McConnell helpless to shape stimulus bill
By Halimah Abdullah – habdullah@mcclatchydc.com
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
WASHINGTON — In the first major test of his power as the titular head of a dwindled Republican caucus, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell found himself outmaneuvered and outnumbered as he faced off against a Democratic majority on an Obama administration-backed $787 billion economic stimulus package.
“This legislation was driven by the White House, House Democrats and the Senate Democrats,” said Larry Sabato, political science professor at the University of Virginia. “… McConnell is in a terrible position. The Democrats have a hand full of aces. He has a bunch of twos.”
The final version of the economic stimulus package passed the Senate late Friday night on a largely partisan vote. The House passed the final version of the bill on a vote of 246-183, with no Republican support.
The bill now heads to President Barack Obama’s desk.
The White House has said the package will help resuscitate the nation’s ailing economy by offering tax relief and creating or saving 3.5 million jobs. States will net $27.5 billion to modernize roads and bridges, $53.6 billion to help offset education costs and $87 billion for Medicaid.
McConnell and fellow Republicans said that aid comes at too steep a price, contains too much entitlement spending, doesn’t do enough to help financially strapped homeowners and doesn’t contain enough tax cuts — a provision Republicans see as vital to shoring up the private sector.
“This week, congressional Democrats are handing taxpayers a bill for $1.2 trillion,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Friday.
“Soon, they’ll spend $400 billion to finish up spending from last year. We’re being told to get ready for untold hundreds of billions for the financial industry.
“Since taking over Congress and the White House, Democrats have been making up for lost time with a government spending spree on the taxpayer credit card,” McConnell said. “Even without this massive spending bill, the deficit continues to grow.”
Ultimately, there was another set of numbers that McConnell just couldn’t overcome.
Republicans hold 178 of the House’s 435 seats and 41 of the 100 Senate seats — numbers too small to merit much say in crafting the compromise legislation.
Instead, McConnell was forced to watch as moderate Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania joined Democrats on key votes on the economic stimulus package and took a lead roll in helping shape the legislation.
The three Northeastern senators supported some Democratic-backed social policy issues in the past, hail from a region of the country where the GOP’s legislative ranks have thinned significantly and represent many left- to moderate-leaning voters in their home states.
Early on, the Obama administration made overtures to moderate Republicans. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden called and transition officials met with the two Maine senators to discuss the stimulus proposal.
McConnell countered by urging his party members to hold the line during procedural fights to give the Republicans more room to negotiate. He took to the airwaves in both a radio address Saturday and on Sunday morning talk shows to underscore his caucus’s disagreement with the size, cost and scope of the stimulus package.
Conservative Republicans, such as Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky and Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, followed suit with a series of press conferences highlighting concerns over the legislation’s ballooning price tag.
“If we really want to stimulate the economy, we need to focus our attention on tax cuts for individuals, investment and businesses,” Bunning said. “We need to enact legislation that will have a direct and immediate impact. We need a bill that will create more jobs through targeted tax relief; not a bill that spends money on programs that offer no immediate return to the American taxpayers.”
But as the Senate version of the measure moved through that chamber, Senate Democrats employed one of McConnell’s well-used tools — cloture — to block a list of Republican amendments and proceed on debating the hotly contested bill.
As a team of House and Senate lawmakers worked to cull a compromise package this week, Obama went on a public relations blitz and put in appearances at town-hall meetings in such places as Fort Myers, Fla., to shore up public confidence in the measure.
Meanwhile, McConnell bemoaned cuts from the compromise legislation he said “would have reduced monthly mortgage payments and made it easier to buy a home. Workers would have been able to keep more of what they earn. It was also about half the cost of the Democrat plan.”
Lawmakers hammering out a compromise also nixed Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson’s popular measure to stimulate the nation’s declining housing market by offering a $15,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase a home in the next year. Instead, Congress likely will eliminate a repayment requirement on a more modest $7,500 credit.
The move caused no small degree of consternation for McConnell and other Republican lawmakers who, throughout the daylong debate Friday, pointed to the change as yet another example of the Democrats’ unwillingness to work in a bipartisan fashion. Other Republican complaints were overshadowed by public tension over the compromise legislation between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif and Senate Majority Harry Reid, D-Nev.
“Senate Republicans were sort of a footnote by then,” said Jennifer Duffy, senior editor of the Cook Political Report in Washington.
McConnell’s frustration with the resulting compromise legislation is palpable.
“In my view, and in the view of my Republican colleagues, this is not the smart approach,” McConnell said. “The taxpayers of today and tomorrow will be left to clean up the mess.”
Filed Under: Barack Obama • Featured • Federal Government • Jim Bunning • Mitch McConnell
About the Author: John Stamper is the accountability editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Monticello, Ky., he has been with the Herald-Leader in a variety of roles since graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2000. Reach him at jstamper@herald-leader.com
Republicans need to wake up and realize that Americans want leaders in the government that are willing to put aside partisan politics and work together. The withdraw of Judd Gregg for commerce secretary is the perfect example of how unwilling the GOP is to work together with the democrats to do what’s best for the country.
It is very obvious that Mr. McConnell and the rest of the GOP are doing what the Democrats would be doing and was doing before last November. This isn’t about Gop or Dem’s. The money is a bout saving this country.
If we linger too long another country will be in control. I don’t care who was or is president this was coming and has been for 35 years.
