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On CBS’s “Face the Nation” yesterday, host Bob Schieffer asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) yesterday, “Do Republicans have any plans to do anything on the unemployment front or are you just going to let things take their course?” It seemed like a good question.
McConnell replied, “No, I — I think — what — what we’re doing is encouraging the president to — to quit doing what he’s doing.”
The Senate Minority Leader has clearly given job policy considerable thought. And to think I doubted him.
Jay Bookman did a nice job fact-checking McConnell’s other remarks — it’s as if the senator has no idea what he’s talking about when it comes to the economy — but the key takeaway here is the realization that McConnell doesn’t even think a jobs agenda is necessary. If he and his party simply stand in the way of the White House’s agenda — an agenda, by the way, that vastly improved the economy — everything will be fine.
In theory, this should create an opportunity for Democrats. Congressional Republicans not only don’t have a plan to create jobs; they don’t even see the need for one. There’s some talk that Senate Dems are at least looking in the right direction.
Fearing the economy may be getting worse, Democrats plan to soon unveil what they’ll call a “Jobs First” agenda — and the stakes are high. A bleak economic outlook, like the May jobs report, could cost Democrats their thin Senate majority and even the White House if they can’t make a strong case to an anxious electorate that their policies will create jobs. […]
Sen. Mark Begich has enlisted business officials to present senators with their ideas for bolstering job creation, and the Alaska Democrat wants his party to unveil a package full of proposals — like a boost in infrastructure spending and changes to visas to boost tourism — that one by one could be brought to the floor over the next several weeks.
All kinds of ideas are apparently on the table. The best possible idea — an ambitious stimulus that ignores deficit concerns — won’t generate any consideration, but modest measures, including a payroll tax holiday, are still being bandied about.
Even former President Clinton is weighing in, writing a piece for Newsweek with several credible ideas for job creation.
I’m not especially optimistic about “Jobs First.” Getting Dems to agree to a meaningful plan will be like herding cats, and getting the GOP-led House to pass it will be impossible.
But I’m at least mildly encouraged by the shifting discussion. Instead of an all-deficit-all-the-time debate, Democrats are talking about what can be done to create jobs, while Republican deliberately ignore the issue. Here’s hoping Dems aim high and don’t let up.
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sjw on June 20, 2011 1:35 PM:
No doubt we can count of Obama to take the lead on this, just as he has done in the past several months.
(And just to be clear, sure, Reid and Pelosi et al. need to step up too, but this first and foremost this is Obama's job as president.)
Texas Aggie on June 20, 2011 1:46 PM:
Actually herding cats isn't all that difficult. Just make the sound of a can opening and you can get them to do whatever you want.
But seriously, the Democrats better get on the job of creating jobs for people because if not, they're history. Once the republicans get into office they'll change the voting laws to ensure that Democrats never win another race. Wisconsin is exhibit A, Florida is exhibit B. And since most voters don't live in the real world, the Democrats have GOT to make it clear to the public that the republicans, as Yertle did on Face the Nation, don't really care about jobs.
Not a nickel to support the Washington Monthly until captcha is gone, never to be seen again.
Ron Byers on June 20, 2011 1:50 PM:
By promoting his cat food commission and the gang of 6 plus Biden the President has essentially torpeadoed any jobs proposals. Senate Democrats are on their own.
c u n d gulag on June 20, 2011 2:01 PM:
If Dmocrats 'aim high,' that means they'll shoot themselves in the head, instead of the foot.
PLEASE, prove me WRONG, DEMOCRATS!!!
stevio on June 20, 2011 2:02 PM:
Here’s hoping Dems aim high and don’t let up.
Yeah, right. Their response to Bitch McConnell is: "I'll stop doing what we're doing if you stop doing what you're doing,"
The Dems are scared of their own shadows and the GOP is laughing their arises off.
Nauseating....
desraye on June 20, 2011 2:04 PM:
Political AnimalBlog
June 20, 2011 1:25 PM
Awaiting a ‘Jobs First’ agenda
By Steve Benen
Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit StumbleUpon Delicious
On CBS’s “Face the Nation” yesterday, host Bob Schieffer asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) yesterday, “Do Republicans have any plans to do anything on the unemployment front or are you just going to let things take their course?” It seemed like a good question.
McConnell replied, “No, I — I think — what — what we’re doing is encouraging the president to — to quit doing what he’s doing.”
The Senate Minority Leader has clearly given job policy considerable thought. And to think I doubted him.
