Snow and Republicans are conspiring against the nation's unemployed. There's not much anyone can do about the former, with even more forecasted over the next day and a half. And with Scott Brown now seated, there are questions about what can happen with the latter.
Although both parties say Washington should be focused on jobs — January’s unemployment rate came in Friday at 9.7 percent — Democrats can’t move a bill without 60 votes, and they control only 59.
And while the storm made negotiations more difficult, aides and lawmakers say there were substantive problems, too — and that the difficulty of reaching agreement even on a relatively small jobs bill, packed with tax cuts backed by Republicans, illustrates the tough partisan politics of the Senate as it moves toward the elections this fall.
Meanwhile, unemployment still hovers around 10 percent, despite a slight downtick in the latest numbers. With stimulus funding now running out, the crisis for states is still looming, particularly in education. Republican games continue, and the nation continues to hurt. Brian Beutler reports on the sticking point:
Republicans are working with Democrats on one key aspect of the legislation: tax breaks for employers who hire new employees. But beyond such a measure, Republicans are balking at supporting a full package. And with Democrats now one vote shy of a 60-vote supermajority, they will need one GOPer to break ranks if they want the package to overcome a filibuster.
So far, Democratic rhetoric has been gentle. Last week, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said "You need two to tango. And you need Republicans for bipartisanship."
"Hope is prospective," he said. "We don't have bipartisanship at this moment. I hope we'll have it in a matter of minutes, hours, days."
Days later, they still don't have it. Which makes you wonder if and when leadership will pivot to directly call out Republicans for unanimously filibustering a jobs relief package when unemployment hovers at near 10 percent.
That's a good question. It also makes you wonder if the healthcare reform debacle taught Dems a lesson about how to get these key pieces of legislation passed, and if they are exploring all their options for this one. This is a funding bill, and reconciliation should be definitely on the table for getting America back to work.