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House Passes Stimulus With No GOP Votes
Weeks of negotiation and compromising -- which a reasonably populist job creation and economic recovery bill turned into a tepid plan weighted down with conservative tax schemes -- still did not gain a single vote from House Republicans for the federal stimulus plan.
The House on Friday approved the $787 billion measure by a 246-183 vote.
The votes in favor of the stimulus came from 246 Democrats.
The votes against it came from 176 Republicans and seven Democrats.
The only real shift from the vote on the original House bill -- which included a great deal more spending for school construction, state aid and health care initiatives with the potential to create jobs and ease the pain of the economic downturn -- was the decline in Democratic opposition.
When the measure was initially considered, 11 Democrats -- most of the conservative Blue Dogs -- vote "no." On Friday, only seven Democrats voted against it. (Among the switchers was Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper, a prominent Blue Dog. Another switcher was Pennsylvania Congressman Paul Kanjorski, the chair of the Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises.)
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass with the support of all Democratic caucus members and three Republicans -- Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.
Though they account for less than one percent of the overall membership of the Congress, Collins, Snowe and Specter have successfully redefined the legislation as something less than the majority Democrats proposed -- and, unsettlingly, something less than may be needed to renew a sagging economy.
Collins, Snowe and Specter did not, however, succeed in convincing any Republicans that they changes they made were close enough to the opposition party's generally agreed upon goal of doing little or nothing to address the current crisis.
For Americans who would like to do something most members of Congress have not, the bill -- including scribbled changes -- can be read here.
- Posted in
44 Comments so far
Show AllIt was nice of you to put a face on the obstructionist in Congress--John, I never saw a tax cut I didn't crave, Boehner.
I note that John Boehner remains true to his belief that the laborer is not worthy of his pay. He complained yesterday that the bill was supposed to be about "jobs, jobs, jobs. But is really about spending, spending, spending." He and his buddies want to return to 1860 when it was legal to not pay a man for labor. I want him to show me one example of someone creating a job with no one spending money to pay him/her. John and the GOP opposed the minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, health care and would like to block any effort to tax those who benefit the most from every bill that passes into law--the rich.
Republicans are all about being "bipartisan" when it comes to getting their way, and all about being obstructionist assholes when not getting their ways. Too bad we don't have a real hard left party to fight these assholes!
whee!!! it will never work!!! its like trying to staunch a shotgun wound with q tips!
The state will smash itself! End capitalism today!!!
It looks like Pelosi is happy with the stimulus package of the guy behind her.
Why spend money to make jobe and help the needy when you have the bottomless rathole of banks to pour it down.
Looks like the "guy behind her" is Jim Oberstar of MN.
That's funny, rebelnow!
Good catch!
Hopefully Obama learned his lesson to not try to appease the GOP.
Didn't read DMG's article about this on here yet? I agree with him that it would have been far better to have a good stimulus bill, with no useless compromises, and forced the Senate Republicans to live up to their threat to filibuster...and have them hold up a fix on the economy because of politics. Pandering to the GOP got him maybe 3 Republican votes out of over 200...pathetic.
Marian Cole
I guess there are no people in the Districts represented by the people in Congress who voted against the Stimulus Package who are out of work, homeless, without health insurance, in need of a loan, hungry and living in their cars if they have them.
These people are a 4Plus disgrace. It it too bad that we have to wait 2 years to replace them.
Out of 253 Deomcrats I can believe that there are 7 who out of conscience or protest declined to vote yea. What I don't believe is that out of 183 Republicans not one had a change of heart or could find any reason to vote yea. Where is the bipartisanship in that. No, the Republicans are going to march in lock step throughout this administration. Obama's pandering to them in the name of bipartisanship reminds me of Michael Phelps continual apologizing
to all the Corporate sponsors. He has enough money he should tell all of them to kiss his ass(as if Amerikas corporations should be passing judgement on anyone). Obama has the majority in both houses; he should tell the republicans to kiss his ass, too, because continuing to do as he has been doing is telling the voters WHO ELECTED HIM to kiss his ass.
Pan
Time to use the stick.
This they understand and Torture.
Freedom and liberty for All
AND
The rule Of "LAW"
Pan
Hurrah on the Passage of the Bill no more KATRINA~S
Time to use the stick.
This they understand and Torture.
Freedom and liberty for All
AND
The rule Of "LAW"
The people do not want or need the elites' "economic stimulus plan". The economy doesn't need stimulating, per se. The economy needs reform. That is, market demand must come from the free, enlightened and responsible will of the people. Only among the people do we find common sense. The elites are unfit to set policy due to a lack of common sense. We can only have confidence in the people. We need the people to "step up to the plate". Notify your congress chimp that you are taking control of public policy away from him/her, that you are setting economic policy through your market demands, by demanding sustainable local production over the elites' destructive rackets. The stimulus will come from the people, for the people.
Where shall we find these people with a will that is free, enlightened, and responsible, and where among these people will we find common sense. I applaud your intentions, but My Congress Chimp won't return my calls, or emails, and I didn't vote for him. Where I live, I am in the minority. I live in a treehouse, and use fallen wood heat. I can't get much greener, but the market choices are few. However, I try to slip in an educated comment whenever I hear one of these neighbors of mine saying something neanderthal at the grocery or farm and home. Most folk out here have only MSM to inform their thoughts. So they really aren't ignorant by choice. They gave a majority to Bush (no contest here in Missouri), nevertheless I believe these are the folk of common sense to which you alluded. For the most part I agree, but, they also gave a majority to McCain. Some things are hereditary, I'm afraid.
Here's an idea for economic reformn: Nationalize every corporation that has shipped any jobs to a third world country. Limit management compensation to whatever the highest paid labor (union) worker makes at said corporation. If this works, nationalize every corporation and restructure compensation packages to match.
Sounds like you're on a great meditation: may your conscousness always be clear - peace be with you.
Meditation? He needs medication.
No you are the one who needs medication Bush supporting monster, sniveling shill for capitalist oppression. Fortunately your kind is getting less and less popular in the U.S. as the deregulated capitalist economy sinks faster than the Titanic. Bye, bye, blub, blub, I won't miss pro exploitation monsters like yourself at all.
Now now, aren't you loons supposed to be the civilized ones. But what you really are is hypocritical haters.
Pelosi looks like she just won the lottery. Why's my wallet so empty?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.", Albert Einstein.
Ed note: white phosphorous, dense metal super weapons, nuclear stick-up, missile defense, bailouts and propaganda!!
It is a disgrace that anyone would have to vote on a 700+ billion bill without the opportunity to even read it before voting. The people who voted for the bill have no idea what they even voted for . The average person would take more care in buying or leasing a car than all of the democrats who voted for it. The 1000 page document was printed last night about midnight, giving NO ONE the opportunity to read it before voting.
I doubt most lawmakers ever read the bills. But they do have staffs for that.
Just like the mis-named PATRIOT ACT. Nothing new there. As near as I can tell, whereas during our first century, the various legislators were hired to work. One of their jobs was to read every bill before it was discussed and voted on. Apparently that interferes with campaign time, and junkets, so now the lobbyist write the bills in conjunction with "staff" which makes a lot of money. Then the staff tells the Senator or Congressmen to vote yea or nay as ordered by those represented by the lobbyist!
It really simplifies things. The alleged representatives don't have to waste their time reading convoluted, "Gone With the Wind" sized bills filled with pork and illegalities and We the People "of no particular importance" can sit at home and wonder what this "change" is that Obama talked about. As usual, it seems that the rich get the gravy and we get short changed.
But, there is always more war! More "advanced" weapons, more death, and more lucrative contracts for the MIC.
Always remember, if you are out of work and your family is starving, boy, does the army have a job for you!
The link shows a bill that is 496 pages of solid PDF. Is there a summary by a lawyer that explains the terms of the bill and highlights what is important?
Joe
Lesson for Obama: You gave up what? $13 billion dollars in compromises for zero Republican votes? Stop compromising with these people. Do what they would do if they were in your shoes. Ignore them. Crush them. It is like reaching out to scorpions.
Republicans are like lemmings diving off a cliff - bon voyage!
Actually you can apply the lemmings comment more aptly to the dems, they all voted for a bill they had not even read. We still don't know what is in there, the dems knew the more that is learned about it, the more public opinion would turn against them. Obama is doing exactly what all the dems and liberals accused Bush of, ruling with fear as the motivation. Different issues, same approach.
