The White House has invested quite a bit of time and energy reaching out to congressional Republicans. Late yesterday, the president's efforts were rewarded with exactly zero GOP votes on an economic stimulus plan. As the Politico reported when Republicans announced their opposition, the minority party "slapped" Obama's "outstretched hand," as part of a "coordinated effort to embarrass" the president.Perfect! They just don't get that Americans are sick of the Republicans and their point of view. Showing their constituency just how their representative voted against the stimulus package will make for some very angry constituents. And it is, after all, your public that elects you ... or not!
We're starting to get a sense of how the White House plans to respond.Pushing back against the unanimous House Republican vote against President Obama's stimulus plan, the White House plans to release state-by-state job figures "so we can put a number on what folks voted for and against," an administration aide said.
"It's clear the Republicans who voted against the stimulus represent constituents who will be stunned to learn their member of Congress voted against [saving or] creating 4 million jobs," the aide said.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the lawmakers will have to answer to their constituents. And a Democratic official added: "We will run campaigns in their districts."
What's more, Greg Sargent reports that a coalition of groups and unions, including Americans United for Change, MoveOn.org Political Action, AFSCME, and SEIU, are launching a new television ad "targeting Republican Senators and pressuring them to vote for President Obama's stimulus package."The spot shows some arresting images of the recession -- chained up factories, empty warehouses -- and features Obama talking about our dire economic times and his economic package, an effort to harness Obama's popularity to push the plan at a time when Republicans are training their fire on House Dems, rather than the White House.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The White House Has A Plan!
More from Benen on the White House's proposed response to the zero votes by the Republicans in the House on the stimulus package:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I can't believe that NO Repug wanted to vote for the package. There had to be strong-arm threats by Repug leadership to get that kind of unity. But sooner or later, you gotta make some deals with the President & majority or you won't bring home the bacon the voters sent you to D.C. to get. So Dems are correct to embarrass any Repug whose district benefits from the stimulus bill. & they also ought to cut Repugs out of any negotiations unless they promise publically to support the compromise.
Post a Comment