Media reports suggest Senate Republicans have become a key focus of stimulus talks, an acknowledgement that they appear to hold the balance of power in that chamber despite having only 41 seats to the Democrats' 58. The Washington Post reports on the front page that Senate Democratic leaders "conceded yesterday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written and said that to gain bipartisan support, they will seek to cut provisions that would not provide an immediate boost to the economy." Moderate Republicans are "trying to trim the bill by as much as $200 billion."
The Hill reports President Obama is "lobbying Republican senators personally on his economic stimulus package, which failed to attract a single GOP vote in the House." Obama has "scheduled one-on-one meetings at the White House with a handful of GOP centrists" such as Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins.
And according to CNS Evening News:
The CBS Evening News reported, "All sides "now agree the President's stimulus bill won't survive its original form, passed last week by House Democrats. A bill that, depending on how you see it, would create three million jobs, or serve to fulfill a long wish list of a Democratic social agenda."
Gotta love all the prior "bipartisan" rhetoric. And as politicians bickers over pork spending the economy keeps getting pummeled - the projected GDP decline of -3% to -6% this year will not go away if people close their eyes. As communist as it is, the stimulus does need to pass in some form otherwise one way Greyhound tickets to Mexico will soon trade on par with gold.
Sphere: Related ContentBookmark this post with:
