The Senate and the Obama Jobs Bill

A Case Study of How Washington is Not Working

Mr. Obama submitted a jobs bill to the Congress several weeks ago.  The Senate has taken up the bill, and here is the result.  See if any of this makes any sense, regardless of whether one is for or against the proposed programs.

By early Thursday evening, 48 senators had voted against proceeding with the bill, making it impossible for it to garner the necessary 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. . .Gaining enough Democratic votes to garner a simple majority was a symbolic victory for Democratic leaders, and it will enable Mr. Obama to continue blaming Republicans for blocking his bill. Republicans noted that some Democrats who voted in favor of Tuesday's procedural motion said they would have opposed the measure itself.

Yes, the vote was not for the bill, the vote was to proceed with the bill, you know, debating it and ultimately voting on it.  If 41 out of 100 Senators don’t want to do that, the bill does not get to proceed to a debate and vote.  This apparently is called democracy.

Over at the House, the House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R, Va) was ecstatic at the result

"Hopefully, this is the end of the political games, and hopefully it will also mean that the White House and the president will stop going out there demanding an all-or-nothing approach—'Pass this bill, or else,' " said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.).

Mr. Cantor did not say so, but reports are that he was very upset with the “all or nothing” approach by the President, feeling that this was something only Republicans could do in the legislative process.