Congressional Democrats threatening to organize a march on Washington of jobless Americans!

[Better Believe It]

Obama takes heat from Democrats over jobs
From CNN National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin
December 2, 2009

(CNN) – Members of President Obama's own political party are charging that the White House and the Democratic Congressional leadership are not doing enough to help the unemployed and are threatening to organize a march on Washington of jobless Americans.

"Obviously there's something that's not getting through to them," said Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois. "And we're going to let the White House and everybody who's concerned know that we have got people in our districts who are depending on us to deliver for them."

Rush and Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Candice Miller, R-Michigan, chair the new Congressional "Jobs Now Caucus," which is comprised of 112 Democrats and 17 Republicans.

Rush and Kaptur argue that a new jobs program is more important than health care reform, but stop short of threatening to hold up a vote on one of Obama's most important domestic policy initiatives.

The frustration by some Democrats comes as the White House prepares to hold a jobs summit Thursday, which will include CEOs and small business owners among others. And on Wednesday, members of the Congressional Black Caucus sat out a vote on financial reform legislation - important to the White House - to protest what they said is a lack of attention paid to job growth in the African American community. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the new "Jobs Now Caucus" have accused the administration of listening more closely to Wall Street than to Main Street.


Rep. Bobby Rush, co-chair of the new Congressional 'Jobs Now Caucus'

Read the full article at:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/02/obama-takes-heat-from-democrats-over-jobs/#more-80115

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Congressman Bobby Rush
For Immediate Release:
November 19, 2009 Contact:
Sharon Jenkins
Washington, DC Office
[phone]

Rush launches bipartisan, 120-member Jobs NOW! Congressional Caucus


WASHINGTON -- "Hello and welcome. I am happy to be here today to announce the beginning of one of the largest, if not the largest, caucus in the United States Congress. As pleased as we are to continue our work on stimulating job growth in our nation, we are anything but celebratory about the abysmal unemployment rate of 10.2 percent, up from 9.8 percent before October of this year.

"We are saddened and appalled that 8.2 million people have lost their jobs since December, 2007, and that 9.3 million Americans are currently working part-time jobs due to economic reasons, despite their desire and ability to work full-time jobs.
"In the last year alone, over 645,000 jobs were lost every month. These are just a few of the staggering numbers that trouble all of us—Democrat or Republican, urban or suburban, majority or minority—all of us.

"It is no wonder then that, over the course of two days, more than 125 members of Congress have pledged to come together, across the political spectrum, to agree to caucus together soon, and often, to discuss solutions to the jobs crisis.
"The JOBS NOW! Congressional Caucus is here to declare that the nation’s jobless situation is, indeed, a national crisis, and we need to put politics aside to discuss solutions that will help put America back to work!

"We are pledging ourselves to find ways to ensure that future legislation can incrementally, and sustainably, improve the jobless numbers. We pledge ourselves to determine how decisions we make in Congress can create new jobs in our communities. We are pledging to address the 51,000 manufacturing jobs that were lost, last month, among a whole host of other issues and initiatives.

"Among other issues, this caucus will seek to closely examine worker training, increasing domestic manufacturing and production capacity in the United States, reducing trade deficits and reducing outsourcing.

"We also must look at ways to encourage investment in our most challenging market areas—areas with the highest rates of joblessness.

"These are the hard questions we simply must tackle…and the time for action is now!
"Thank you."


Congressman Rush (at podium) delivers opening statement at the launch of the Jobs NOW! Congressional Caucus.
Shown with him, from left, are U. S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL); Jobs NOW! Co-Chair Candice S. Miller (R-MI);
Jobs NOW! Co-Chair Marcy Kaptur (D-OH); and U. S. Rep. Diane E. Watson (D-CA).

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/il01_rush/pr_091119_jobsnow.shtml





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PRESS RELEASE

November 19: Kaptur Announces Formation of Bipartisan Jobs Now! Caucus | Print |
Congresswoman Kaptur joined colleagues Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) and Candice Miller (R-Michigan) to announce formation of the Jobs Now! Caucus with a charter membership of more than 125 representatives from both sides of the aisle.

“The purpose of the Jobs Now! Caucus is to take a stand for putting our families, our communities and our nation back to work,” Congresswoman Kaptur said.

“This caucus will advocate for policy initiatives that stimulate and maintain a strong economy based on sustainable development. It will seek to achieve one common goal across the political spectrum: creating jobs again in America.

“By mobilizing the broad membership of Congress, district by district, on a bipartisan basis, our goal is to understand the conditions affecting each district and solicit the best ideas for job creation from Members ‘from the bottom up,’ rather than rely on top-down solutions so typical of Washington-centered policies of the past.”

The first order of business for the Jobs Now! Caucus, said Congresswoman Kaptur, will be the introduction of a resolution to express the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States faces a nationwide job crisis that requires a robust policy response.

“We know this: the American people want to work,” said Congresswoman Kaptur.

“A good job is the key to staying in your home, building your community, and keeping our nation strong. We also know that economic recovery means job creation, not just a rising stock market. Double-digit joblessness continues to plague not just the Great Lakes states, but all geographic parts of the country.

“Our region’s communities, for example, have served as production platforms as America built a solid middle class. Our region does not simply trade wealth, as do Wall Street and other mega-banking centers. We make wealth. And we don’t accept the fact that Wall Street megabanks are making so much money that they’re able to set aside enough to pay each worker in their investment banking divisions outrageous bonuses that are ten times more than the median annual income of middle-class families.”

http://www.kaptur.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=507&Itemid=86

[elehhhhna]

1. Huh? Congress is going to march on itsself?

[Better Believe It]

9. No. It would be a march to demand job action from the leadership of Congress and the White House

I think the labor movement and other progressive organizations need to begin seriously discussing this.

The White House agenda for Thursday's job summit is pretty unimpressive. Mainly speeches by White House officials.

[NightWatcher]

2. will there be meals provided? sure send me a bus ticket for dc

got no job = not much disposable income...hell, no income

[davidwparker]

3. kick, just because the 'bots are unrecommending bad news about

their "boyfriend."

[brentspeak]

4. Rec'd -- there are actually anonymous idiots who unrec'd this thread

[impik]

5. Shouldn't congress actually work on a job bill instead of making fool of itself?

[avaistheone1]

6. We need another war on poverty, not an escalation in Afghanistan.

I think the march is a great idea.

[cutlassmama]

7. couldn't agree more nt

[chill_wind]

8. Kn & R. I don't know where this will go,

but anything is better than the current state of affairs.

[Odin2005]

10. K&R

[NavyMom]

11. The President is not a dictator, these idiots are marching against

themselves....instead of marching why don't they WRITE some legislation for jobs and while they are at it include writing no foreign companies can bid or build any of our infrastructure.