Prez: "What's the problem? They just had a week off . . . "

[bigtree]

On Monday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told reporters that the American Jobs Act is “dead.” Congressional Republicans, he said, might be willing to consider some small measures that won’t make much of a difference, but meaningful efforts are off the table.

On Tuesday, President Obama responded . . .

“Yesterday, the Republican Majority Leader in Congress, Eric Cantor, said that right now he won’t even let this jobs bill have a vote in the House of Representatives. This is what he said. Won’t even let it be debated. Won’t even give it a chance to be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives.

“Think about that. I mean, what’s the problem? Do they not have the time? They just had a week off. Is it inconvenient?

“Look, I’d like Mr. Cantor to come down here to Dallas and explain what exactly in this jobs bill does he not believe in. What exactly is he opposed to? Does he not believe in rebuilding America’s roads and bridges? Does he not believe in tax breaks for small businesses, or efforts to help our veterans?

“Mr. Cantor should come down to Dallas and look Kim Russell in the eye and tell her why she doesn’t deserve to be back in the classroom doing what she loves, helping our kids. Come tell her students why they don’t deserve to have their teacher back. Come tell Dallas construction workers why they should be sitting idle instead of out there on the job. Tell small business owners and workers in this community why you’d rather defend tax breaks for folks who don’t need them — for millionaires — rather than tax cuts for middle-class families.

“And if you won’t do that, at least put this jobs bill up for a vote so that the entire country knows exactly where members of Congress stand. Put your cards on the table.”





read more:http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_10/not_taking_dead_for_an_answer032621.php

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bigtree.

[alfredo]

2. Cantor just gave the Dems a big boost.

[gratuitous]

3. Up or down vote! Up or down vote!

Even the media chuckleheads get it when you keep saying the same four words over and over* again.

*And over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

[spanone]

4. mr cantor doesn't give a shit about america or the office of the President...it's ALL POLITICS

[barbtries]

5. listen up republicans

your intractability shall come back and bite you in the ass come election time.

[Lost-in-FL]

6. He is resurrecting the "Stay the course" attitude but this time with the economy.

And will work as good as it did for Iraq.

[snooper2]

7. He is so going to kick the GOP ass I can't WAIT for the fucking debates

Come on Perry, I know you are going to to be the nominee so get your shit together and win it you stupid fuck!

That way I can have a blast watching Obama punk your ignorant ass!

[madokie]

15. Best reply I've read in a while

rec the thread for this

[monmouth]

8. The President appears to be getting steamed, fed up with these

idiots, and rightfully so. POTUS strikes me as the kind of person...you can only push him so far then look out...They are making a big mistake, Americans are watching and they don't like it.

[bigtree]

9. it strikes me

. . . that the President has pushed the republicans into a defensive corner with too much time left in the election for them to just stall on his jobs proposals and run out the clock (Democratic legislators, as well). Moreover, he realizes that he's going to have to generate an equal or greater amount of animus toward his republican opponents among Democrats than they can manage to gin up with their anti-Obama hatemongering.

The strategy is an interesting one, because, you can see the President still pushing pragmatically for solutions and legislative progress in the face of the pundits' and other critics' cynicism. It's clear that he's not just on the hunt for a second-term, he's looking to shift the political momentum, even before we've voted. I give him a better than 50% chance of producing a jobs bill. Whether that will look like meaningful progress on the jobs front to the voters remains to be seen.

At any rate, even in his political pragmatism, he's positively and predictably partisan in his pursuit of perpetuating his presidency.

[monmouth]

10. I think you are correct. In the meantime he is managing to make them

look very incompetent, which they are. That's a good thing, people are noticing.

[FredStembottom]

11. Gosh, bigtree, you had a perfectly sound analysis going there......

but just had to toss in the "hate-mongering" thing.

There never has been "anti-Obama hate-mongering" from your fellow Democrats. There has merely been Democrats noticing how this admin. has behaved. Then speaking about what they have noticed.

And that truthful speech seems to be getting O to act more and more like a Democrat and less like a Republican.

You're welcome!

:hi:

[Kolesar]

12. I think Bigtree meant "repubs"

"they (republicans) can manage to gin up with their (republican) anti-Obama hatemongering. "

[DCKit]

13. No, just too strongly worded and unclear.

There are plenty of obstructionists with a (D)- Corporate after their name. If there weren't, we'd be living in a very different world right now.

The majority of Congress needs to be shown the door over the next few election cycles. Even if "ours" are better than "theirs", we've got far too many corporate (D)s.

BTW, did y'all know that it's legal for Congress to engage in insider trading? Little wonder that so many of them become millionaires after they get to Capitol Hill.

[bigtree]

20. yep, I meant republicans and their reflexive anti-Obama hatemongering

It's all they really have to motivate the losers who follow and support them.

Sorry I wasn't more clear in that short response (I'm a little rusty).

[SidDithers]

17. You may want to re-read the post...

The poster is quite clearly referring to republican anti-Obama hate mongering.

Glad I could help. :hi:

Sid

[bigtree]

22. right

I wouldn't describe criticism from 'fellow Democrats' as 'anti-Obama hate-mongering". I think most of it here has been sincere and in earnest, even though I'm not inclined in that direction as often as some.

[elias7]

30. Wow...quite alliterative...8 P-words in that last sentence....nice

That pretty much clinched the argument for me...

[BR_Parkway]

14. They might want to go back and look at the picture of him in the Situation room

waiting for news the night they took Bin Laden out. I don't always agree with the man and sometimes I want to scream at his attempts to be so bipartisan - but I damn sure wouldn't want to go against him when he's made his mind up on something serious either.

[SidDithers]

16. K&R...nt

Sid

[mmonk]

18. If they put their cards on the table,

it will reveal their agenda.

[TBF]

19. Recommend. nt

[HappyMe]

21. k&r

[harun]

23. I am the only one seeing this as both of them just playing politics?

[bigtree]

24. there's a difference, I believe

The republican intransigence is just another plank of their epic pout over Pres. Obama's election. I can find nothing redeemable or justified in their cynical, reflexive opposition to each and every one of the President's initiatives. I do, however see a great deal of merit and substance to the President's and Democratic legislators' jobs proposals. If 'politics' is what it takes to move republicans off of their obstruction, then I'm all for it.

Equating the two ignores the singular motive behind each and every one of the republican proposals; to defeat and replace this president with one of their anti-Democratic, anti-constitutional, anti-American stalking horse fronts for their corporate benefactors. I can't find a speck of merit or practicality in any of the republican proposals.

[harun]

25. I think you are right but would like to see Obama going for even

more job creating measures.

[gateley]

28. I just have to gently suggest you replace "epic pout" with "epic rage" -

they HATE that the guy in charge is Black.

Agree with each and every other thing you say, though -- heartily! :)

[lumberjack_jeff]

26. Perhaps. But this is a different kind of politics than he's been playing up to this point.

I like this kind better.

[Muskypundit]

27. But mr president!!!!

THATS CLASS WARFARE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bigtree]

29. a war

worth fighting

[humanityisfree]

31. Best Quote I've heard from Pres. Obama in Months

Maybe Years -

[BumRushDaShow]

32. K&R

And glad to see you back bigtree!! :hi:

[BigD_95]

33. kick

[wial]

34. republicans are traitors, they really are

they're like Saddam Hussein, caring more about their narrow circle than about the country as a whole.

[skyounkin]

35. President Obama needs to blunt.

They won't allow this jobs bill to come up for a vote, because when it passes it will give me a win. And they are doing everything in their power to prevent that.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

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