House Democrats pass stimulus while Republicans play games
By Joel McDonald • Jan 29th, 2009 • Category: Blog, Related News
In another example of the remarkable leadership of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Republicans in the US House of Representatives pushed for concessions from the Democratic majority and President Barack Obama. In response to this push, compromises were made in an effort to build bipartisan support for the economic recovery bill.
These compromises included cutting infrastructure investment by 10%, increasing tax cuts to $300 billion, as well as the now infamous contraceptive funding supported by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
What’s so remarkable about Boehner’s leadership isn’t that these compromises were reached. House Republicans knew that President Obama was striving to bring both parties together to put together a bill that would be of best benefit the nation. Boehner had that card to play. The remarkable thing is how Republicans voted. In an incredible show of solidarity and “principle“, Boehner and every member of his party effectively told President Obama, and the American people, that they can take their bipartisanship and shove it. Not one Republican voted in favor of the bill. The final vote tally was 244 in support, and 188 in opposition. One representative was unable to attend the vote, and eleven Democrats voted against the bill.
Amazing! Not one Republican voted in favor of the bill. Every member seems willing to march in step to the direction of their fearless leader, John Boehner. It’s unfortunate that his only strategy seems to show outward signs of reaching across the aisle to get something accomplished, direct his membership to vote in a way that would dissolve any previous bipartisan efforts, and then complain to the press that Republicans didn’t get enough of what they wanted and that their plan is so much better, if only someone would listen to them.
This seems to be the pattern of John Boehner. When the House was preparing to vote on the first version of the bailout bill in late September 2008, both Democrats and Republicans were building bipartisan support for the bill. President George W. Bush expressed confidence in the passage of the bill. For a time, it seemed as though both Democrats and Republicans were going to pony up just enough votes to pass the bill together. However, when the votes were tallied, it became evident that Boehner had his membership withhold just enough votes to keep the bill from passing. He then went to the media with a woeful story of how Republicans had been slighted.
The final outcome of that bill is controversial, as the lack of accountability and inconclusive effectiveness are major issues. However, the tactics used by Boehner and his fellow House Republicans, then and now, are juvenile.
Someone needs to tell John Boehner to stop wasting time with his legislative tantrums, stop strong-arming his membership into voting along party lines regardless their conscience, and actually get to work as a member of our congressional leadership in getting something done. The time for games is over.
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Joel McDonald has been following Virginia politics since February 2008, starting with the Democratic Presidential Primary. Since then, he has been the primary new media contact for progressive district and statewide campaigns.
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Amazing. Over 95% of Democrats voted for it, and Joel thinks that’s bipartisanship in action. No “strongarming” at all? Yeah, right.
Joel, be careful of falling into the trap of complaining about Republicans when Democrats are doing exactly the same thing.
Its not bipartisanship in action, and that’s the point. At least there’s a little evidence that Democrats are willing to step outside the party line. Are there seriously NO Republicans in favor of the bill? None? Not one?
Joel, I wouldn’t be so proud out of 11 Democrats breaking ranks out of 244. Do you know what’s still in this bill? Do you know how much of it would actually stimulate the economy, at least anytime soon?
I was an early supporter of an infrastructure bill, in that I think that would’ve done wonders. I personally would’ve liked to see a moratorium on the mountains of red tape that make an airport runway a 20-year project. Infrastructure is not only real jobs, but fuels the economy for two generations.
Instead, we get bailouts to state governments’ bloated budgets and millions for STD prevention.
I don’t disagree with you on the infrastructure funding in the bill, and I’m peeved that some of that funding was cut in favor of tax cuts (for whom, I’m skeptical) as a concession for House Republicans who decided they’d do some grandstanding by voting against it.
While I’m not really in favor of the funding for contraceptives or STD prevention in the bill, longterm economic arguments can be made in those areas. As a stimulus package needed for both short-term and long-term economic recovery and expansion, I can see how those programs were attached.
I’ll be researching the bill further and will have a post up detailing what I’m in favor of and what I think shouldn’t be in there. Not that my opinion counts for much, but it’ll get me focused on what’s actually there.