Obama to Congress: Pass my jobs bill - or explain yourself

Updated 12:08 p.m. Eastern Time

President Obama called on Congress to pass his $447 billion jobs bill Monday, stating that "this is not a game."

"Our economy really needs a jolt right now," he said during a White House news conference.

Mr. Obama said the bill would guard against the economic threat posed by the European economic crisis and said independent economists overwhelmingly say it would help boost the struggling American economy. He said it was made up of proposals that both parties have traditionally supported.

"Any senator who is thinking about voting against this jobs bill when it comes up for a vote," he said, "needs to explain why they would oppose something that we know would improve our economic situation at such an urgent time for our families and for our businesses."

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Mr. Obama derided critics who call his proposal "class warfare," saying Congress must choose between helping the rich and the people who are "hurting in this country."

"I hope every senator thinks long and hard about what's at stake when they vote next week," he said.

The news conference reflects Mr. Obama's latest push for passage of the American Jobs Act he introduced in September -- a $447 billion package of spending measures and middle-class tax cuts designed to stimulate the economy. The proposal includes $250 billion in tax cuts, including reduced payroll taxes on both workers and employers, $60 billion in extended unemployment benefits and $140 billion in spending on education,  transportation projects and public workers, including police officers.

Mr. Obama seeks to pay for it largely by increasing taxes on corporations and high-earning Americans. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday called for a five percent surtax on Americans making more than $1 million to help pay for the bill, something Mr. Obama said Thursday he was open to accepting. A recent CBS News poll showed that 64 percent of Americans believe those making a million dollars or more should pay more in taxes.

The Senate is expected to vote on the plan next week. Mr. Obama focused his comments Thursday largely on the Republicans who appear likely to vote against the plan -- but as Republicans have been quick to point out, he does not appear to have the unified support of Senate Democrats for the proposal. On Wednesday, the Republican National Committee emailed reporters comments from 16 Senate Democrats expressing varying levels of skittishness about the bill. 

Mr. Obama, who has taken a more confrontational tone in recent weeks, plans a bus tour in support of the proposal later this month, and has already given a dozen speeches on the legislative package in seven states.

"What I've done over the last several weeks is take the case to the American people so they know what is going on," he said.

He has taken on Republican critics of the bill by name, challenging House majority leader Eric Cantor, who has vowed not to let the bill come up for a vote. He even suggested that conservative icon and former president Ronald Reagan would have supported his proposal to ensure that the highest-earning Americans pay tax rates that at least match those who make less.

Cantor hammered the plan in an interview with Bloomberg Television, saying, "Here we go again, continued insistence in Washington -- raise taxes on job creators right now. That's not what we need. Most people in America think it's counterintuitive to raise taxes if you want economic growth."

The plan is seen on Capitol Hill as having little chance of passage, and critics have suggested Mr. Obama is essentially using the proposal as a campaign tool. Speaking shortly before Mr. Obama, House Speaker John Boehner accused the president of having "given up on the country," suggesting he has "decided to campaign full time instead of doing what the American people sent us all here to do and have to find common ground the deal with the big challenges that face our economy and our country."

Asked by CBS News' Bill Plante if his push for the bill is really about campaigning, Mr. Obama says he is "ready and willing" to negotiate with Republicans, but that they haven't shown serious interest in doing so. He said the "big ideas" being pushed by the GOP -- trade deals, patent reform -- are "ones we're already doing."

Republicans oppose his plan but "have not given a good reason why they are opposed to putting construction workers back on the job or teachers back in the classroom," Mr. Obama said.

He derided Republican claims that rolling back regulation would spur the economy.

"So their big economic plan to put people back to work right now is to rollback financial protections and allow banks to charge fees on consumers?" he asked incredulously. He then called on reporters to reach out to economists to compare the expected impact of his plan to any plan put forth by their opponents.

"I see smirks in the audience because you know it's not going to be real robust," he said, referring to the impact of his opponents' plan.

"The election is 13 or 14 months away," he said. "I would love nothing more than to not have to be out there campaigning because we are seeing constructive action here in Congress. That's my goal. That's what I'm looking for. I'm also dealing with a Republican majority leader who said his number one goal was to beat me. Not put Americans back to work. Not grow the economy. Not help small businesses expand, but to defeat me. He's been saying that now for a couple of years. So, I have to go out and listen to the American people to see if maybe he'll listen to them if he is not listening to me."

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[JackInDelaware]

It is so awesome to see just how small BO has gotten ..... His latest attempt at using his favorite down & dirty " trojan horse " dirty political trick has backfired right in his face when even other democrats have seen through his phoney baloney " jobs bill " to see, in reality that is absolutely, positively nothing more than yet another tax bill in disguise .... I tell you folks .... I am Shocked ! ...... Stunned I Say ! ...... yeah ..... right ! LMAO !

