The fate of a so-called economic stimulus bill is currently bogged down in the Senate as Republicans and Democrats disagree on how much to spend.
Both sides are playing to the crowd trying to take credit for helping prop up the economy and accuse the other side of trying to block economic aide. It's classic political theater in that way but also in another--left-leaning reporters just can't help but frame things in the way that the congressional Democrats would like them to.
The Associated Press was one of the worst offenders, running a story headlined "Republicans join to block stimulus bill" which waited until the end of the third graf to state the Republican viewpoint that the package was not fiscally responsible. To hear that view, however, you have to wade through more than a few bleeding heart sentences:
The fate of $600-$1,200 rebate checks for more than 100 million Americans is in limbo after Senate Republicans blocked a bid by Democrats to add $44 billion in help for the elderly, disabled veterans, the unemployed and businesses to the House-passed economic aid package.
GOP senators banded together Wednesday to thwart the $205 billion plan, leaving Democrats with a difficult choice either to quickly accept a House bill they have said is inadequate or risk being blamed for delaying a measure designed as a swift shot in the arm for the lagging economy.
The tally was 58-41 to end debate on the Senate measure, just short of the 60 votes Democrats would have needed to scale procedural hurdles and move the bill to a final vote. In a suspenseful showdown vote that capped days of partisan infighting and procedural jockeying, eight Republicans — four of them up for re-election this year — joined Democrats to back the plan, bucking GOP leaders and President Bush, who objected to the costly add-ons.
Reuters was slightly better, running a more fair piece but under a skewed headline: "Republicans block Senate economic stimulus plan."
Hat tip: slp
Update 10:30. The Washington Post was even more skewed than Reuters, running a piece headlined "Senate's stimulus measure blocked, Backers are short by 1 vote against GOP filibuster.
The Jonathan Weisman piece contains even more Democrat-skewed language before bothering to mention the Republican position that the Senate bill is wasteful:
A $158 billion economic stimulus plan drafted by Senate Democrats that included relief for low-income seniors, disabled veterans and the unemployed was blocked by a Republican filibuster last night when the Senate fell a single vote short of the 60 needed to consider the measure.
The defeat by the narrowest of margins nearly ensures passage of a less expensive stimulus plan fashioned by President Bush and House leaders, though the Senate may make some changes. But it keeps the government on track to begin sending hundreds of dollars in payments to most Americans this spring.
"Given a chance to act as recession looms, more than 40 Republicans today said no to helping 20 million seniors and no to 250,000 disabled veterans. They said no to those who have lost their jobs and no to small business," Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said after the vote.
The Senate package, which included numerous provisions not offered by the House plan, attracted powerful supporters. Automakers Ford and General Motors, home builders, Realtors and mortgage bankers joined the AARP to press Republicans to embrace the Senate measure. Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) left the campaign trail to make rare appearances in the Senate chamber.
Reid tried to ratchet up the pressure on senators, telling Republicans that they would not be given the opportunity to have separate votes on whether to add payments for seniors and disabled veterans. They would have only two choices, he said: Accept the whole Senate package or the House bill intact.
The Senate plan attracted the votes of all 51 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, as well as of eight Republicans, but that was not enough. It was clear the Democrats would fall short when Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.), whom they had been courting for days, registered his opposition late in the tally.
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president, did not show up for the vote. Asked about his time away from the Senate, McCain, who was heading back to Washington aboard his campaign plane, said: "It's very hard. Obviously, I've missed a lot of votes. There's no doubt about it."
The final tally was 58 to 41, after Reid changed his vote to no, a parliamentary move that allows him to bring up the measure in the future.
The differences between the $146 billion stimulus plan approved by the House and the version crafted last week by the Senate Finance Committee are fairly narrow.
The House package would provide $600 payments for individuals -- $1,200 for couples -- plus $300 for each child. It would begin to phase out eligibility at $75,000 in adjusted gross income for individuals and at $150,000 for couples. Workers who can show $3,000 in earned income last year would be eligible for checks of $300.
Businesses would be offered tax incentives to invest in new plants and equipment, while the Federal Housing Administration and federally chartered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be authorized to insure larger mortgages.
The Senate version would provide $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples, but it would double the size of the eligibility caps. The working poor, some of whom may not pay any income taxes, would be eligible for the same checks, as would seniors and disabled veterans with $3,000 in Social Security or veterans benefits. Businesses would be offered investment tax incentives and would be allowed to write off more losses, which drew the support of large corporations.
The Senate version would also extend jobless benefits at a cost of $14.5 billion over two years. It would provide $1 billion in heating assistance for the poor, allow states to issue federally backed housing construction bonds, and take steps to ensure that illegal immigrants do not receive payments.
"Are you going to throw Grandpa and Grandma off the train, and the disabled veteran who put his life on the line for this country?" Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) asked opponents of the package.
But the Senate Finance Committee also added billions of dollars in energy tax credit extensions, including an incentive for marginal oil and gas wells, as well as a measure that would reimburse coal companies for interest on wrongfully levied export taxes. Those measures, although adopted with bipartisan support, opened the package to criticism from administration and Republican leaders, who accused Democrats of slowing down the promised payments by loading the bill with sweetheart projects.
Over two years, the Senate package would cost about $204 billion, about $40 billion more than the House bill's two-year cost.
"Where's that money coming from?" asked Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). "Nobody can deny that we're going to go to the markets, we're going to borrow the money and there's going to be very little payback. . . . Is there another way we can stimulate our economy without stealing from our kids?"
For everyone whose eyes glazed over reading that, here's the stats:
- It took Weisman almost 15 paragraphs to mention the Senate Republicans' position after extensively describing the Democrats'.
- It took him 17 paragraphs to quote a critical Republican, this after quoting two separate Dems blasting the GOP. Weisman even quoted John McCain apologizing for his failure to vote before quoting Tom Coburn.
—Matthew Sheffield is the creator of NewsBusters and its Executive Editor.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Associated (with terrorists) Press
February 7, 2008 - 01:28 ET by ScrapironHave they told the truth about anything in the past 10 or more years? Everything they put out has to be taken with a grain of salt or a laxative or it'll clog your brain and you'll become brain dead like the democrats.
It's all about spending : it's a hard habit to break, spending
February 7, 2008 - 01:29 ET by upcountrywaterother peoples money.
iranian uranium; iranian uranium, iranian uranium..
4 (unthinkable) H-bombs, NOW THAT'S SOME CHANGE
Keep the change Bob. h/t Sam P
Congress #1 priority is to
February 7, 2008 - 09:08 ET by kgCongress #1 priority is to spend as much of our money as they can.
The headline should have read "Republicans Block an Additional $44B in
Stimulus Package". But that would lay blame on the Democrats where it belongs.
The headline could also be "Reid Denys Republicans to Amend the Stimulus
Package Bill After Democrats Tack On Additional $44B"
Mother of Unfunded Mandates
February 7, 2008 - 09:15 ET by RightOfMostWorse than that, Congress wants to spend money THAT ISN'T EVEN THERE! Tell me where the billions for this "stimulus" dream can be found in the 2008 budget?
Those conservatives who stay home on 11-4-08, by impact of probable election results, apparently don't mind Marxism.
"graf"?
February 7, 2008 - 01:51 ET by tracheostomy"graf"?
-PJ
"Trake: Your lofty convictions are another blemish on the rump of congregational sectarianism." -Tumbler 5/15/07
Graf=paragraph
February 7, 2008 - 08:50 ET by Matthew SheffieldIt's journalese and easier to type.
CBS radio is using the same
February 7, 2008 - 02:04 ET by rbosqueCBS radio is using the same talking points. All their news at the top of the hour can be disected and thrown into the ash heap of leftist propoganda.
rbosque, That 5 minutes at the "top of the hour" can trash 55 m
February 7, 2008 - 02:13 ET by upcountrywaterThis is the second time, I asked for a mute timer to hook up to my radio, to mute that blather,
iranian uranium; iranian uranium, iranian uranium..
4 (unthinkable) H-bombs, NOW THAT'S SOME CHANGE
Keep the change Bob.
Milton Friedman for 2000 Alex
February 7, 2008 - 02:09 ET by Lame CherryAs I sit here looking at this asinine mortgaging of the United States, I am reminded of Milton Friedman giving the then stimulator of the economy, Donald Rumsfeld under Richard Nixon, holy hell for plugging up the problems Nixon's socialist price controls were causing.
He told Rumsfeld to stop giving tax breaks as it was helping the economy and everyone would think that price controls worked.
