Just before Washington, DC took its usual August recess, Congress and the White House engaged in outrageous partisan bickering on the terms of legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling while cutting spending right up to the last day set by the Treasury Department as a deadline for passing the bill. After members of Congress left town, President Obama took to the road on a bus tour of a few Midwestern states scolding Congressional Republicans and, especially, those associated with the Tea Party movement, on the need to put the country before party politics. This call for bipartisan problem solving was the theme of my last blog post while the bickering over the debt ceiling issue was in full swing.
My post began by noting that Senator John McCain's campaign theme in his race against Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential Campaign was "Country First". It seems that now Obama may have latched on to this same theme for his re-election run next year.
His comments at a bus tour stop in Illinois gave a preview of the "Jobs Bill" proposals he made to Congress last night. He also anticipated resistance from some in Congress even before he presented his proposals, which gave him an opportunity to urge putting the country's interests before partisan politics:
"There are things we can do right now that will mean more customers for businesses and more jobs across the country. We can cut payroll taxes again, so families have an extra $1,000 to spend. We can pass a road construction bill so construction crews – now sitting idle – can head back to the worksite, rebuilding roads, bridges, and airports. We’ve got brave, skilled Americans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Let’s connect them with businesses that could use their skills. And let’s pass trade deals to level the playing field for our businesses. We have Americans driving Hyundais and Kias. Well, I want to see folks in Korea driving Fords, Chevys and Chryslers. I want more products sold around the globe stamped with three words: Made in America.
These are commonsense ideas – ideas that have been supported by both Democrats and Republicans. The only thing holding them back is politics. The only thing preventing us from passing these bills is the refusal by some in Congress to put country ahead of party. That’s the problem right now. That’s what’s holding this country back. That’s what we have to change." Obama Remarks on Bus Tour in Alpha, Illinois on August 20, 2011.
Then on Labor Day in front of a very partisan Labor Union crowd in Detroit, the President repeated his ideas on the Jobs Plan he had yet to formally present to Congress with these comments:
"We’re going to see if we’ve got some straight shooters in Congress. We’re going to see if congressional Republicans will put country before party. We’ll give them a plan, and then we’ll say, do you want to create jobs? Then put our construction workers back to work rebuilding America. Do you want to help our companies succeed? Open up new markets for them to sell their products. You want -- you say you’re the party of tax cuts? Well then, prove you’ll fight just as hard for tax cuts for middle-class families as you do for oil companies and the most affluent Americans. Show us what you got. The time for Washington games is over. The time for action is now. No more manufactured crises. No more games. Now is not the time for the people you sent to Washington to worry about their jobs; now is the time for them to worry about your jobs." Obama remarks on Labor Day in Detroit.
Now if the President is really interested in ending "Washington games" and wants to work in a bipartisan manner with Congressional Republicans, are these types of aggressive verbal attacks on "some in Congress" the sensible way to start a reasonable dialogue? Will this type of barn-storming bluster encourage Republicans to expect a receptive bipartisan tone in discussions seeking to reach consensus on legislative solutions to the country's top priority: high unemployment and slow economic recovery from a deep recession?
It appears that Obama is still engaging in political games while trying to fool the public into believing that he is really interested in solving their problems. This sets up the potential for him to argue that if the country's economic outlook fails to improve by election day 2012, it must be due to the "games" played by those pesky "Congressional Republicans", who refuse to play the games by his rules.
Obama's rules, as stated during his speech to the Joint Session of Congress yesterday, are to "pass [his Jobs Bill] right away". He repeated his plea to act "right away" over and over again in his speech, notwithstanding the fact that the White House will not even send legislative language to Congress until next week, and it will be another week before the Administration sends up Obama's proposals to pay for the more than $400 billion that the Jobs proposals will cost. This will mean that members of Congress will not really have an opportunity to review the proposals carefully for a week or more.
In the meantime, media pundits will analyze highlights of the "Jobs Bill" put out in White House summaries and badger Republicans about what they think of the program. In addition, Obama has already begun traveling around the country urging action "right away" on points he made in a speech. Of course, his first stop today was Richmond, Virginia - the home district of Eric Cantor, Republican Majority Leader.
Obama's approach to his proposed Jobs program raises the question of whether the President thinks he is running the country or running a campaign for re-election. Who's playing games now, Mr. President?
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