Dem Frustration Mounts Over Stimulus Stalling
EmailABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf reports: Reporters are camped outside Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office, where an evolving cast of negotiators from the White House and the Senate are finalizing the stimulus behind closed doors. Moderate Democrat and negotiator Ben Nelson of Nebraska emerged with some very zen updates on the negotiations: "You never really know how close you are until you get to the end," he said of the timing. Of cutting the minority out of negotiations thus far: "That’s why Nebraska has a unicameral legislature. No conference committees." Of the final bill and whether everyone will be happy: "There will be changes. The categories have been known. People who are going to be critical are going to be critical because — fill in the blank." Some of the critical people are Democrats. As the stimulus deal starts to come together amid these closed-door meetings, a number of Democrats who have specific interests that were cut in the Senate compromise are airing their frustrations. They sound just as frustrated as Republicans, although they will likely vote for the finished product. Sen. Tom Harkin told reporters in the Capitol that the final negotiated bill won’t put too much education money back in. And that’s upsetting him. "Every school in America will get 10,000 bucks if they’re lucky," Harkin said, wryly observing that the amount of might be enough to buy two energy-efficient windows. "And what’s that going to do for them?" he asked. "We’re trying to add new heating facilities. We’re trying to add renovations. And doing it by formula doesn’t do it." He lamented that funding to fight preventable diseases that he had helped shepherd into an earlier version of the bill was being cut in the compromise version. "5.8 down to a billion, there you go," said a clearly frustrated Harkin. Will the bill be passed later this week? "It looks like that’s what’s going to happen," he said. "I’m just dismayed at the process. I think that we on our side caved in too much in order to appease a few people. I just think we should have held strong on some of these things and seen if we could have passed it. If not, then you come back and try to fix it." How would you have gotten it passed, he was asked? "Let them vote against it. See what the public outcry would be if they stopped this. The public is on our side. They want the money. We gotta get it out there. We gotta get it out there in good measure," Harkin said. "And yet we didn’t really kind of hold the line on it and see where the votes are. Make them filibuster. I think the people are getting shortchanged. We should have a better allocation of this money as it goes out."
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s home district includes San Francisco.
Star-Kist Tuna’s headquarters are in San Francisco, Pelosi’s home district.
Star-Kist is owned by Del Monte Foods and is a major contributor to Pelosi.
Star-Kist is the major employer in American Samoa employing 75% of the
Samoan work force.
Paul Pelosi, Nancy’s husband, owns $17 million dollars of Star-Kist stock.
In January, 2007 when the minimum wage was increased from $5.15 to $7.25,
Pelosi had American Samoa exempted from the increase so Del Monte would not
have to pay the higher wage. This would make Del Monte products less
expensive than their competition’s.
Last week when the huge bailout bill was passed, Pelosi added an earmark to
the final bill adding $33 million dollars for an ‘economic development
credit in American Samoa’.
Pelosi has called the Bush Administration “CORRUPT” ? ?
Posted by: CAW | February 11, 2009, 1:32 pm 1:32 pm
I just read the geniuses are thinking of stripping the one good thing for consumers in the bill, the 15K housing credit.. as well as “reducing” the paultry 1000 credit per HH (500 per “worker”). Well that’s just peachy. So we’ll have plenty of money to waste on energy efficient windows.. but nothing directly for the taxpayer who is footing the bill for all this. When are we going to revolt?
Posted by: The Stimulus is a stinker | February 11, 2009, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm
I’ll believe a deal when it is official and the stimulus is actually out of Congress and on Obama’s desk. The safe money is on the three GOPers bolting from this compromise…
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | February 11, 2009, 1:41 pm 1:41 pm
I agree with Harkin. Fixing schools should be a major holdout
Posted by: my job | February 11, 2009, 1:45 pm 1:45 pm
This insanity of the minority party continuing its destruction of America can be changed only one way: 51 U. S. Senators need to end the Filibuster Rule. There is NO hope without this change.
Posted by: Mark Cartwright | February 11, 2009, 1:53 pm 1:53 pm
51 U. S. Senators need to end the Filibuster Rule. There is NO hope without this change.
Strange, never remember the Democrats or liberals demanding that change when they were in the minority.
Interesting that there is all this whining from liberals about the process now! You had your chance to show America things had really changed, but NOOOOOO… Pelosi/Frank & crew just had to PORK it up!
Then you get that fool Schumer saying …
“You lost,” Sen. Schumer sneered. Besides, he taunted, the “American people really don’t care” about all those “little tiny, yes, porky amendments” that the “chattering classes” have exposed:
Last time I Looked, there were almost 60 Million Americans who did NOT vote for Obama! I guess Mr Schumer doesn’t count us as Americans.
Well, guess what, there are indeed millions of people who do care about the Pork in that bill.
You can keep throwing hate if you want, we are not going anywhere!
Posted by: Mike_C | February 11, 2009, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
“Let them vote against it. See what the public outcry would be if they stopped this. The public is on our side. They want the money. We gotta get it out there. We gotta get it out there in good measure,” Harkin said.
This guy needs to check the polls more often. Only a third of the country supports this pork spending..
