Will Obama Use GOP Vote Against Jobs Bill as Fodder for 2012 Campaign?
Senate Republicans voted down President Barack Obama's $447 billion jobs bill over its controversial tax surcharge on millionaires and its plan on spending in order to stimulate the economy. Still, all signs indicate that Obama will use this vote against Republicans during the 2012 elections.
Forty-six Republicans joined with two Democrats, Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Jon Tester of Montana, in voting to oppose the bill, while 50 Democrats voted in support of it.
The party-line Republican vote against the proposal provides possible ammunition for Obama on the campaign trail to cast Republicans as representative of a "do-nothing" Congress.
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Evan as Republicans will tout their unwillingness to assist the president in what they see as his continuing effort to solve the nation's economic problems through burdensome spending.
"Democrats' sole proposal is to keep doing what hasn't worked - along with a massive tax hike that we know won't create jobs," Said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor Tuesday.
The White House has been presented Republicans as being against policies that even they have supported in the past.
In his appearance before a joint session of Congress in September, Obama introduced his jobs package by saying:
"There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything here is the kind of proposal that’s been supported by both Democrats and Republicans - including many who sit here tonight."
The plan would have included $175 billion in infrastructure spending and aid for local governments facing the prospect of troubling layoffs, as well as Social Security payroll tax cuts for workers and businesses.
According to CBS News, Obama told voters in Pittsburgh Tuesday that senators must be willing to explain their votes. He sad they "should have to look you in the eye and tell you what exactly they are opposed to."
He continued, "I think they'd have a hard time explaining why they voted no on this bill other than the fact that I proposed it. Folks should ask their senators, 'Why would you consider voting against putting teachers... back to work?' "
The White House intends to frame the debate against Republicans in the 2012 campaign as a question of priorities. In his last pitch for his jobs bill before voters in Pittsburg, Obama said:
"The question we have to ask ourselves as a society, as a country, is, would you rather keep taxes exactly as they are for those of us who benefited most from this country - tax breaks that we don’t need and weren’t even asking for - or do we want construction workers and electrical workers to have jobs rebuilding our roads and our bridges and our schools?"
