Senate Republicans Slam Obama Stimulus

Pundits often talk about a new president's "honeymoon." But many don't get one, and two weeks into President Obama's administration, it certainly doesn't feel like a honeymoon on the economic stimulus front, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.

More than half of Americans say Congress should make big changes to the stimulus package or reject it altogether. And Republicans sense a chink in the new president's armor.

"I'm sure that democrats, or at least the president is embarrassed by some of this," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

All sides now agree the President's stimulus bill won't survive in the form passed last week by House of Representatives (with only Democrats voting in favor).

Supporters say that bill would create 3 million jobs. Detractors say it merely fulfills a long wish list of Democratic social reforms.

A CBS News analysis finds that the resident's stimulus plan balloons virtually every federal agency in terms of dollars spent: $5.5 billion more for the Department of Commerce, $9.4 billion extra for the Environmental Protection Agency, $5 billion more for Labor, $1 billion for the Census and nearly $36 billion for Agriculture.

And what about HHS, the agency Tom Daschle was slated to head before his withdrawal today? At least $21 billion for them, including $400 million for research, $60 million for environmental health, $50 million for "injury prevention" and to be distributed at the discretion of the HHS secretary.

All that has Republicans reaching for new ways to express numbers that defy imagination.

"If you took 100 dollar bills and wrapped them around the earth at the equator … It would go around the earth almost 39 times," said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.

The president has been friendly enough, inviting some Republicans to cocktails, lunch and a Super Bowl party, even meeting with the Republican caucus on their own turf in the Capitol.

But the charm offensive hasn't risen above the political reality: Republicans were shut out of creating what's become "The largest spending package probably ever in the history of the world," in the words of Republican Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.

Today, Senate Republicans began the push for what they call a simpler, more targeted stimulus bill.

It's a bout half the size of Mr. Obama's plan, much of which would be tax cuts and, they say, money that would address the mortgage crisis first.

[starleo146]

T

here needs to be more tax cuts in this bill" are really saying, "WE want even bigger tax cuts for OURSELVES, we don''''t rob the American people of enough money as it is"

If no one has a job what good are tax cuts and I feel tax cuts to the rich is one of the reason we are in this mess that''s all the republican know Reaganomics

Posted by HillaryNow at 02:36 PM : Feb 04, 2009
+ report abu

[wilmojo1]

It seems to me like the repub''s are trying to kill anything that the democratic senate passes all because they lost the last election. They had eight years to do something usefull and all they could accomplish was get this country deeper in the hole with their rampant spending ways and greed that they''re famous for. Where was their responsibility when they were in charge. Their careless way is what''s gotten us in this mess. And now they want to blame the democrats.

[wilmojo1]

I wonder if a congressman can be impeached????

[nicolesikora]

Hey LibsRLosers1 -- Please point to anything I said that doesn''t make sense to you. Can''t we talk about the ideas without stooping to personal insults? Or are you just trying to mimic Republican talking points about the stimulus? ;) Anyway, darling, I''d rather be a "lost cause" than a bully.

[hillarynow]

Republicans caught saying, "The mortgage crisis what got us here" meaning this recession, are really saying, "We want to shift the blame for what we caused on one of the many industries that collapsed as the result of our''s and Bush''s endless economic failures of the past 8 years" the Republicans saying, "There needs to be more tax cuts in this bill" are really saying, "WE want even bigger tax cuts for OURSELVES, we don''t rob the American people of enough money as it is"

[hillarynow]

Look at the Republican dimwits completely freaking out over the bill the Democratic President created to save our economy and country. Where were all you dimwitted "Conservatives" when Bush was on his waste and giveaway spending bonanza? oh that''s right, you were all voting for his bills, you remember the spending bills that put us in this mess in the first place. So now we should listen to Republicans try and dictate once again what this new bill contains? the Republicans have zero credibility, scheming as always to help themselves to our money, more tax cuts? gee, why would the wealthy Republicans in DC want MORE tax cuts? why is this all they ever seem to care about? could it be they pay the most taxes on the money we pay them? Obama wants to invest and create jobs, while Republicans want to use this bill meant to restore our economy to gift themselves more tax kickbacks. The Republicans have blood on their hands, they are preventing and obstructing progress and economic restoration from happening, they own this mess and obviously want to prolong it. When America finally collapses, remember the Republicans who voted no were the reason why when we could have gotten out of this mess.