Quit your bickering and get it done.
Mitch and pals were more than ready to sigh the first stimulus package when it helped his and his cronies investments, can`t he benefit from this one?
Groucho Marx used to sing a song called “Whatever It Is, I’m Against It”. Maybe Mitch & the other Republican’ts should learn it,
I’m tickled to death that most GOP Congressmen opposed the so called “stimulus” package.” Stimuls is to help our business get back on their feet. You don’t do that by providing money for planned parenthood, money for STD’s, money to keep the Washington lawns mowed. money for infrastructure. None of these help our businesses. Sure money will be provided for building roads, bridges, school, etc., but where are all these people going to work five years down the road when all those have been built. We’ll be back to high unemployment and no sight of jobs for them. During that time the GOP will reap the rewards and the people will find out the smooth, loose talk of the President. By 2010 Obama will be looking at a decreased numbers in the House and Senate. He ran on change, but has practically all of the Clinton people on his payroll; OLD WASHINGTON. I[‘m a Democrat, but a realistic one.
Mitch could’ve had plenty of input, if he had been willing to work with the majority and craft a better piece of legislation. However, I saw him making the rounds on the news shows running his mouth about how bad this package was, instead of getting his butt into work and trying to help make it better. Mitch is a typical partisan politician who will never change, no matter what the will of the people is. The ONLY reason he was re-elected in this state is because of name recognition and his status as minority leader, which can send money and projects to KY. But as long as he keeps acting like this, we won’t get any pieces of the pie, other states will flourish, and KY will continue to suffer as it has for 100 years because our politicians in this state are ignorant!
I hope they beat ol Mitch everyday like he owes them money. Mitch sucks….
McConnell and the rest of the vipers are being treated as they should be treated. I fault Obama for choosing Gregg – he knew he was a Republican, he shouldn’t have been surprised that Gregg betrayed him. It’s the parable of the poisonous snake and the individual who kept the snake warm. When the snake bit that individual, the benefactor was surprised. “Mr. Snake, why did you do that? Now I will surely die!” The snake looked up at him and grinned, “You knew what I was when you picked me up.”
Same thing.
Well if the Package falls flat on its face then maybe Mitch and the deuce holding GOP will not look so terrible. Only problem being if it doesnot succeed America probably will not as well. It’s a shame the Herald Leader wants Mitch to fail just because he is a conservative. The GOP does have valid arguements which would help the american home owning taxpayer. The Liberals want to break our backs to give it all to those unwilling to work. I say this and I only make 50,000 per year. I know people on welfare who live just as good as I do on my taxes.
Mitch was for anything that W wanted never did he go against him. Now he wants to have that same controll even though the American people said enough back in November. Mitch is no better than Kennedy or Reid for that matter. It is people like Mitch and the two mentioned above that are holding America back. It’s time for Mitch to go back to Louisville and chase the “little” ones once again like he did before he got into politics.
Mitch and the Gop have the greatest fear that the stimulus package will succeed. Limbaugh put their fears into words, but in the face of the backlash he and the GOP backed off – publicly, but privately they want the nation to fail so they can make points. That they want America to fail but claim to love America is the shame. No help for Main Street from the GOP – but pity the poor Wall Street denizen and the dearth of bonuses.
Well Mr. Obstruction got what he deserved. Now if his clone David Williams could fall off his mighty throne maybe Ky. would be able to progress into the 21st century.
After eith years in control what have the Republicans left us:
“With no fanfare and little notice, the national debt has grown by more than $4 trillion during George W. Bush’s presidency.
It’s the biggest increase under any president in U.S history. ”
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/29/couricandco/entry4486228.shtml
how can the republicans say anything
Well, it’s just a shame that most of you good people who have commented don’t have any source of news except the Herald Leader and it’s Momma, The New York Times. It’s obvious that all of you have been brainwashed by these two liberal rags. I guess you don’t care that millions and Billions of your tax dollars are going to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi for their “Mouse” and “Railroad”. Just how does that help you as Kentuckians in need of jobs and more money from your check?
I applaud the vote against socialism…
Check it out. This is what’s needed to defeat the socialists that have their grip on our Republic…
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html
Go back to coloring your book, Roger – I know it’s way too much to expect you to stay in the lines. The story about Pelosi’s mouse issue, Roger, is a lie by Sen. Jim DeMint. DeMint is a known liar but for your edification, look to your right on this blog – see politifact. Read the bottom entry. No, better yet, Roger, have someone read it to you.
As for your red baiting, conservative, no one is buying that fertilizer. Sell it to someone in Wayne County.
Adkins, what the heck is your problem? Why don’t you just comment w/o resorting to such nastiness?
LouLex – it’s the ignorance displayed by the two posters that irritates me. That you’re not commenting on their posts is somewhat revealing.
Well, I’m not quite sure what it reveals. But notice that you are the only person to call another out by name.
I don’t hope America fails. I just hope the stimulus package fails. Then we can do something that will work — put more money back in the pockets of taxpaying Americans.
There is not any stimulus package at all. Let us see: Obama gives me ten dollars a week, Frankfort takes seven dollars more a week, and then Lexington Fayette County takes another seven dollars per week. How the hell is that a stimulus package?? If there is a stimulus package it has already failed due to state and local democrats who keep raising taxes. My God take a look at California. Obama and the Democratic Congress are lost in the woods.