Dude, get over it, I doubt many Congresspeople have read bills they voted on for decades, if not longer.
Does that make it right?
No, but if you want to fix it, run for Congress yourself? Then in 20 or so years when you get a powerful committee assignment, or maybe the Speaker position, you can impose the rule that all bills must be read in their entirety by every member of Congress prior to a vote. Have fun.
I can agree with you on that. No doubt the refusal or out right inability to read and comprehend a bill being voted on to be signed into law and any member not doing so is unworthy of office and should be charged with treason.
Your other comment to this is off base because there were more bills drawn up in secret and put up for vote with no time to read them, not that any representative would have read them anyway, under w's terms. But there is time for the current terms of congress and the president are up to catch up.
The signing statements are yet to be determined and for now I would not bet that obama will not do the signing statements. Though he is becoming a disappointment, I still give him 100 days to get something going for the good of the USA. With the 'unfettered market' plans since the reagan years, there is a lot to fix before anything close to a recovery begins.
I think the executive orders banning torture, closing Gitmo, and lifting the global gag rule were good starts. But since then, he's been messing up big time.
I do not support bailouts for billionaires.
So the Obama team needed seven more votes...
Three came from moderate republicans and four came from blue dog dems...
Lesson learned... There are three of seven remaining blue dog dems that need to be brought back into the fold,
and then they won't have to pander to the republicans anymore to get things done...
Problem is... Once you start having effective government, you will forever be held at a standard of competence...
no more bipartisan gridlock, lobbyist junkets, campaign contributions and payraises... It'll be work.work.work...
It is easier do grandstand with histeionic displays of hypocritical outrage on
C-span than actually launch independent investigations into the previous administrations crimes...
John Boehner had the nerve to accuse the congress of not reading the stimulis bill that they passed.
Just like they did not read the 100 billion dollar a year patriot act.
Seven years of nation wide warrantless surviellance infrastructure spending to the tune of 700 billion dollars. Republican fear mongering arm bending tactics while the country was in shock. Read Naomis Kleins Shock Doctrine.
Where was congress and you John, when it came time to protect the constitution??
Did all your GOP good old boy bankers and wall street rich boys call you and complain when you bailed them out???
And lets not forget the 3 trillion dollars spent in fighting two wars,did your buddies in the Military Idustrial Complex call and complain???
Hey John the the Republican spin machine only has one following, hard core religeous Zombies, thats about 30% percent of the country.
Say good bye to the white house and controll in the Senate and the house for a very long time, say 30 years , thats the time we will need to correct 30 years of communist Republican Imperial Capitilistic distruction to our country.
BornFreeMen
A message to the spy machine that taps my phones and internet usage, and follows me 24/7--- your days are numbered, oh , and I know there is a God, cause he told me that all the folks torturing me are going to HELL!
Good to see Piglosi with that shit eating grin on her face. She should be on trial with the little deserter and his gang. It's just about over for our country.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of
patriots and tyrants. ....Thomas Jefferson
Get your state to do what New Hampshire has proposed.....
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html
Sounds like N.H. is warming up for the coming collapse of the Federal Government.
Amazing! Look at the picture with this link and tell me how is it a 4 year old bouncing on her daddy's knee can become Speaker of the House. And don't tell me for the same reason a 6 year old to the cold hearted Barbara can become President of the United States. Amazing! Have you met anyone who's matured past 7 years of age? I didn't say age past 7, matured past 7(?). What are you talking about Puck? I'm talking about using uranium bombs to collapse sand tunnels...oh, and giving trillions of dollars to people who just stole trillions of dollars; like Kwame in Detroit: how does a murderous liar get rewarded with a job paying him 5 times the amount of the person who will actually get the work done? I know justice is immeadiate...but WOW!
Jarhead
Gentlemen, Obama has only one thing to do about the repug. vote. Do not allow any of the money go to their district. The voters will take care of the rest next time.
Stupid comment
True, but I like the moniker. I go back to the scene in the movie where the hero is confronted by a horse in the middle of an oil storm while on patrol. Oh, also where the hero is frustrated to "relieve" himself - aren't those quintessential American scenes? Jarhead - woof, woof, hoo-ah!