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On Monday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told reporters that the American Jobs Act is “dead.” Congressional Republicans, he said, might be willing to consider some small measures that won’t make much of a difference, but meaningful efforts are off the table.
On Tuesday, President Obama traveled to Dallas, Texas, where he responded to the oft-confused Majority Leader directly.
“Yesterday, the Republican Majority Leader in Congress, Eric Cantor, said that right now he won’t even let this jobs bill have a vote in the House of Representatives. This is what he said. Won’t even let it be debated. Won’t even give it a chance to be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“Think about that. I mean, what’s the problem? Do they not have the time? They just had a week off. Is it inconvenient?
“Look, I’d like Mr. Cantor to come down here to Dallas and explain what exactly in this jobs bill does he not believe in. What exactly is he opposed to? Does he not believe in rebuilding America’s roads and bridges? Does he not believe in tax breaks for small businesses, or efforts to help our veterans?
“Mr. Cantor should come down to Dallas and look Kim Russell in the eye and tell her why she doesn’t deserve to be back in the classroom doing what she loves, helping our kids. Come tell her students why they don’t deserve to have their teacher back. Come tell Dallas construction workers why they should be sitting idle instead of out there on the job. Tell small business owners and workers in this community why you’d rather defend tax breaks for folks who don’t need them — for millionaires — rather than tax cuts for middle-class families.
“And if you won’t do that, at least put this jobs bill up for a vote so that the entire country knows exactly where members of Congress stand. Put your cards on the table.”
If there were any doubts about whether the president is fully invested in his more confrontational posture, I think calling out Cantor like this, by name, should make Obama’s intentions fairly clear.
It also suggests the White House isn’t folding on the jobs bill. Cantor’s DOA declaration on Monday didn’t exactly send Obama back to the drawing board with his tail between his legs. The president appears eager to keep fighting.
What’s the end game? I would imagine the president and his team realize that radicalized House Republicans aren’t going to suddenly become responsible. It’d be nice, and public pressure might sway a few votes, but it’s just not realistic.
But that’s one of the things that made Obama’s message yesterday interesting: he just wants a vote on his popular and effective jobs plan. The moment congressional Republicans kill it, the president will very likely use their intransigence as the 2012 pitch: “I presented a bipartisan plan to boost the economy that the American people liked, but Republicans refused. If you’re unhappy with the state of the economy, blame them.”
I don’t know if that’ll work, but it’s a compelling message that happens to be accurate. And frankly, I’m not sure if Obama really has any other options.
Postscript: Incidentally, the president also had a little fun with a quote ThinkProgress flagged the other day.
“[T]he tax code, the way it’s structured, is not fair. And so what we’ve said is, let’s reform our tax code based on a very simple principle, and it will raise more money without hurting working families. Here’s the principle: Middle-class families, working families, should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires or billionaires. I don’t know how you argue against that; seems pretty straightforward to me. Warren Buffett’s secretary shouldn’t pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett.
“Now, when I point this out — it seems very logical to me, but when I point this out, some of the Republicans in Congress, they say, ‘Oh, you’re engaging in class warfare.’ Class warfare? Let me tell you something. Years ago, a great American had a different view. All right? I’m going to get the quote just so you know I’m not making this up. The Great American said that he thought it was ‘crazy’ that certain tax loopholes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying 10 percent of his salary. All right?
“You know who this guy was? Wasn’t a Democrat. Wasn’t some crazy socialist. It was Ronald Reagan. It was Ronald Reagan. Last time I checked, Republicans all thought Reagan made some sense. So the next time you hear one of those Republicans in Congress accusing you of class warfare, you just tell them, I’m with Ronald Reagan.”
If Republicans in Congress — or on the presidential campaign trail — could be asked whether they agree with Reagan or not, I’d sure love to hear the answers.
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low-tech cyclist on October 05, 2011 9:30 AM:
This is the guy I thought I was voting for back in 2008!
I don't know where he's been hiding all this time, or why, but it's a relief to finally see him back in action.
zandru on October 05, 2011 9:31 AM:
Woo Hoo!!
Give 'em hell, Barry!
For years I've been advocating using the Republicans' poll-tested, focus-group honed catch phrases and dawg whistles against them. Quote Republicans back at them when proposing things they suddenly disagree with this week. Now, the President is doing it - and the rest of the Democrats will follow.
I know some of us will "never" let go of the fact that the first 3 years of the Obama administration didn't result in candy and a unicorn pony for each one of us. Believe me, I feel our pain. BUT!
We may need to accustom ourselves to only making progress, only being heard in election years. If this is the case, we just need to think through our strategies and adapt.
It's not as if we're reactionary conservatives, after all.
etheynt trust, sez Captcha. Exactly.
c u n d gulag on October 05, 2011 9:31 AM:
low-tech cyclist,
You stole the words right out of my keyboard.
Bingo!
Curmudgeon on October 05, 2011 9:38 AM:
Republicans have awakened the hidden fire, and Republicans are the ones who are going to get burned by their own insanity.
Welcome back, Mr. President!!
stormskies on October 05, 2011 9:47 AM:
It would be neat if Obama could state what all the honest economists are saying, and then contrasting that with Cantor's own words.
Obama: "The economists say this bill will create around 2 million jobs". But, according to Cantor this is 'unacceptable'."
Obama: "The economists say this bill will possibly prevent another recessions. But, according to Cantor, this is 'unacceptable'."
Obama: "We all know that the infrastructure in our country is in desperate need of repair so that we don't have another major catastrophe, but, according to Cantor, this is 'unacceptable'."
