NYT: GOP Blocking Dems' Plan to Aid Small Businesses

[flpoljunkie]

The Republicans rightly figure the worse the economy is in November, the better they will do at the polls. Dems need to call them out on this, and call them out loudly and repeatedly. The Republicans' hypocrisy on helping small businesses prosper should be hammered by the Dems so everyone understands who's impeding economic recovery for their political purposes.

July 21, 2010

Senate Democrats’ Plan to Aid Small Businesses Hits G.O.P. Resistance
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

WASHINGTON — Perhaps the last best hope of Democrats to pass legislation aimed at creating jobs before the November elections seemed to be crumbling in the Senate on Wednesday as Republicans signaled that they would block a bill to expand government lending programs and grant an array of tax breaks to small businesses.

Wrangling over the small-business measure began in earnest after Senate Democrats, breaking a two-month partisan logjam, finally succeeded in winning an extension of unemployment insurance. The vote was 59 to 39, with two Republicans joining Democrats in support of the extended benefits, which are retroactive to June 1. One Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, voted against it.

Shortly after the vote, the majority leader, Senator Harry Reid, turned to the small-business bill, one of the few items left on the Senate’s dwindling agenda before the August recess. Indeed, it had been on the floor intermittently over the last several weeks, only to be pulled to make way for other legislation including the extension of unemployment insurance.

But with some Democrats viewing the small-business bill as critical to their political prospects in November, Senate Republicans were not about to let it through easily, and have insisted on a chance to offer amendments.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/us/politics/22cong.html

[Demoiselle]

1. Force them to filibuster!

Force them to stand up in public and explain why they don't think small businesses should succeed. Hour after hour.
I know. I've said this before.
And while we're at, is there a parliamentary tactic that could force Ben Nelson to stand up and explain himself?

[flpoljunkie]

2. From Mary Landrieu, the main author of the legislation...

Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana and chairwoman of the small-business committee, who is a main author of the legislation, said the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, seemed intent on denying Mr. Obama and the Democrats a chance to pump up the economy ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Senator McConnell knows and believes this bill could actually create millions of jobs and doesn’t want to give the president and Democrats credit for doing what we do, which is standing up for the middle class,” Ms. Landrieu said.

“If Democrats don’t stand for small business, I don’t know what we stand for,” she added. “I don’t want to go into this election standing for Wall Street and big business.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/us/politics/22cong.html

[Arkana]

6. Sounds like even Mary Landrieu is getting really fucking tired of the GOP's obstructionism.

[flpoljunkie]

7. Sure does!

[Skink]

3. there doesn't seem like much else to do.

[stubtoe]

4. C'mon, one more rec and maybe this will catch enough eyeballs

to get picked up by the MSM

[flpoljunkie]

5. If the R's were pushing this, you can bet the media would be covering it