[without_hate]

You can judge a man by the company he keeps. Obama and Holder have been tip toeing through the tulips together as friends prior to Senator Obama seeking the Presidency. As Holder has lied repeatedly to the Congress and has shown him self to be a biased Attorney General, we can logically assume that Obama and Holder share the same goals and characteristics as evidenced by the fact that Obama has repeatedly lied to the congress. I can not vote for a man that associates with a liar is a racist.

There is no denying that he has lied at least once to the congress. When the Attorney General perjuries himself and is caught, he must be charged and brought to justice. If this Attorney General is allowed to walk on these charges then the charge of perjury can never be levied against any citizen by the justice department. CBS reported the following, 'WASHINGTON - New documents obtained by CBS News show Attorney General Eric Holder was sent briefings on the controversial Fast and Furious operation as far back as July 2010. That directly contradicts his statement to Congress. On May 3, 2011, Holder told a Judiciary Committee hearing, "I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks." Yet internal Justice Department documents show that at least ten months before that hearing, Holder began receiving frequent memos discussing Fast and Furious." CBS continued on to report the following,
"It's called letting guns "walk," and it remained secret to the public until Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered last December. Two guns from Fast and Furious were found at the scene, and ATF agent John Dodson blew the whistle on the operation."
Agent: I was ordered to let guns "walk" into Mexico
Ever since, the Justice Department has publicly tried to distance itself. But the new documents leave no doubt that high level Justice officials knew guns were being "walked."
Two Justice Department officials mulled it over in an email exchange Oct. 18, 2010. "It's a tricky case given the number of guns that have walked but is a significant set of prosecutions," says Jason Weinstein, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division. Deputy Chief of the National Gang Unit James Trusty replies "I'm not sure how much grief we get for 'guns walking.' It may be more like, "Finally they're going after people who sent guns down there."
"The Justice Department told CBS News that the officials in those emails were talking about a different case started before Eric Holder became Attorney General. And tonight they tell CBS News, Holder misunderstood that question from the committee - he did know about Fast and Furious - just not the details."

How can I vote for a man that will allow the top official in the justice department perjure himself in a testimony to Congress and not demand his resignation? This President has not asked for Holder resignation. He sent less than honorable PR people out to lie to the news organization. How feeble and unbelievable was the attempt to cover up Holder's perjury, the first lie" he was talking about another case, "{if true, then they have walked guns prior to this current event, and this is a new investigation.} The second lie that he misunderstood the question is a lawyer wording to keep his client from jail" I did not cover the other email that clearly shows that Holder was involved due to the already long length of this post.
Holder is a racist and only enforces laws that involve white voter fraud, CNN reported the following story May 28, 2009, "WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Justice Department is dropping charges against the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and two of its members who were allegedly involved in voter intimidation on Election Day at a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania polling station.
A Justice spokesman said the department decided to take this action after winning an injunction earlier this month against a third member, name censored, that prevents him from ever brandishing a weapon n outside a polling place again as he was charged with doing last November. Name censored was one of the three persons, along with the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, charged with voter intimidation last January in a lawsuit filed under the Voting Rights Act. Name censored will not face any jail"

How can I vote for a President that allows the Department of Justice to over look voter intimidation? Had this been the tea party the racist in the Justice Department would charge them and try them in the media. Obama's man's is racist and a perjurer.

[lg144]

This rant coming from someone that voted for Bush twice who had Gonzales as the AG. The same AG that oversaw the firing of assitant attorney generals through out the country because they did not bring cases for political reasons to benefit republicans. Are you sure you want to go there?

[without_hate]

I do not feel comfortable voting for a man that would not protect the memory of the 9-11 victims. The support for the victory mosque near Ground Zero is disgraceful and beneath a President to allow this to proceed. "Weighing his words carefully on a fiery political issue, President Barack Obama said Saturday that Muslims have the right to build a mosque near New York's ground zero, but he did not say whether he believes it is a good idea to do so." MSNBC He could have stopped this using the President Bully Pulpit and he should have done so. Having the right to build a Mosque does not mean that it is the correct decision. This is a victory mosque make no mistake by thinking other wise. I leave it to the reader to look up the history of building a mosque on the site of an enemy's defeat.

