, you would know that it was only one D Senator that voted against it. When writing the English language, you only put an "s" after the noun when it is plural.

Either you flunked 3rd grade English, or you are intentionally engaging in deceit. Which one is it, Julie???

Next week we will introduce a really big word to you. Fillibuster....(Sorry...it does have a lot of syllables...)

These guys are sealing their own fate. They thought this whole stall game would bring down the economy and thus the President. So now that the economy is showing some signs of growth and the Presidents numbers are rapidly improving while those of congress drop like a led balloon,and its evident that its Mitt or Obama,they are freaking out !!! Now the repubs know the feeling that Obama had when he realized what GW had really left him. All this for one lobbyist,GROVER. Who would of thought that our country could be held hostage by a Sesame Street character.

Is this the us your talking thar cowboy.

General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha , Wis. , to Beijing . In addition to moving the headquarters, the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers. This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year. but paid no taxes-the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the united States .

So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs. I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those jobs.

Dayum and the whole time I thought you were trying to create jobs in this country. Had I known it was China you were working on I would have given you socialist moonbats more credit. lmao "popcorn"

Obama's Stimulus Package was supposed to pay for "shovel ready infrastructure jobs" but it was just another Dem lie.

There is zero reason to believe the same lie again. But every reason to reject

Nelson is on his way out and will be replaced by a repub. . .

Both need to go away for the good of the 99%.

The long-term good of the 99% would be best served if Obama, and ALL the big spenders/big govt types (no matter if they have a D or R behind their name) up there on the hill went away.

poor baby. . .

BS. Grow up dems and republicans. Do your jobs or go home. You willingly spent billions on wars built on lies. Consider this our American war. It is us (the middle class) against them - the republicans. Send these clowns home. If they are not up for re election then start recalling them. Useless people have no place in Congress.

BS irene. If you don't want our middle class saddled by the burden associated with a massively increased federal debt, you're targeting the wrong crew. We can't stop the debt generated in the past, but we CAN work to stop the additional growth of that debt. It has grown more in the last 3 years, than in the prior 8. That debt will stifle economic growth as long as it is not addressed. If we took 100% of the income of the rich in taxes, it wouldn't even cover the deficit, let alone start to address the accumulated debt.

The answer is obvious. . .glaringly obvious. We must, however painful it is likely to be, start with meaningful spending cuts now. Otherwise, it's going to be a lot more painful when we get to the point where Greece finds itself. If we land there, there is no one large enough to play France/Germany to our Greece, and bail us out. Our economy will collapse completely, and take that of the rest of the world with it.

We like to pretend it can't happen. That we're "too big to fail". But it can, and it is inevitable if we keep spending beyond our means.

Yashmak,

Spending cuts? What spending cuts? You mean cutting corporate taxes? (Gosh, they already have trillions in reserve, their claim not mine, I know they just need more to create jobs) Or perhaps you mean privatizing the SS system.? (Good thought, take all the money that private citizens paid in over the years and give it to those greedy losers/failures on Wall St to lose, then you talk or complain about welfare, you'll have just added another couple of hundred million to the roll) How about doing away with medicare? ( Guess we can just let people die, like your parent's, brothers, sisters, daughters, son's, etc.,etc. I know we will give them a $10,000 voucher to pay big Insurance for a policy, as if they don't already have enough money and people can't afford them now, except that wouldn't even cover them for 6 months today. Plus, most wouldn't qualify because of prior conditions, you know how those Insurance compies are.) Great thoughts , huh? Personally, I don't see all these Republicans in the Senate and House who want to cut back Government giving up anything! Actually, they just keep giving themselves bigger raises, better benefits. Before they ask me to make anymore cuts, they better start taking a allot themselves. Deregulation? ( Christ, we just saw what that does. Collapsed every average American 401k plans down the tubes, trillions lost, put millions of Americans out of work.) So before you blame one man for his ideas, you had better look to see what is being offered by the other. some agenda your republicans have,huh? maybe for you but I certainly don't want it.

Jennifer,NY, the reason Obama don't talk to Democrats is they don't listen to him. Now, Obama sings, "My Way".

Term limits?

yeah, term limits would be a good start!

Removing those professional politicians that continue to spend money we don't have would be beter!

Ah, but the GOP thinks that its the Demos who need to do that. They believe that liberals have entralled DC and won't accept cutting spending or regulations, even if the spending is wasteful or the regulations have a much higher economic cost than any benefit they might provide.

Both sides feel that the other is to blame and I expect most of the people in the middle just want the fighting to end, the only question is who will the blame. Right now it looks likely that the pacyderms will end up the majority in the senate after 2012, so it might end up that the "throw the bums out of the house and keep Obama president" movement fails to do anything but inflict 2-4 more years of political frustration on the nation.

yeah Gladys --- by all means a balance budget? What the fudge are these republicans thinking!

The problem with that is all the narrow minded libs and Conservatives will just vote along party lines again and it will just be more of the same @!$%#.

Robert: I do not know of anything where 9% is acceptable.

And 95% of them will be reelected. So what's that tell you about Congress's approval rating?

Joanna, you hit the nail squarely on the head with that comment. Our congress is a direct reflection of the stupidity and self indulgence that has taken the country down the proverbial crapper. It's always hard to look in the mirror if you don't like the reflection and that is where the 9% approval rating comes from. But all our elected officials don't get to office without our permission. Ultimately, we have the final say over who we choose as our representatives and we have all made some horrible choices. We have to take responsibility for our own choices. We are the ones who bought houses that we couldn't afford and sunk our savings into high risk investments and we are the ones who put these idiots in charge of this country. Although the content of most of these postings tends to prove otherwise, we are smart enough to get off our asses and serve this nation more effectively than those we have elected but we don't and we won't. It's sad to see an empire crumble from the inside, but if we survive, maybe we can build something better in its place.

