Recently the Congressional Budget Office released an analysis of President Obama’s jobs bill. The CBO says the bill really would stimulate the economy, create jobs, and reduce the deficit. It could be fully paid for by a relatively painless 5.6 percent surtax on millionaires.
In a sane world, Congress would be tripping all over itself in a rush to get the bill passed.
However, we expect no Republican would vote for it, because the GOP is now the party of pathological plutocracy, and Republicans would rather send their own grandmothers to the Soylent Green factory than ask the wealthy to cough up so much as a tarnished silver spoon for the good of their country.
In a semi-sane world, Democrats would be tripping all over themselves in a rush to paint Republicans as obstructionist. We can fix the economy if Republicans would get out of the way! So vote them out in 2012!
In a semi-sane world, there would be headlines about Republicans scrambling to save face. Instead, the Hill tells us that Democrats are scrambling to save face on the jobs bill.
Democratic leaders in the Senate are scrambling to avoid defections on President Obama’s jobs package, which appears headed for defeat on Tuesday.
A lack of Democratic unity on the president’s bill would be embarrassing for the White House, which has been scolding House Republicans for refusing to vote on the measure.
It would be embarrassing to congressional Democrats, too, although apparently some are too thick-headed to see it.
Democrats who will vote no or are leaning no include Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Jon Tester (Mont.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.), who all hail from red states and are up for reelection next year. …
…If there are substantial Democratic defections, “Republicans will be able to point out in the media that this plan hasn’t got enough support on either side of the aisle and argue it wasn’t thought through,†according to Ron Bonjean, a former communications director to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).
I say again, if Franklin Roosevelt had had Barack Obama’s Congress, FDR would be remembered today as an ineffectual one-term president.
“…a painless 5.6% surtax on millionaires.” In approximately the last ten years those same millionaires have seen their yearly incomes, on average, go from $48 million/year to $350 million/year. The surtax would reduce their after-tax income to about $320 million/year – unless, of course, Congress can get through yet another loophole in their favor.
The hardship that would impose on them and their families would, obviously, be unforgivable. They would become part of the 46 million Americans who are living in poverty, wouldn’t they?
It IS an embarrassment to be a Democrat these days. What on earth ails my political party?
What on earth ails my political party?
Corruption, the democrats that are willing to vote against the bill have taken money from the millionares just like the republicants, if they vote for the bill they will be defeated in 2012. If they vote against it they will be rewarded. Citizen United has set the table, corruption rules.
If Manchin, Tester and Nelson cannot come up with very convincing arguments in the next year to save their seats in the 2012 elections, 1. they deserve to lose and 2. what good are they ?
Lynne,
The Democrats have had a new CCC program for over a decade that they sold their souls out for – thanks to the DNC and, in part, Bill Clinton.
The new CCC program is “Cold-hard Corporate Cash!”
The Democrats left their homes and families on Main Street for the rich floozies on Wall Street – and the jokes on them, because, when push comes to shove, they prefer the Republican aristocrats and their brainwashed religious knuckledragging lackies to the Democrats.
And until we get rid of these Whoreporatist Democrats, all we can hope for is a holding pattern to keep even worse Republican politicians and their policies from making this country a larger version of a nuclear Haiti.
And remaking the Democratic Party will take, barring some catastrophe, decades, so I probably won’t be around if/when it happens.
We are pumped and primed within an election cycle or two of becoming “The United Domionisit Christian Corporate States of America.” And if you don’t believe me, watch what happens if we get a Republican President with a Republican Congress and Supreme Court in the next few years. It has the potential to make the Little Boots years look like FDR or LBJ.
The horror… The horror…………………………….
And I repeat – STOP CALLING THEM “BLUE” DOGS!
‘Cause there ain’t nothin’ blue about ’em!!!
‘Cause there ain’t nothin’ blue about ‘em!!!
Nor anything dog-like. How about blue worms?
“What on earth ailes my party?”
LDS….
Limp Dick Syndrome.
PLUS, we keep ‘lecting millionares to congress.
The tribe won’t break rank for us po foke.
You have to be a millionaire to run for office these days.