How can a person that believes in the Constitution vote for Barrack Obama, from day one he was ruling against the will of the people and the Constitution with the full support of the [Socialist Democratic Party]. He by passed the congress and appointed Czars that are anti-American with a history of statement against our system of government. Van Jones just recently declared a month of violence. He is an avowed racist as demonstrated by the following quote. "You've never seen a Columbine done by a black child. Never. They always say, 'We can't believe it happened here. We can't believe it's these suburban white kids.' It's only them'" Van jones. Brainy Quotes, The East Bay express gave Jones background as follows "[Van] Jones had planned to move to Washington, DC, and had already landed a job and an apartment there. But in jail, he said, "I met all these young radical people of color — I mean really radical, communists and anarchists. And it was, like, 'This is what I need to be a part of.'" Although he already had a plane ticket, he decided to stay in San Francisco. "I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary." In the months that followed, he let go of any lingering thoughts that he might fit in with the status quo. "I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th, and then the verdicts came down on April 29th," he said. "By August, I was a communist" source of this quote was Hate the Media web site. This decision to appoint an admitted communist in a position as Green Czar eliminates Obama as a worthy Presidential candidate. How can I consider a man for the Presidency that would appoint a man that is an avowed racist to a high position?

[without_hate]

This is a layman view point on why Obama should not be returned to the white house. I am writing this from and extremely biased view point. I do no like the path that he as set our country on and I do not like him personally because o his lack of transparency and his arrogance.
The lack of leadership as outlined in both the New York Times and the latest News week editors statement demonstrates that even his staunch supporters realize that he is not up to the task of governing the nation. " Liberal Newsweek Editor Admits: Obama 'Wasn't Ready' to Be President
During an appearance on Morning Joe, Tuesday, Newsweek editor Tina Brown made an off-hand remark about Barack Obama, conceding that the politician "wasn't ready" to be President. Brown has previously attacked Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives for daring to oppose the Obama administration." This is posted on the Daily Pundit web site. A year an a half into the Presidency MJ Rosenberg wrote in a New York Times editorial "But a year and a half into this presidency, the contemplative nature that was so appealing in a candidate can seem indecisive in a president. His promise of bipartisanship seems naive. His inclination to hold back, and then ride to the rescue, has sometimes made problems worse." Earlier this year the time gave a blistering attack on the lack of leadership. His own supporters are telling the world that Obama does not deserve a second term. From a layman viewpoint, I support their conclusion.
There are many questions about his personal life that he has hid from the public. He has locked tight his educational records; he has spent close to two million dollars to block them from public view. What is he hiding? There are still questions on his birth that need to be put to rest. The original birth certificate must be available for verification and the record un-sealed in Hawaii. What is he hiding? The [socialist democrats} have proven them selves to be liars and they can not be trusted
The question of the deaths of the young men in Chicago must be answered. Larry Sinclair affidavit to the Chicago police Department should be verified as true or false. If it is false then Mr. Sinclair must be jailed for perjury ,if it true then Obama has some serious problems in Chicago that must be explained before he is worthy to run for reelection.
"I just heard from Larry Sinclair. Sinclair has confirmation of receipt and Sinclair's attorney, Mr. Sibley, has been contacted by a Chicago Police detective requesting that Sinclair or Sibley speak to him. Larry Sinclair alleges a drug and gay sex encounter with Obama in November 1999 and also alleges that Donald Young contacted him shortly before he was murdered. The following is from Larry Sinclair's blog:|"
"On April 1, 2008 I sent via fax a notarize affidavit to the Chicago Police Department concerning communications between myself and the murdered Choir Director, Donald Young of Trinity United Christian Church, in Chicago, IL. This came from Citizen Wells News. The actual affidavit is available on line.
The Globe, Norma Jean Young, the 76-year old mother of the late Trinity United Church of Christ choir director Donald Young, has spoken out and declared that persons trying to protect Obama murdered her son at the height of the 2007 Democratic presidential primary to protect Obama from embarrassing revelations about his homosexual relationship with her son. Donald Young's bullet-ridden body was found in his Chicago apartment on December 23, 2007, in what appeared to be an assassination-style slaying.
I do not have any proof of the above stories but Sinclair and Madsen risked their lives plus opened themselves to perjury and liable charges. This is a tremendous risk especially when you consider what happen to Jimmy Hoffa. Mrs. Young has put her self in danger I am concerned for her safety. I do not feel comfortable voting for a man with questions of this nature not being cleared up. I am voting for the President of the United States not some sleazy Chicago councilman.
A major news source should track this down; there is a Pulitzer in the waiting. Greed and fame will overcome their biased eventually and they will investigate.

[lg144]

Republicans have done more damage to America than any terrorist ever could.

The Republican game plan is to destroy the economy blame the Democrats and President Obama. This is their strategy to obtain the White House and the Senate in the 2012 elections. If you think the Republicans are death on average Americans, working-class and middle-class people now. Just think of how much more damage they could do to this country if they had the house,the Senate and the presidency to consolidate power to do whatever they want. They would then have free reign to turn America into the Third World country that they want for their corporate overlords.