Texas, first do any of you liberals realize that only 6 billion would be spent in 2012? The rest would be spent in later years. If this was such a great jobs bill, why does it not spend the money immediately? Second, do you liberals realize that 15 jobs bills that the Republican house passed is sitting on the desk of harry reid and he will not even let one of them come to a vote? Third, obama and the dems could have passed just about anything when then had total control of the presidency, house, and senate. Fourth, obama in 2009 and the democrats let the spending for the first stimulus expire and did not renew any of it, again when they had control of the house, senate, and presidency. Fifth, you want to talk about a do nothing party? The democrat senate has 15 passed house bills to create jobs and are doing nothing. Also, the democrat led senate has been without a budget for over 900 days. It is a law that the congress has to pass a budget. The bottom line is that harry reid and the do nothing senate are breaking the law and should have their butts thrown in jail or at the least, be held for contempt. The democrats decided that spending almost two years on a healthcare bill that has done nothing but cost more money than what the dems said, but has been nothing but a job killer. I would still love to see what percent you liberals feel is fair to pay taxes. I am talking federal, state, county, city, Social security, workers comp, and property taxes. I have never seen any liberal put this out their. How percentage of you pay would you like federal, state, and local take from you? Carney misquoted the bible when he stated that God helps those who help themselves. Even if it was a correct quote, God said to help yourself, not help yourselves to others money so you do not have to work. How pathetic that any of us believe we have a right to others money. The law breaking occupy wallstreet people have no idea why they are protesting. Some complain about wall street bonuses, what about the federally run Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Over $12 million in bonuses, because obama's people say they need to pay it to retain better managers. This is the same thing the private sector is doing.

YOU clearly need a history lesson. The rest of your post isn't worthy of comment.

Enjoy becoming collapsed.

Chanin Miller: Have you not read the article or any of the previous posts regarding the Republicans insisting on filibustering everything? A simple majority is not good enough in the Senate; sixty votes are required to proceed with the debate.

Oooh Mary,

51 to 49 votes is such a landslide of support isn't it ???

You are gullible to believe this job will actually produce significant, long-lasting jobs here in the U.S.

This is merely a green light for more spending of more funds we do not have and will have to borrow.

Oooh Jim,

Did I state that it was a landslide? No. I stated that if the Republicans did not filibuster everything, the Senate could pass legislation. This issue of whether it is a good bill or not was not the topic of my post. But, now that you mention it, it seems that I have heard from Republicans in the past and the present, that spending on infrastructure is a good way to stimulate the economy.

1 (one, uno) Democrat voted with the Republicans. You do know what that number means right? A single person sided with the repukes. One guy. But you keep believeing that the Democrats don't support this bill.

Oh, and i think your tinfoil hat is torn, you might want to fix that before the evil government steals your capability to think indepently of what Fox Noise says....whoops too late.

jim, is that kool-aid that is all over your shirt?

51% is a majority. I don't think the Constitution requires a "landslide" of support to pass a bill. So are we just assuming now that every single Democratic bill is going to be facing a Republican filibuster? If so, then clearly the same rules are going to apply to Republican bills if the Democrats ever become the minority.

I think most Americans want this dysfunctional Congress to agree with simple up or down votes, and the majority votes win, like it's been for over 200 years. The Republicans don't seem to care that they're on borrowed time. The Republicans all agree that we need to invest in infrastructure, so this is just another vote against Obama by the Party of No.

You are gullible to believe this job will actually produce significant, long-lasting jobs

Well, I am gullible enough to believe it would be better than a Republican fillibuster preventing ANY type of relief to some of those in need.

... as well as shoring up our aged, worn-out infrastructure.

clotho, indeed the constitution does not require more than a 51% rule to pass a bill in the Senate. The Senate rules have the clause regaring fillibusters, supposedly to protect the rights of the minority party. It was never meant to be abused the way it is now, with almost every bill being blocked by the republicans.

The filibuster isn't even working as originally intended. It used to be a filibuster meant that a speaker from the party opposing the measure had to be physically present on the floor of the Senate, and speaking continuously. The filibuster could only be stopped if the speaker yielded or 2/3 of the Senate voted to end it. This made it quite clear who was obstructing the business of the Senate, and required real effort to carry out the filibuster.

The modified rules now allow a Senator to in effect say "I call filibuster" and if the 2/3 vote isn't there to override it, voting and discussion on that bill is halted, but the "filibustering" senator never even needs to take the floor or make a speech. It is a no-cost virtual filibuster without an identifiable perpetrator.

The worst part of this is that it isn't democratic, since the minority 1/3 of the Senate can prevent action on any measure they do not like, and the will of the majority is blocked. Knowing that the Republicans will use this virtual filibuster every time, the Democrats consider a bill defeated if it doesn't have the support of 2/3 of the members when it comes to the floor.

I can understand one Democrat voting with the Republicans. What I fail to understand is why there is not one single Republican that wants to help the people of the United States of America that need jobs. If cutting taxes was going to go it, it surely would have happened by now. Or is it possible they do not care about anyone but their campaign contributors?

it cause they can not let dc have any good thing to there cradit be for 2012

Simply put, the Republicans hate Obama more than they love their own country.

We ,the 99% are suffering because of that.

Party before country is the republican motto.

Their day is coming in 12 months.