Is there enough support in the Senate to pass the Stimulus bill without Rethugs?

[Jennicut]

I think obviously there is. If Obama cannot get them to move on board then we can just pass it without them. Screw them. If they do come on with a small bit of compromise fine. I just hope he does not totally change things to please them. They lost.

[ErinBerin84]

1. yes.

John Harwood was saying that he thinks when it goes to the Senate, there will be even more tax cuts added on and spending left out....enough of this BS.

[Jennicut]

2. Forget them then. They are irrelevant and just want more of the same.

Tax cuts alone do NOT work. 8 years of Bush (and all those years of Reagan) prove this does not work long term.

[geek tragedy]

3. Maybe Obama should actually push for the progressive angles

rather than begging Henry Waxman to appease John Boehner.

[ErinBerin84]

5. yep. fuck 'em.

They obviously aren't going to help. If Boner told the GOP to vote against the bill before even meeting with Obama today, they are not setting the right tone, so it's useless. It's their funeral. There are too many tax cuts in there as is, they aren't going to be happy with anything. Obama tried, but it's no skin off our backs if the Republicans just want to act like spoiled children.

[Jennicut]

7. He is not trying to appease Boner. I think he will lay out his plan to them

and talk about the stark problems of the economy. But I have seem many posts of yours and you obviously don't seem to like anything Obama will do.

[geek tragedy]

8. I'm generally inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Where he goes wrong is when he tries to play nice with Republicans. Playing too nice caused him to fall behind against McCain. Playing nice gave us Rick Warren's ugly mug at the Inaugural. Playing nice is leading to Obama stripping out valuable parts of the stimulus bill to appease political terrorists.

[Jennicut]

10. Well, I do understand that. I hope he does not "play nice" either

I hope he tells him what he wants. If the issues to be changed are minor that is fine but any major tax policy shift and he needs to tell them to go take a hike.

[treestar]

4. I've been trying to understand their procedure

The filibuster thing means the minority can hold things up. Three Republicans will be needed. And LIEberman. Something like that.

Although there is something called the up or down vote - I'm not understanding that yet, though, or whether it avoids the filibuster.

[dbonds]

6. We should say there will be two version of the stimulus plan

The first with the tax cuts, and if there isn't any republican support for it they will introduce another plan with no tax cuts and ram that through - use the nuclear option if necessary.

[phleshdef]

9. I think the strategy is to tie the Republicans to the stimulus so they can't talk shit later.

[ErinBerin84]

11. and now someone from Politico (of course)

is on MSNBC saying "This is the chance for Obama to prove he can be bipartisan, there is a way that he can meet Republicans half way in between spending and tax cuts." Uh, THAT ALREADY HAPPENED, nimrod. I turned off my tv.

[Jennicut]

13. Crap. He has nothing to prove. Rethugs have already decided they were not going to work with him.

They have one last chance.

[WI_DEM]

12. It will be like Clinton's '93 Economic bill, only passed due to dem votes.

[Clear Blue Sky]

14. Enough to pass, though not fillibuster proof. So what. Just pass it.

[firedupdem]

15. I'm trying hard to understand it all....I really am. At this point

fuck them. They will be on the wrong side of history.

However, it makes them look petty and like the assholes that they are. I'm glad he's going through the motions of getting them on board. Whether they join up or not is up to them. Can't say he or the Dems didn't try. Everybody should remember this the next time they go spouting off with that "reach across the isle" bullshit. President Obama can say he did reach across the isle but they didn't reach back. He is doing the right thing but the vote tomorrow should settle it. We don't have time to play with these assholes.

[hugo_from_TN]

16. What if...

All the Dems vote for the stimulus plan.
All the Repubs vote against.
The plan doesn't work.

?

[geek tragedy]

19. That's their calculation.

It's the smart way for them to go, and Obama has to realize that they're not negotiating in good faith.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

17. Fuck 'em, we've got majorities in both the House and Senate, and our ranks will keep growing.

[bridgit]

18. They lost. And it's time to allow their ruinous activity to shame them to their own faces

They seem to be thinking they have already hit the bottom and it is all up hill from here