[nicolesikora]

Mattcool -- I did read. But I think Republicans public lies/sabotage have a lot to do with where some Senate Democrats stand today. What is a Congressperson going to do when they get a zillion fearful calls from constituents who can''t see past the oversimplification spewing from respected leaders? I don''t think some of the Republicans are being socially responsible.

[nicolesikora]

re:
Republicans aren''''t in the way and haven''''t been in the way since Pelosi and crew took over in 2006.

I''d categorize sabotage as "being in the way." There are a lot of lies being hurled out to the cameras from Congressional Republicans. If you don''t want to vote for something, that''s one thing. But to sit around yelling that the stimulus package provides no stimulus when it will very clearly support national jobs in R&D and social services is a lie. (Again, money to programs means people are needed to do things or that things will be bought, both yielding economic stimulus through demand and/or employment -- see my post below, and it''s part of FDR helped create jobs during some darker days. It didn''t solve all the problems, but it helped -- and then, when times were rosier and private business & consumers were healthier, spending could be pared back again. To everything, there is a season.)

Tax cuts alone have been tried. Bailouts to business have been tried. We''re still in a mess, and the mess is still growing. Let''s try something new. (I love the previous poster who commented on insanity as doing the same thing over & over.) If Republicans don''t like this, they don''t have to vote for it -- but at least shut up & give it a chance. Don''t use lies and sabotage and grandstanding to create a state of inertia and fear before we''ve even tried something new.

[jkor123]

It''s obvious to anyone with two eyes and one complete brain in his head that the dirtiest of the Republican congress and senate are blaming anyone else they can get away with blaming for the mess they''ve made and acting the most outraged. What is even more absurd is the current stance of the most vociferous of the bunch as paragons of virtue once an extreme vetting of every one of the nominees to this current administration reveals any discrepency. And here comes the fuzzy math again from their mouths as well and their claims that they want to "help" the working class. Haven''t we had enough? Just when I thought people had finally taken off their blinders, there they go blaming a majority leader who''s been in office for two whole years. (I guess if she hadn''t been in, they''d still be blaming Clinton.) IT reminds me of a kid who poops in his pants and then blames his sister for making his pants dirty. I''d like to see some of the Republicans who are obstructing and delaying this stimulous package be put in a position where THEY are vetted.

[jkor123]

The previous Republican majority leader tabled so many proposals that the Dems made in Congress from 2000-2006 that they never even REACHED the senate, and who had veto power during 2006-2008. And talk about frivolous spending and pork? One example - Why did the Repblicans insist on giving the wealthy tax cuts and lots of $$$$$ inside budget proposals for funds for our soldiers in Iraq and agree to build a bridge to nowhere in Alaska (...and whatever happened to "nation building" being a "no no" with thrifty conservatives -- like *** Army, the Republican Majority Leader who suddenly retired during Bush''s administration after he objected to occupying -- ie "nation-building" -- in Iraq....) It was Bush''s (and I do mean Bush''s, he owned the ones in there) REPUBLICAN CONGRESS (not Nancy Pelosi) that deregulated banking and eliminated the caps on interest rates on credit cards and ARM-mortgages - thus causing interest rates to skyrocket along with late fees and insisted on catering only to big business, ignoring NAFTA guidelines that were in place (ever get a phone call from a company''s representative located in India?) during THE PAST EIGHT YEARS - EIGHT, NOT TWO And does anyone remember how much of a SURPLUS the Republican-controlled congress and senate started out with in 2000?! (Evidently there are a lot of Republicans out there who can''t count.)