Posted by: howwouldiknow | February 11, 2009, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
I don’t feel that this stimulus bill will do any good, the first $350 billion just disappeared into thin air…there was no accountability, who will be responsible for tracking this money? I do not hear the “transparency” with this bill. Lets get a line by line to explain how this money is justified and how it will stimulate the economy. I guess if they had to do that the American people would be more outraged than they are now. I don’t support you Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the rest of you Liberals that are destroying America.
Posted by: Russell Hale | February 11, 2009, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
I don’t feel that this stimulus bill will do any good, the first $350 billion just disappeared into thin air…there was no accountability, who will be responsible for tracking this money? I do not hear the “transparency” with this bill. Lets get a line by line to explain how this money is justified and how it will stimulate the economy. I guess if they had to do that the American people would be more outraged than they are now. I don’t support you Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the rest of you Liberals that are destroying America.
Posted by: Russell | February 11, 2009, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
i would be mad also republicans destroy the economy and trash our world wide reputation and now they are throwing a hissy fit and wont help to repair the republican caused mess…darn anti-american rethuglicans.
Posted by: T | February 11, 2009, 7:06 pm 7:06 pm
This is all George Bush’s fault, understand. Everything is George Bush’s fault, from now on. Got it. Get some Kool-Aid, too, it washes everything down real smooth! Obama is God and will fix things real soon. Be patient.
Posted by: USA | February 11, 2009, 9:33 pm 9:33 pm
This is all George Bush’s fault, understand. >>>>> Yeah yeah he is a real gem and Obama is going to destroy us all. Patient? NO WAY.. Its a they are hanging debt on us for lifetimes.. Its no BUSH thats doing this. Its the DEMOCRATIC idea that you can spend your way out of debt. Try that sometime. Pay for your debt problems by buying more debt. I am a fool for voting for Obama.
Posted by: ChicagoBob | February 12, 2009, 9:17 am 9:17 am
Dems frustrated? HOW ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE are frustrated at the DEMS!
Posted by: 8mile | February 12, 2009, 10:12 am 10:12 am
Hey Harkin do you live in a freakin cave? 67% of Americans SAY NO TO THIS WASTE!
Posted by: 8mile | February 12, 2009, 10:14 am 10:14 am
What does the schooldistrict do with my taxes?????? Go on retreats and renovate their offices, have parties, Oh I’m sorry thats the unions.
Posted by: Lizzie | February 12, 2009, 11:21 am 11:21 am
Is no one interested in why Nancy Pelosi is alloting 33 Million to protect fied mice in California, why has this questions not been asked of the media. She is a disgrase to this country
Posted by: Angela | February 12, 2009, 12:40 pm 12:40 pm
TAX REVOLUTION IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. I wonder what will happen if nobody pays their tax. We will find out. This bill just pain stinks and is not a stimulus but it is a socialist plan.
Posted by: chaos | February 12, 2009, 5:36 pm 5:36 pm
t: read something will you. Maybe you would know who wrote the fanny mae crap. This is Jimmy Carter and chris Dodd, barney franks and the republicans fault.
Posted by: chaos | February 12, 2009, 5:39 pm 5:39 pm
Pelosi is an idiot!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: chaos | February 12, 2009, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
How are you getting the two thirds and 67% of the population are against the stimulus bill?
That just isn’t true… as a matter of fact support for the Stimulus (ARR Act) is rising from just over 50% approval to 59% per Gallup… yes, there ARE other polls — but these numbers are consistent across the board within a few percentage points.
Russell… this is a different bill than TARP — where there was $350 billion issued last year (under Bush administration) and then the remaining $350 billion just released in this current administration.
Mike C — of course the people that didn’t vote for Obama are Americans(roughly 50 million as opposed to approx 67 million who did vote for him and sadly… still not nearly all eligible voters… now, THAT ticks me off).
Haven’t you noticed using that term “the American people…” is a favorite of anybody with an opinion — whether they are Democrat, Republican, in Congress, on a blog, here, there or any mix of the choices.
Posted by: dassis | February 12, 2009, 6:29 pm 6:29 pm
correction… sorry… McCain got roughly 59% of the vote for president.
I wasn’t taking votes away… just a mis-key
Posted by: dassis | February 12, 2009, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
Dang,
I think I am applying for ding bat-in-chief :-)… I meant McCain got approx 59 million votes!!
59% and he’d be the president and everybody’d be all hating or lovin’ him now.
PS — let’s wait and see what happens with the implementation of this bill before we go all gloom and doom, hey?
Posted by: dassis | February 12, 2009, 6:41 pm 6:41 pm
That’s a typical democrat. Harkin is finally figuring out that dems don’t have spines. How many times did they cave in to Bush when they had the majority? They rarely unite like the republicans. If one dem doesn’t get his share he walks away angry and does not support his party. Even when they get the public behind them, the congress, the white house..they #### it up. When are they going to realize the republicans do not want Obama to succeed. They created this mess and they would rather take the whole country down with them than give in. In my opinion the republicans in the house/senate are the most unpatriotic people in government. Democrats get a spine and hove it down their throat. They did it to you for 8 year. Get a spine.
Posted by: Dan Kolich | February 12, 2009, 6:55 pm 6:55 pm
How will this stimulate the economy for We the People? I see how it will stimulate special interests (saving a mouse in San Francisco, ATV trails, a Frisbee park). How will that create millions of jobs? It’s time Pelosi & Co. got real and got rid of the pork that Obama promises is not in the bill. What else do you call it?
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