Currently, the US has no economy. It is fiction brought about by fractal lending which benefits only the monopoly of the Rockefeller led banking cartel. They print money, devalue it, inflate prices to absorb it and all it does is impoverish Americans.
These same economic rapists did this to Great Britain and we all see how jolly well that went.
I have had it with these "fixes" that Rush Limbaugh lauded JFK and Ronald Reagan for. Bush 43 has done this twice now in stealing money the US does not have and here am I doubly pissed I will not be getting a check a second time.
Perhaps in this I see more clearly as I do hot have my nose at the trough rooting like a pig for slop so I can continue existing like an animal letting government filter out "care" to me as long as I oink along working for communist benefits at an underpaying job that is getting worse due to slave labor around the world and ole border buster imports here.
I don't any more of this bullsh*t. I have had it with the IRS acting like thug central terrorizing Americans for not handing over taxes which it is illegal to collect. I have had it with this socialist system raping my Republic. I have had it with rich people getting welfare in the form of tax deductions and poor people getting welfare in handouts.
America has become one big cesspool of debt and robbed futures.
The biggest mistake is "fixing" this system. This system is like marrying a whore and paying her to only be a whore 5 days a week while you linger away with syphillis dying slowly.
Not in any of this do I mean anarchy like Ron Paul or that crowd of gold hogs who do not have one ounce of economic sense. Right now those gold standard people are being fleeced and fleecing nitwits who are buying inflated gold worse than the cartels they claim to be against.
I say do not pass this bill, do not pass go, do not pass out checks. Let this malevolent system collapse completely. Let the Rockefeller, Soros and Rothschilds flee to China in their boom. Let the Chinese buy up all that Arab and Russian oil. Let Chavez syphon his last barrel to them too. Let this entire wretched system of American money printed in an unbalance of trade collapse and let the other dupes circulate slave labor for expensive oil and printed Euro's.
Let it collapse, be stomped on, burnt, ground down and exterminated as Andrew Jackson accomplished and Abraham Lincoln carried out.
Then let the Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Milton Friedman economic reality infuse the Republic for which it stands in a real economy, with real money, real production and real wealth.
Thomas Jefferson appealed to revolution in rebuilding government by the people, for the people and of the people. John Adams was correct that the French Revolution which Jefferson loved ended up murdering 11 million French..........in all of that both Jefferson and Adams can be right in this now.
There is war coming to this world in a world war. Resources have been deliberatey cut off as have food supply. Nations are over arming and the economic depression is exactly that in a world depressed economy drunk on dollars being printed up.
Death is going to come either slowly or quickly in the billions. In that, America will fare far worse with the Bush 43 handouts in keeping this farse alive in a vampire economy sucking the life blood out of this nations citizens in perversion of soul and of wealth.
It is better for America that this system be pulled down now and the money sucking bats like Soros flee to Asia to plunder and leave God's created nation of America to fend in our chaos and rubble for ourselves.
We have a strong military so much so to not be attacked and to protect Japan and England. We can rebuild our economy within 5 years to massive prosperity and in nationalistic recourse inform the socialists of Mexico and Canada that they will Americanize as sovereign states and be our trading partners for a balance of trade.
All of this, so those central European socialists, Putin's Bolsheviks, China's communists and the Muslim Islamocommunits can fight their big war over who is ruler over there as they are going to do it and it is past time that America is spending itself into oblivion defending that cartel and keeping those thug states from blowing each other to hell.
Is that Ron Paul or Pat Buchanan? No not in the least, this active pro American policy in protecting our fronts in trade and security, flushing the robber barons from our soil and simply allowing the Biblical solution to take place.........except we stop paying for it.
Stop giving money away period. Let this confiscation of people's worked for money stop. Kill it now as it will be dead within a decade in any case.
What is the Friedman solution, Alex. Thank you.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Lame Cherry, To bad M Freidman, idea of Schoool Vouchers
February 7, 2008 - 02:24 ET by upcountrywaterDidn't go over as well as food stamps.
iranian uranium; iranian uranium, iranian uranium..
4 (unthinkable) H-bombs, NOW THAT'S SOME CHANGE
Keep the change Bob.
"God's created nation of
February 7, 2008 - 03:41 ET by Lambton80"God's created nation of America"..What does that mean? Just wondering
You're too much of a worry
February 7, 2008 - 14:54 ET by goldbarYou're too much of a worry wart. The money will come from the same place all the other money has come from....Bush will borrow it from China.