Jay Bookman did a nice job fact-checking McConnell’s other remarks — it’s as if the senator has no idea what he’s talking about when it comes to the economy — but the key takeaway here is the realization that McConnell doesn’t even think a jobs agenda is necessary. If he and his party simply stand in the way of the White House’s agenda — an agenda, by the way, that vastly improved the economy — everything will be fine.
In theory, this should create an opportunity for Democrats. Congressional Republicans not only don’t have a plan to create jobs; they don’t even see the need for one. There’s some talk that Senate Dems are at least looking in the right direction.
Fearing the economy may be getting worse, Democrats plan to soon unveil what they’ll call a “Jobs First” agenda — and the stakes are high. A bleak economic outlook, like the May jobs report, could cost Democrats their thin Senate majority and even the White House if they can’t make a strong case to an anxious electorate that their policies will create jobs. […]
Sen. Mark Begich has enlisted business officials to present senators with their ideas for bolstering job creation, and the Alaska Democrat wants his party to unveil a package full of proposals — like a boost in infrastructure spending and changes to visas to boost tourism — that one by one could be brought to the floor over the next several weeks.
All kinds of ideas are apparently on the table. The best possible idea — an ambitious stimulus that ignores deficit concerns — won’t generate any consideration, but modest measures, including a payroll tax holiday, are still being bandied about.
Even former President Clinton is weighing in, writing a piece for Newsweek with several credible ideas for job creation.
I’m not especially optimistic about “Jobs First.” Getting Dems to agree to a meaningful plan will be like herding cats, and getting the GOP-led House to pass it will be impossible.
But I’m at least mildly encouraged by the shifting discussion. Instead of an all-deficit-all-the-time debate, Democrats are talking about what can be done to create jobs, while Republican deliberately ignore the issue. Here’s hoping Dems aim high and don’t let up.
Steve Benen is a contributing writer to the Washington Monthly, joining the publication in August, 2008 as chief blogger for the Washington Monthly blog, Political Animal.
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sjw on June 20, 2011 1:35 PM:
"No doubt we can count of Obama to take the lead on this, just as he has done in the past several months.
(And just to be clear, sure, Reid and Pelosi et al. need to step up too, but this first and foremost this is Obama's job as president"
The president has been focusing on jobs.Just because you don't see it on the MSM doesn't mean he's not talking about it.
"By promoting his cat food commission and the gang of 6 plus Biden the President has essentially torpeadoed any jobs proposals. Senate Democrats are on their own."
When did the president promote the gang of six and the catfood commission?
desraye on June 20, 2011 2:09 PM:
Where's the edit button?
Ron Byers on June 20, 2011 2:18 PM:
For months now the President has let it be known in no uncertain terms that long time deficit reduction of the kind proposed by his catfood commission and by the negotiations between Biden and the Republicans on the same topic that jobs were not important to him.
Yes lately his electorial advisors have awoke from their slumber and have noticed unemployment inching up, so they have started sending him to high tech plants for photo ops, but the machinery of the administration is still focused on cutting the deficit.
Here in my little town we notice that one local court in a nearby "Republican" town is no longer answering the telephone after 2:00 PM. I guess the local Republicans have laid some people off in hopes of growing the economy.
I mentioned what is going on to my bookkeeper. She responded "do they think we are stupid?" I replied "Yes, yes they do."
America is going down the toilet and nobody in Washington is doing anything about it. Move over Mexico here we come.
Daryl McCullough on June 20, 2011 2:58 PM:
Nothing upsets me more than Obama and the Democrats in Congress giving up on important goals because the votes aren't there. If it's something worth while, then fight for it. If the votes aren't there because of Republican or conservadem intransigence, then call them on it. Let the public know who is standing in the way of progress. Let that be the basis for the next election.
bdop4 on June 20, 2011 3:44 PM:
No significant legislation is going to pass until after the election, so people should just stop worrying about it.
It's time to go long and get bold, and hopefully enough public pressure may be brought to bear on the economy that some swing-state republicans might change their vote. But now is not the time to seek a Kumbaya Bipartisanship that never existed in the first place.
Dredd on June 20, 2011 3:53 PM:
Good points. It is as if agendas are no longer attached to the real needs of the people, who are the soul of the nation.
BigSkyDem on June 20, 2011 11:03 PM:
The Republican agenda seems to suit large multi-national corporations just fine. Too bad for the rest of us. Senators who don't want to change this agenda surrendered a long time ago their majority. 51 Senate votes to pass Bush taxcuts 60 to end them.
The President has surrendered his agenda because he cannot end Bush wars, end un-Patriotic Bush Acts like spying on us, and he can't politicize his appointments or defend them.
What is the plan here? I don't see incentives to change from the Democratic leadership.
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