They've already shown their hand by not approving extended unemployment benefits for people and anything else that would help the average American. Then they took America to the brink of default with the debt ceiling crisis. A crisis in which they created. Republicans on the supreme court ruling corporations are people and therefore can give unlimited funding to politicians. Republicans fighting for tax cuts for corporations, big oil and the wealthy while advocating cutting social security, medicare and medicaid. For those reasons and more I can't imagine any thinking working-class poor or middle-class person voting to support Republicans after all the damage they've done to this country. Americans must reject republicans at town hall meetings and the polls for their anti American unpatriotic strategy and tactics. The only difference between Timothy McVie and the republicans is he used explosives and they used their congressional positions.

The phoney debt ceiling debate and agreement is another part of the republican game plan to take back the senate and white house. They create artificial crisis to stall (run out the clock on President Obama's term) and cripple him and the economy to prevent JOBS from being discussed or created. They are counting on voters blaming the president for the bad economy even though they the republicans are sabotaging every step of the way. Even a blind man can see republicans couldn't care less for average Americans. Just imagine what they would do if they controlled the house, senate and presidency. Americans cannot let that happen. Because it is crystal clear by the behavior of republicans they do not want America to progress and will hold it hostage to prevent it.

Republicans are screwing up government to prove their mantra " government doesn't work". This is designed to frustrate and turn off non supporters from voting thus paving the way for their depraved zealots to vote republican. Americans need to punish republicans at town halls and the polls. They cannot be allowed to get away with sabotaging our great nation. Americans need to recognize that republicans have no intention or incentive to do anything to bring America out of its economic woes. After all, they think they can also get elected by blaming President Obama and Democrats. Time will tell if voters will fall for this again.

[Zann-Zel]

The total opposite of Patriotism would be simply Moving yourself and/or your money to another country instead of doing the HARD work of sticking around and trying to SAVE the country that gave you your start!

[Zann-Zel]

. All depending on what makes economic sense.
-----------
Exactly!
Economic = MONEY.

If you are all I had to go on - I would have to assume Patriotism is Dead.

[Zann-Zel]

No its not.
But the total opposite of Patriotism would be simply Moving yourself and your money to another country instead of doing the HARD work of sticking around and trying to SAVE the country that gave you your start!

[Zann-Zel]

Mortarman29_1SG October 7, 2011 12:57 PM EDT
Zann, who cares if the government trusts me?

As you can see, my country comes before my business. That is ONLY if my country is doing right. If it is doing wrong, it will not get my support, nor does it deserve it!
--------
On your list you put the government before your business.
But you've told me that "businesses are out to make money" and implied that it was okay for them to send their jobs overseas as long as the end result was them making money. BUT sending their jobs overseas HURTS this country!

You need to check that list again and either rearange the order or follow it.

And who cares? In a time of war - EVERYONE would care!

[Zann-Zel]

So to sum up your beliefs - your country ONLY deserves your support if it agrees with YOU.
Newsflash Mort - YOU are not the King. THIS country is supposed to be run "by THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE"!!! Not by the rich for the rich or by MORT for MORT!
You Are NOT loyal.
You need to think a little beyond the dollar signs to what the RIGHT thing to do is.
You are allowing MONEY to come before your loyalty to your country.

[Zann-Zel]

Hey Mortar did you see my question to you yesterday? I'll copy it...
----

I have a quesiton.

Say you are one of these giant business owners - you've moved 90% of your operations to China - and USA goes to war with China......then what?

Whose side are you on?
Which side can trust you?

[Zann-Zel]

But how could people trust that if 90% of your business operations were tied up in a foreign country?

[Zann-Zel]

No the question was, which side can trust YOU!

BOTH sides would instantly be leary of you!

Life can get very dangerous, if the Love of ones country does not come before the love of making money.

[cbs4111]

Obama's "jobs" bill WOULD NOT CREATE ONE SINGLE SUSTAINABLE JOB. NOT ONE.

The few jobs that it would create are all TEMPORARY, and at the cost of adding to Obama's mountain of debt. Listen up, Obama is already borrowing about 40 cents of every dollar he spends, with much of this money borrowed from China. We do have to pay China back, WITH INTEREST. So Obama wants to borrow even more now, when too much borrowing IS the problem. Since we have to pay all this money back, starting next year when all these temporary jobs are gone, the money we have to pay China will be leaving the US economy and that will CAUSE A NET LOSS OF JOBS.

This is just another Obama "Wimpy" program. Obama says, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today". Obama is such a fool, Tuesday is already here.