Inside the numbers by McCain
February 7, 2008 - 06:30 ET by ThisnThatHere are the two most important facts about this Senate vote:
John McCain is the only Senator that did not vote.
The actual tally was 59-40. At the last minute, Reid changed his vote to "No" -- a procedural maneuver so that he can continue to bring this forward.
So, why didn't McCain vote? Was he afraid to make a committment? Or, is he actually in favor of the extra spending and doesn't want to be singled out for it? "Let it die on the vine" approach?
If one more Republican had voted yes (not 2, as the final vote might presume), this would have passed, and McCain's cowardice would have been hidden under all the "hurah" noise that would have been spewed by the Dims. As it was, McCain obviously knew what the votes would be, and decided to hide behind that knowledge rather than let us know his true colors.
McCain also said yesterday "We all share common conservative principles". Wanna bet?
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
Apparently Sen. John McCain
February 7, 2008 - 06:46 ET by motherbeltApparently Sen. John McCain thinks this vote is too important to actually take a stand on: so he didn't show up to vote.
(emphasis added):
President Bush and Republican leaders, as well as conservatives McCain
was scheduled to woo on Thursday, vehemently oppose the expanded
benefits and subsidies.
That put McCain in a bad political spot.
Voting "no" with Republican leaders would have offended millions of
Social Security recipients and the disabled veterans not scheduled to
receive rebates. Voting "yes," on the other hand, risked alienating
Bush, GOP leaders and conservatives already suspicious of McCain's
political leanings. McCain was speaking Thursday before a meeting of
the Conservative Political Action Conference, a group that booed him
last year in absentia.
For McCain, not voting meant not going on the record either way. He has missed all eight Senate roll call votes this year.
Way to pump up those "conservative" credentials, Senator (not to mention the responsibility of actually doing your job!) And yet you expect them to all fall in line behind you.
I'ts hell straddling that line, ain't it???
MB -- sorry, just saw your
February 7, 2008 - 09:28 ET by Jack BauerMB -- sorry, just saw your post after I posted
buying votes from supid people
February 7, 2008 - 08:54 ET by szampOne more time, the democrats are buying votes from stupid people. Always thriving on ignorance. The more dumb people out there the more power they get.
Their Nirvana is a country with 1% paying all taxes and all the rest just waiting for money. Of course with them controlling everything.
the evil repubs wanted to stop rebates going to non tax payers
February 7, 2008 - 09:03 ET by lunaticcringeradiowhat hasn't been mentioned is that some of that 44 bil would allow a non tax payer, and in some cases illegal aliens, to be issued a tax rebate. i mean who are we evil filthy rich conservatives to judge them unworthy to obtain a tax rebate simply because they didn't pay taxes or were here illegally. god we just make it so hard on the lil guy.
those unworthy don't get tax rebates. there i said it.
lunaticcringeradio
Where's John McCain .. Creedence
February 7, 2008 - 09:27 ET by Jack BauerWhere's John McCain... Creedence Clearchannel Rejection version..
How did McCain vote... well, he flew into Dulles intending to vote.
But oddly enough -- never made it. The ONLY Republican not to vote.
From one evil Repub to the
February 7, 2008 - 09:31 ET by dscottFrom one evil Repub to the country, don't take free money from the government to put in your pocket, it's not free, they are going to steal it from your other pocket and then claim they were being generous! This is false charity.
But the problem here as usual is they (politicians) didn't have a debate to consider IF handing out money would solve a problem. If the problem centers in the home mortgage industry, then how does handing everyone $600 solve the problem of banks not making loans so people can buy and sell homes? This is the worst pandering possible as it is nothing more than vote buying. $600 a vote, that's what we are talking here.
If we had to spend $150 billion, it should not be thrown up in the air to shower down aimlessly in the vain hope some of it will keep things going in a pump priming effort. Pump priming was always a failure in the long run because it never addressed the real economic issues, since it was throwing money at a problem instead of targeting the problem.
How about you all join the debate over what to do? http://moderatemainstream.blogspot.com/2008/02/doom-and-gloom-becomes-debate-of-ideas.html
Lord Sidious / Darth Vader 2008 Long Live the Empire! Come to the Dark Side, it is your Destiny.
The "stimulus package" needs to die, and die hard.
