Obama’s So-Called Jobs Bill Has No Co-Sponsors, But Brown Supports It
Over three weeks ago, President Barack Obama sent his second stimulus the American Jobs Act (S. 1549) to Congress, but since that time not a single Democrat in the Senate has bothered to co-sponsor the bill.
Some Democrats have referred to the President’s second stimulus as “terrible,” and others have expressed their reservations about whether the bill will actually create jobs, but there is still one person who remains solidly in President Obama’s corner and that is liberal United States Senator Sherrod Brown, who happened to be one of the first supporters of the legislation.
- “The President outlined a plan that will create and protect jobs and ensure that Ohio workers take home more of their pay. There are no excuses for inaction, as all components of his plan have had bipartisan support and will not add to the deficit.” (Sen. Brown, Press Release, 9/8/11)
Brown actually supported the bill four days before it was even written, which is odd because the first stimulus was an utter failure and never ‘created or saved’ the 133,000 Ohio jobs that the Administration promised it would, but then again you don’t become the most liberal member of the Senate by bucking the President.
“Considering Sherrod Brown’s outspoken support for the President’s latest stimulus – which includes $450 billion in new spending and $1.5 trillion in job-killing tax hikes – why doesn’t he sign on officially in support of it?” asked National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.
BACKGROUND
While Sherrod Brown Is Enthusiastically Supporting Stimulus II
SHERROD BROWN: “The President outlined a plan that will create and protect jobs and ensure that Ohio workers take home more of their pay. There are no excuses for inaction, as all components of his plan have had bipartisan support and will not add to the deficit.” (Sen. Brown, Press Release, 9/8/11)
Brown’s Democratic Colleagues Call The Bill “Terrible”
SEN. JIM WEBB (D-VA): “Terrible.” “‘Terrible,’ Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told POLITICO when asked about the president’s ideas for how to pay for the $450 billion price tag. ‘We shouldn’t increase taxes on ordinary income. … There are other ways to get there.’” (“Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan,” Politico, 9/14/11)
SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D-MD): “I disagree with the president.” “Senator Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat whose state includes some of the wealthiest counties in the U.S., said she didn’t support the health-care tax. ‘I disagree with the president,’ she said.” (“Obama Plan To Tax Health Benefits Stirs Democratic Opposition,” Bloomberg, 9/14/11)
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): “I have serious questions about the level of spending that President Obama has proposed, as well as the actual effectiveness some of these policies will have when it comes to creating jobs…” (“Manchin’s Strategy For Surviving 2012 In A Red State: Bash President Obama,” The Hill, 9/14/11)
- “‘If spending money solved our crises, we would be okay,’ Manchin said. ‘When the President first spoke to Congress, I had some serious reservations. After we did a breakdown on the numbers, I was even more skeptical. At $450 billion, it is a tremendous cost, with a doubtful return on investment.’ Manchin said he worries that the bill includes ideas that have been tried before and failed, at tremendous cost to taxpayers.” (“Manchin Has Reservations On Obama’s Jobs Bill,” Williamson Daily News [WV] 9/18/11)
