(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
The Hill:
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will force the upper chamber to vote on the president’s jobs package in its entirety, knowing the Democrats will have difficulty rounding up support.
McConnell said he would call for an up-or-down vote on the legislation as soon as the Senate reconvenes from its Tuesday afternoon lunch recess.
He made it clear he is doing it to embarrass Democrats, adding he does not support the measure.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Tuesday the president's job proposal will likely need to be changed in order to win enough votes for passage. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) promised the the Senate would take up the jobs legislation this month but he didn't say in what form -- either the whole package on in pieces.
If Mitch McConnell were serious about trying to get a jobs bill passed, he'd sit down with Democrats and try to hammer out a piece of legislation that could get through both the Senate and the House. Instead, he's playing political games by calling for a vote on President Obama's jobs bill while pledging to oppose it. Moreover, by offering the legislation as an amendment to the Chinese currency manipulation bill, he's guaranteeing that it won't go anywhere because House Republicans have vowed to block the Chinese currency manipulation bill. Finally, by pushing the vote as an amendment, McConnell is denying Senate Democrats the opportunity to amend the proposal, instead forcing them to cast their votes on a "take it or leave it" basis.
So on virtually every metric, McConnell's gamesmanship is another example of the utter dysfunction of Congress. It's not about creating jobs for Americans — it's about helping Republicans hang on to theirs.