I just listened to a brief speech by the President about the small-business jobs bill currently stalled in the Senate. I guess what we've been hearing about him getting tougher on Republicans from now till November is true. He actually said the Senate Republicans aren't acting in good faith. And he went on to detail all the information proving they aren't acting in good faith.
Transcript below the fold.
After describing the provisions of the bill, and the bad economic news that makes its passage so imperative, the President went on:
I'd also like to point out, this legislation is fully paid for and will not add one single dime to our deficit.
So, this is a bill that makes sense, and normally we would expect Democrats and Republicans to join together. Unfortunately, a partisan minority in the Senate so far has refused to allow this jobs bill to come up for a vote.
Now, I recognize that there are times when Democrats and Republicans have legitimate differences, rooted in different views about what's best for this country. There are times when good people disagree in good faith.
But this is not one of those times. This small-business jobs bill is based on ideas both Democrat and Republican. In fact, many provisions in the bill were actually authored by Republican Senators. It has been praised as being good for small business by groups like the Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. A majority of Senators are in favor of the bill.
And yet, the obstruction continues. It's obstruction that stands in the way of small business owners getting the loans and tax cuts that they need to prosper. It's obstruction that defies common sense.
So let me just make this simple point: There will be plenty of time between now and November to play politics. But the small business owners I met with this week, the ones I've met with across the country this year, they don't have time to play games. They're not interested in what's best for a political party. They're interested in what's best for the country.
When Congress reconvenes, this jobs bill will be the first business out of the gate. And the Senate Republican leadership needs to stop its efforts to block it. Let's put aside the partisanship for a while and work together -- for small businesses, for employees, and the communities that depend on them, across this great country.
Thank you.
Two comments:
- Here is where Obama's excessive bipartisanship pays off. Everyone in the country who is honest knows that he has been incredibly nonpartisan, and that if he says, "Put aside the partisanship," that's an honest criticism.
- The media just don't get it. The first sentence the CNN guy said after they cut away from the speech was:
There you go, the President pushing Congress, when Congress returns from its summer recess, to get to work on legislation on another jobs bill.
Um, no, dude. He's not talking to Congress. He's talking to the jerkwad Senate Republicans. The rest of the Congress is doing just what they need to be doing. The rest of the Congress is already on board with this bill. What the President is saying is the the effin Senate Republicans need to stop standing in their way. The legislation has already been "worked on." All that needs to happen now is that the Senate Republicans need to let it come to a vote. Did you listen to a single word of the speech before presuming to tell me what it said?