February 7, 2008 - 12:15 ET by R D HelmThis is nothing more than election-year pandering at its worst, by both parties. What is worse, it will do next to nothing to help our economy.
The tax rebates, which I do support, can be passed seperately, but should only go to those who actually pay taxes, and without all the vote-buying, give-away garbage that has been written into the stimulus bill.
What we really need for the long-term economic health of this country is meaningful tax reform.
None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free. -J.W. von Goethe
Agree on that!
February 7, 2008 - 12:41 ET by MaximusBraveheartAmazing they want to give rebates to people who don't contribute! This IS vote buying! Why don't the news headlines point this out with disgust? And say what is wrong with this government driving the USA into the ground. The MSM has the opportunity to help the country and yet they continue to build false expectations leading to doom. Really sad.
You think that's bad? I
February 7, 2008 - 13:04 ET by motherbeltYou think that's bad? I heard yesterday on our local news that Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) wants to use the state's rainy day fund to give "tax rebates" to lower income families (that pay no taxes), in order to "stimulate the economy."
Rendell
February 7, 2008 - 13:28 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsHere is a link for anyone interested.
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
Absoluty Correct
February 7, 2008 - 13:43 ET by ff_emt1It is nothing more than their attempt to buy votes in an election year.
Problem is that it will probably work. Three points - First - The rebate is
said to be anywhere between 600 and 1200 dollars plus 300 per child. What is going
to happen? People are going to get this "windfall" money and go right
down to there local Wal-Mart or Target and buy the new flat screen television
they have always wanted or something like that. And where are 90% of Wal-Mart's
products produced? CHINA! It's not enough money to buy a new car, which may be
made here, or any other big-ticket item, and relatively few will try to pay
down their credit cards. So how is this going to help OUR economy? It will be
GREAT for China. And I will not even go into the recent reports that our
strategic fuel reserves are at all time highs so the "experts" are
predicting a $0.50 cent per gallon drop in prices this summer. Wait for it,
yes, right before the election.
Second - I am a
single male and I will get 600 dollars back. Why does a guy I work with, who
makes about the same as I do, but is married and has 4 kids, get 2400 dollars
back, and why does the person who paid NOTHING, get a
rebate? If you were watching the State of the Union speech on Fox, after it was over,
as the President was leaving and signing autographs, I heard a guy ask one of
the best questions I have heard in a long time. He asks “Mr. President, how can
you get a rebate when you never bated?” GREAT QUESTION
And third, we may get the rebates by May,
right? We are going to spend billions and billions of dollars in the next 3
months filling out forms and sending money to Washington by April 15, and what
are they going to do, spend millions and millions sending billions and billions
back to us. Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture? Is this any way
to run a country?
A Democrat is someone
who wants to put YOUR money where HIS mouth is.
ff_emt1
February 7, 2008 - 17:50 ET by R D HelmYou are correct. We single guys are getting royally hosed by the federal tax system.
Just one more of a hundred reasons why I support the Fair Tax. The government will no longer be able to use income tax policy to screw with me in any way.
None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free. -J.W. von Goethe
See it coming
February 7, 2008 - 14:07 ET by celatorWe could see this one coming for days, no?
Liberal's Basic Rule For Discourse: I don't care if you agree with my premises, but I demand that you agree with my conclusions.
cel... Of course....like
February 7, 2008 - 14:13 ET by bigtimercel...
Of course....like I said quite awhile ago ...we are doomed at this point...we just have to focus on the House and Senate for now...IMHO.
I'm usually a very optimistic person...but this primary election has been a strain...to put it mildly.
Fuzzy math from the WaPo
February 7, 2008 - 15:50 ET by WingletDriver"The differences between the $146 billion stimulus plan approved by the House and the version crafted last week by the Senate Finance Committee are fairly narrow." - WaPo
The package that the Senate voted on was $204-205B. Those narrow differences were $59B or 40% more than the House bill. That's not narrow.
The original Senate bill was $12B more than the House bill before they added the additional $44B that capsized their effort. What was the original $12B difference?
Even better questions for the blind in the MSM are: If all of this low-income assistance (aka, wealth redistribution) and Veteran's benefits are so good, why didn't the majority leader allow for those issues to be voted on separately? Why did Reid torpedo the entire package by being inflexible? After all, isn't the Senate leader responsible for passing legislation? Or is he just responsible for whining when it dies?