And so on ............. over and over and over.
Victory on October 05, 2011 9:50 AM:
Democrats think they have a winner in the Reagan quote, and I think for them to use it appropriately they should ditch the "Buffett Rule" terminology and rename it the "Reagan Rule"....but.....does this not show there is no true Liberal voice in America when the Democrat president is using Reagan as his foundation?
Ron Byers on October 05, 2011 9:51 AM:
How are the protests against Wall Street doing? Not much in the news.
It seems to take a long time for news to travel out of Manhattan. I guess since Manhattan is an island, the journalists have to wait for the weekly schooner to send in their stories.
Josef K on October 05, 2011 9:52 AM:
Let's see if naming names actually presses the Republican's nominal 'leadership' (I use the word advisedly as the clowns in those positions are proving...suboptimal) into doing anything. That's what I want to see.
c u n d gulag on October 05, 2011 9:52 AM:
One criticism, though - I understand what the President is trying to do talking about Reagan, but can we start to include more Democratic icons?
Please?
Trollop.0 on October 05, 2011 9:56 AM:
OMFG! Who is this person talking??!
Must be a campaign coming up..
walt on October 05, 2011 10:05 AM:
"When Republicans say 'where are the jobs?', you need to ask them, where are your votes? Because they're voting against you every time they try to kill a bill to increase spending on job-creating infrastructure. And you know why they do that? Because they care more about rich people than you."
Okay, Obama didn't say that and he won't. But since he's already a "Kenyan socialist", let the class warfare rip. America desperately needs to have this war on our terms.
Red Green on October 05, 2011 10:11 AM:
To quote a certain ancient rock group, I don't know WHO,
" . . then I get down on my knees and pray
we don't get fooled again!"
In the meantime, keep the faith, Mr. President, keep the faith.
S11 on October 05, 2011 10:23 AM:
I would love to see a GOP debate where every question posed to the candidates takes the form of a video clip of Reagan taking a position, which Obama currently supports, and then a question asking each candidate why they don't agree with that position.
Tom Power on October 05, 2011 10:44 AM:
Another heartening aspect of the President's comments is that it seems his staff is reading/listening to the great online resource of progressive/liberal blogs. Maybe he realizes the Bernanke/Geithner/Summers/Bill Daley/WS Bank brain trust have led him astray both on policy and politics.
chi res on October 05, 2011 4:41 PM:
Such fun!
But he's going to lose, you know. Nothing close to what he's calling for will pass the House.
For all the so-called progressives who would rather hear the president say mean things to the republicans and then completely lose the issue, than compromise and at least win something for hurting folks: I'm glad you're at least having enough fun that you've stopped with the insults.
Maybe if we have another candlelight march, or occupy a park somewhere, everything will get better.
zandru on October 05, 2011 5:47 PM:
Victory is concerned that using the Reagan quote suggests "does this not show there is no true Liberal voice in America when the Democrat president is using Reagan as his foundation?"
It's my opinion that the President is just mad dogging the Republicans, and is not swearing fealty to Biggus Dickkus -er, Ronaldus Magnus.
yellowdog on October 05, 2011 6:53 PM:
References to Reagan help make an important point: This is not the GOP of olden days. This is not the GOP of Howard Baker, Bob Dole, or Ronald Reagan, despite the many invocations of Reagan's name. If voters think they are pulling the lever for the party of Reagan, they need to think again. This party does things, says things, goes places Ronald Reagan never would. Older voters in particular, who remember Reagan, may be receptive to these references. Eventually, some of them may come to understand that the current GOP is not a party Reagan would be allowed to lead. His party is no more. The new GOP is something new and radical indeed.
Doug on October 05, 2011 9:19 PM:
chi res,I think two things are now in play that weren't before: the Republicans' actions durng the debt limit fiasco and the fact the economic recovery is very weak and possibly NOT self-sustaining.
The first is self-expanatory. Republicans will NOT do ANYTHING that conceivably assists in re-electing President Obama. If the economy crashes, as somebody or other said, "So be it!". The ONLY chance of getting the AJA through Coungress is to frighten enough Republicans so they'll vote FOR their constituents and AGAINST Boehner, McConnell & Co. The only way to do THAT is to get as much of the public as possible on the President's side and if that requires speaking some plain truths, again, "So be it!".
The second part is also fairly self-explanatory. IF the economy does slip back into a recession, I fully understand President Obama wanting the country to know that it happened NOT because of what HE did or didn't do, but because of Republicans' refusal to act on his requests.
I rather think that up until the debt limit debacle, President Obama thought Boehner had control of his caucus. The debt limit showed otherwise and he now realizes that he's NOT dealing with politicians, he's dealing with radically partisan ideologues, determined to destroy his Presidency, even at the cost of harming the country.
There really isn't any need for compromise anyway as the AJA already contains policies previously supported by Republicans. Even so, I seriously doubt President Obama would reject out-of-hand any serious suggestions from Republicans; something Rep. Cantor's "DOA" pronouncement definitely lacks. So far, I believe, that's been the ONLY official Republican response.
There is, of course, the possibility that President Obama is engaging in "shock therapy", hoping his new tactics causes them to rethink their "strategy". Personally. my belief is that the President's audience isn't Republicans on Capitol Hill, but any- and everyone OUTSIDE of DC.
If those outside of DC CAN'T change what Republicans do on Capitol Hill NOW, they certainly can change whether or not those Republicans return to DC in 2012...