Dems Looking For GOP Votes On Jobs Bill; GOP Not Interested
With a vote coming up Monday to begin debate on a jobs bill, Democrats are hoping they can get a few Republican votes for cloture. But the Republicans are looking to block the bill, even though they support its content, claiming instead that they've been mistreated by Democrats.
A Democratic leadership aide tells TPMDC that they're hoping to get Republicans, such as new Sen. Scott Brown, to oppose the will of the GOP leadership.
But an aide for Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would only say that it's "bizarre" Democrats aren't allowing amendments on the bill, especially after spending so much time talking about bipartisanship.
And as Roll Call reports today, Republican Senate leaders told more than 100 lobbyists yesterday that they plan to oppose the bill because of the process -- not because of the actual policy. "The feeling is they aren't going to say anything in opposition to the bill, except to say it's incomplete," a lobbyist who attended the meeting said. "They are not opposed to the bill, they just believe their rights as the minority have been abridged."
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And so the GOP cries about how oppressed they are while Rome burns. After all, it's in their best interests come election time to make sure unemployment stays high.