Obama has been lashing out at congress. In fact, democrats in general blame congress for failing to pass his legislation referring to them as a “Do-Nothing Congress.”
President Obama and his supporters are well aware that Friday’s jobs report is an ugly mess. But they’re trying to gain the high ground by shifting attention to Congress, highlighting a number of White House jobs proposals that have languished under the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.
In a trip to a Honeywell factory in Minnesota Friday, Obama responded to the dismal news with a speech demanding Congress take action on a variety of measures, including infrastructure investments and aid to state and local governments to prevent teachers, firefighters and police from being laid off, that Republicans have thus far opposed. He also announced a new initiative to encourage private employers to hire returning veterans.
“We’ve got responsibilities that are bigger than an election,” Obama said. “We’ve got responsibilities to you. So my message to Congress is: Now is not the time to play politics, now is not the time to sit on your hands, the American people expect their leaders to work hard no matter what year it is.”
I wonder what the President would say regarding the latest shenanigans taking place in the lower chamber:
Republicans and Democrats got snippy on the House floor Wednesday over a typo in a GOP deregulation bill, which Democrats have so far refused to let Republicans fix quickly on the floor by unanimous consent.
The bill, H.R. 4078, is meant to prohibit major federal regulations until the unemployment rate falls to 6 percent, but instead says no new regulations can be issued until the employment rate falls to 6 percent.
Earlier in the day, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he would not grant unanimous consent to add “un” to the word “employment” and thus fix the bill on the floor. And Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) indicated that Democrats were not willing yet to allow the quick fix.
House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) asked Connolly if he would object to a unanimous consent request to make the correction. Issa cast the error as a mistake made by professional staff.
But in reply, Connolly said, “This member will reserve the right to object at the appropriate time.”
“Nothing could be more insincere than to pick on professional staff on a typographical error,” Issa shot back. “If we have to… go to the Rules Committee, I guess we will, but I’m really sorry to see that kind of an attitude on what the gentleman and all of us know was simply a typographical error.”
Connolly then took umbrage with Issa’s remark, and asked the presiding officer, “Did this member hear… the distinguished chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee characterize a member as insincere?”
Truly doing the people’s will.
Now, to be fair, the more we can restrain Washington from passing laws, the better off we are, so, I must find myself congratulating the Do-Nothing Democrats of the House!!