As Jobs Act languishes, McConnell says Obama wants gridlock

Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Obama's $447 billion jobs package appears to be headed nowhere fast in Congress, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is suggesting that's exactly what the president wants.

In a statement Tuesday, McConnell said the White House's "explicit strategy" is to "make people believe that Congress can't get anything done."

"The political operators over at the White House seem to believe that they benefit from the appearance of gridlock," McConnell said. The GOP leader's statement came after Mr. Obama sent Congress three long-anticipated free trade agreements. McConnell said the administration's interest in gridlock explains both why it took so long to pass the trade agreements and also the status of the American Jobs Act.

"How else do explain the fact that the president's spent the past few weeks running around the country demanding that Congress pass his so-called Jobs Bill 'right away' even as leading members of his own party admit that Democrats wouldn't have the votes to get it through Congress even if it came to the floor?" McConnell said.

The trade agreements were finally sent to Congress after they were stalled by disagreements over spending to assist American workers displaced by free trade.

Meanwhile, the president has been busy promoting his jobs legislation -- which is mostly comprised of tax cuts for taxpayers and small businesses, and also includes investments in areas like infrastructure and unemployment benefits -- which he says is the quickest way to reboot the economy.

In spite of Mr. Obama's strong push for the bill, Republican leaders in the House have essentially ruled out voting for the bill in its entirety. When asked on Monday if the president's jobs package was completely dead on arrival as one bill, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said yes.

House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday added, "Nobody gets everything they want," though he added that Republicans have been clear to the president that they will "try to find those areas where we could find common ground." (watch at left)

Mr. Obama takes his push for the jobs bill to Dallas on Tuesday, and will challenge Republican leaders to put the whole bill up for a vote. According to excerpts of his remarks released by the White House, the president will say, "At least put this jobs bill up for a vote so that the entire country knows exactly where every Member of Congress stands."

"I'd like Mr. Cantor to come down here to Dallas and explain what in this jobs bill he doesn't believe in," Mr. Obama will add.

Yesterday, the White House said Mr. Obama would be willing to sign into law just parts of his jobs plan, but he's interested in seeing Congress pass the bill in its entirety. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney reiterated the president's argument that the bill is comprised of ideas that have gained bipartisan support in the past, so Congress should have no problem passing it.

Furthermore, Carney said the public is behind the ideas in the bill. "The American people want action on the economy and jobs. They do not want political posturing," he said.

As to whether Mr. Obama would campaign on the issue of Republican objections to his bill, Carney said he would -- and with good reason.

"If you're saying that we have differences and the president believes strongly that we should take all of the action that is embodied within the American Jobs Act, and others -- perhaps Republicans on the Hill -- think otherwise, then sure, we should explain ourselves. They should explain themselves," he said.

Carney added, however, that the White House would "much rather" just have Congress pass the bill "because it would be good for the economy and good for the American people... That is the highest priority."

While Republicans have made clear they're not interested in passing the whole bill, Democrats have acknowledged their own party's problems with the bill also.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer on New York said Sunday that the main hang up is not the bill itself, but the president's plan to pay for it, the New York Daily News reports. "After [Obama] announced the jobs bill... he proposed ways of paying for it that are probably not the best way to garner the votes," Schumer said. "We're looking for better ways."

The president's plan to pay for his bill relies mostly on collecting more taxes from corporations and the wealthy.

[kansas1946]

In a statement Tuesday, McConnell said the White House's "explicit strategy" is to "make people believe that Congress can't get anything done.
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LMAO. Yeah, right McConnell. We know who has been holding things up and it ain's President Obama. It is you and your weale friends.

[southpaw99]

The headline of this story pretty much says it all.
President Obama offers solutions and McConnell does nothing but blame everything on him.
I think he is a racist fool.
Thank God we got President Obama for another term.

[focusonjobs1]

The party of no is full of liars!! That must be really old or do not believe the Americans keep up with the news.

[Alex_Votocracy]

How much consideration do you put in Obama's complacency when dealing with the GOP over the last year? Do the economic problems reflect poor bipartisan relationships? Or is do you blame policy decisions of the current administration (Ex. Solyndra)? Come discuss on an open political and discussion platform: http://******/pWxo8s

[Alex_Votocracy]

http://www.votocracy.com/poll/20111004/has-solyndra-created-a-blockade-for-other-green-energy-initiatives-from-being-pursued-by-the-department-of-energy

[zenia5]

So, let me get this straight....Mitch "Turtle Face" McConnell is accusing President Obama of gridlock?????? The GOP, specifically the tea baggers, have publicly announced that nothing will get done in congress for the remainder of the year and they will insure that happens through gridlock; they have also publicly admitted that their primary goal is to discredit and get rid of this President. They couldn't care less about doing anything good for the country. A sorry bunch.

[hsinco-2009]

McConnell is the grid lock king!

What an as shole!

[realist51]

really garddthetruth? how many bills has the president vetoed? What did Bohner say about the deficit bill oh yea I got 98% of what I wanted. the extension of the job killing bush tax cuts, and ask yourself prey tell why didn't congress pass a budget was it because of the record filibustering repubs in the senate? the failureis on the republicant side of the house now they take more time off don't get anything done and then point fingers like do nothing mcconnel does and say its the presidents fault. want it to be his fault mitch put the bill through and see if he veto's it. thats right though these guys don't know how to do anything there's no cheif lemming telling them to jump off the cliff so they run in circles getting nothing done. must be mighty proud of themselves knowing that the one thing they could accoplish was to be the WORST congress in history all lead by corporate coward economic terrorist republicant's,LMAO!

[dzaffina]

dude, get out of your moms basement,get some fresh air. i wonder about people like you that come on comment boards just preaching hate for the president.your comments show that your way past being political or even biased.you got some deep seated personal hatred going on for a man you never met.

[slatep]

Obama did not have to do one thing to covince the American people that our Current corrupt, bought and paid for Congress can't get anything accomplished.

NEWS FLASH: The American people have known this for quite some time.!!!

Now, some of us have decided we have been jerked around and left blowing in he wind long enough and are staging PEACEFUL protests to show their displeasure.

[realist51]

This line of bull hockey out of the mouth of the guy whose party gridlock the senate for two years with a record amount of filibusters. and people by this crap? What about the jobs ,jobs,jobs that his party ran on? there,s a proposal from the president waiting for action and the republicant's only plan is to gut it no plans on improving it like instead of 60 billion in unemployment use that for infrastructure JOBS, or add more infrastructure JOBS! cut a couple of billion he(( even if you cut 10% of the defense budget it would be 60 billion in JOB growth in its self. Getter Done! you fools, Getter done.

[BuckeyeChuck]

McConnell should actually do something that Obama wants, that would make Obama look bad.

[dzaffina]

"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told National Journal's Major Garrett in October.

Fox News' Bret Baier asked McConnell Sunday if that was still his major objective.


"Well, that is true," McConnell replied. "That's my single most important political goal, along with every active Republican in the country."

[BuckeyeChuck]

dzaffina
I was being sarcastic anyone that thinks for themselves knows the republicans are the problem.
Lets just hope people wake up by 2012 and give him a Democratic House and Senate

[martel_v]

The architect of gridlock now wants to blame it on Obama. Cute. It would be truly revolutionary if a Republican would appear on the horizon who wasn't doing everything he could think of to destroy America in order to take over the country by blaming everyone else for his own greed, ignorance, irrationality and stupidity.