Stimulus Bill Passes The House Without A Single Vote From Limbaugh's Cowed Republicans

We saw the wrong way; now let's get it right

All morning and into the afternoon, Congress tussled over the final vote on President Obama's jobs bill, H.R. 1, with Republicans going through their pointless obstructionist rituals to derail it and plunge the country further into economic chaos in the hopes that they will be recalled by the voters to clean up (the mess they created and exacerbated). They were frequently joined by the most reactionary of the Big Business-oriented Blue Dogs in their efforts. For example, of the 14 Democrats who crossed the aisle to vote to kill the bill (motion to recommit) at 2:15, were mostly either Blue Dogs or on the waiting list to be Blue Dogs:

Michael Arcuri (Blue Dog-NY)
John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)
Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-Alabama)
Chris Carney (Blue Dog- PA)
Ben Chandler (Blue Dog-KY)
Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL)
Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD)
Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)
Harry Mitchell (Blue Dog-AZ)
Glenn Nye (VA)
Gary Peters (Pissed Off liberal-MI)
Mark Schauer (Pissed Off liberal-MI)

In the end only seven so-called Democrats voted against it (four fewer than on the first go-round)-- one a protesting populist-- and, again, not a single Republican had the guts to put America first and their own far right, partisan greed and selfishness cult second. The final vote was 246-181. The 7 Democrats voting with the Republicans against America were

Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL)
Pete DeFazio (pissed off populist-OR)
Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL)
Walt Minnick (Blue Dog-ID)
Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)
Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)

Reactionary Tennessee imbecile Lipinksi Jr. (IL) voted "present." Soon the DCCC's Debbie Wasserman Schultz will be frantically and insistently begging for money from grassroots Democrats to "re-elect our courageous but vulnerable incumbents." High on the list of incumbents who could never get re-elected without massive infusions of cash from Democrats unaware these people vote with the GOP are Bobby Bright, Parker Griffith, Walt Minnick, John Barrow, Harry Mitchell, Frank Kratovil and Chris Carney. When you get an urge to give to the DCCC, go right here and donate to the Blue America PAC instead. We'll be using it to defeat the enemies of working families-- on both sides of the aisle. The Senate is expected to take up the bill tonight, and without Ted Kennedy or Al Franken voting, Harry Reid is looking around for a fourth Republican vote.

Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), in reminding his constituents that President Obama's jobs bill is likely to create at least 7,500 jobs in his hard-pressed upstate New York district went to great lengths to communicate the importance of the legislation itself and to give them the opportunity to understand why he unhesitatingly supported it. Remember, many are hearing Rush Limbaugh, the de facto head of the Republican Party, distorting the provisions of the bill every single day on his deregulated Hate Talk radio show. It's umportant for members of Congress to make sure their constituents know what they're doing and why. Here's what Massa told his:

Today, the New Direction Congress is delivering the help America needs to revitalize our economy. Nothing is more important to the American people, and the President and Congress have taken significant action on this.
 
This economic recovery plan will create and protect American jobs, provide one of the largest tax cuts in American history for 95% of American workers, and lay a foundation for long-term growth through clean energy, innovation and education. This legislation also creates unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency measures to help ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively. There are no earmarks in the bill and new recovery.gov website will allow Americans to track their investments.
 
America is facing an economic crisis greater than any since the Great Depression, with a staggering 3.6 million American jobs lost in the last 13 months and a New York unemployment rate that climbed to 7.0% in December. As the President works to address the mortgage foreclosure crisis and get credit flowing through our financial system, this plan will help strengthen our economy and bring jobs, tax relief and hope for New Yorkers.

This jobs and economic recovery plan contains strategic efforts:
 
·    Creating or saving 215,000 jobs in New York over the next two years-- Including 7,500 jobs here in New York's 29th Congressional District;
 
·    Providing a Making Work Pay Tax Cut of up to $800 for 7,070,000 workers and their families, designed to start paying out immediately into workers' paychecks, as well as tax cuts to spur businesses large and small;
 
·    Transforming Our Economy With Clean, Efficient, American Energy and Innovation and Technology that will create more than 1 million  jobs;
 
·    Lowering Health Care Costs and improving care by computerizing medical records, which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and helping those who cannot afford health care in these tough times;
 
·    Modernizing Roads and Bridges to create jobs with an extra $1,120,684,723 here in New York along with other critical infrastructure like high-speed rail, the boldest investment since the creation of the interstate highway system a half century ago;
 
·    Education for the 21st Century, modernizing schools and making college more affordable with improved Pell Grants for the 461,816 Pell Grant recipients here in New York and a higher education tax credit for 295,000 students in our state;
 
·    Helping Workers Hurt by the Economy, including 671,500 New Yorkers that are out of work, those who have lost their health care, and seniors; and
 
·    Saving the Jobs of teachers, police officers, health care workers, and protecting the vital services they provide.
 
We aren't going to turn this economy around overnight, but we are confident that this package will make our economy stronger and more resilient. This jobs and recovery plan will create or save an estimated 215,000 jobs in New York by the end of 2010, according to the White House. Americans have always come together in the face of challenges and we will rise together once again.

And let's close this with a little truth talk from George Miller (D-CA) about this bill: