Congress: Here comes the tough part

Posted: Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:12 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Congress

NBC’s Mike Viqueira reported that the auto bailout passed the House last night. The Washington Post adds, “After mostly partisan debate, the House voted 237 to 170 to approve the measure. But with Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) and other conservatives threatening to block consideration of the measure, even some Republican advocates of the bailout said it is unlikely to attract sufficient GOP support to win approval in the closely divided Senate.”

Per NBC’s Ken Strickland, the Senate is scheduled to have its first vote on the auto bailout on Friday morning, although it’s a procedural one. Yet Senate leaders are working on an agreement that would allow for votes sooner, including possible votes on alternative Republican proposals.

Republicans are in the drivers' seat here, Strick adds. Without their support, no bailout package passes. Without their cooperation and compromise, the voting process gets dragged into the weekend. It's unclear what, if anything, passes or when.

The New York Daily News: "Senate Republicans with huge Japanese, German and South Korean car plants in their backyards threatened Wednesday to scuttle the proposed $14 billion federal bailout of the U.S. auto industry. 'I'm going to oppose this,' said Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who has multibillion-dollar Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz factories in his state. The House approved the bailout last night, 237 to 170, but the verdict in the Senate was in doubt -- and might be debated into next week."

Roll Call: "White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and Vice President Dick Cheney attended the Republicans' weekly luncheon to urge passage of the measure, but Senators said that those pleas fell on deaf ears. 'I think they had less support when they left than when they came in,' Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said. He described the bill as 'the product from an administration that wants to kick the can down the road and let somebody else deal with it. And, I think it has minimal to very little support in our caucus.'"

CQ's auto bailout piece offers a primer on why the math looks so tough for supporters hoping for Senate passage this week.

Rep. Don Young will no longer head the Natural Resources Committee, stepping down from his ranking member post as ethics complaints continue to swirl around the Alaska Republican.

"With the departure of Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) from his perch on the House Natural Resources Committee, Republicans successfully scrubbed another ethical blotch from their once-dingy Conference," writes Roll Call. "But the House GOP is moving cautiously as it seeks to claim the ethical high ground amid a spate of recent stories tarnishing Democrats."

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Comments

This is why no one should fear a liberal marxist agenda from Obama. Even when the Democrats have the presidency, and huge margins in the House and Senate, the Democrats still can't get anything done. Democrats are the most disorganized and corrupt clowns around.

Nathan Crowe, Provo, Utah (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:33 AM)

>>>The New York Daily News: "Senate Republicans with huge Japanese, German and South Korean car plants in their backyards threatened Wednesday to scuttle the proposed $14 billion federal bailout of the U.S. auto industry.
==========
Another example of Republican hypocrisy. These are the same people who were screaming "USA, USA" and "God Bless America" at the top of their lungs in the run-up to the Iraq war, not to mention the very people who were telling us to "Buy American" and calling those of us who own KIAs (like me) traitors. Yet they would sell out the American auto makers and the people who work for them just to keep their foreign owned plants in operation and to bust unions. Again, typical Republicans. I guess they consider this payback for the Unions not endorsing them.

40 Days Until Inauguration Day!
http://jawillie.blog.com (New Blog Entry Today)

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:33 AM)

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:34 AM)

The Senate needs to pass the auto bailout now that the House has passed it. Pretty sick that "Adulterer" Vitter should go back to playing with prostitutes as that's the only thing he's remotely competent at. "Traitor" Shelby wasted billions of taxpayer dollars bringing Japanese automakers to his state and should stop his petty partisan whining about helping American auotmakers.

So sad that the minority party has turned into a bunch of whiners who hate blue collar labor and will do anything to attack unions. Just a bunch of sore losers who are taking down the country before they leave office in disgrace.

Eric, Salinas, CA (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:34 AM)

I sure would like to know what a pay raise for Federal Judges that Harry (smelly) Reid put in the auto bailout has to do with selling cars....

jerry/corpus christi texas (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:39 AM)

Whose idea was it to tuck a nice, fat raise in the auto bailout package for the Supreme Court Justices? Washington will never learn it seems.

J. Ellis, Virginia (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:39 AM)

The GOP is never going to pass the auto bailout in the Senate. They have too many foreign car makers in their states. The foreign auto makers do not have unions, which the GOP just loves. Financially, the GOP Senators have recieved a lot of economcic support for their foreign auto industry friends. The GOP will not want to give up their "economcic favors" to support the UAW. That is fact!

Rock,Janesville,Wisconsin (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:44 AM)

And If The Republicans Fail to Pass This Bill And So Many People Loose Their Jobs I Would Picket All Of Them And Let The Media And The American People See How They Are So Pathetic, Especially Senator Shelby Thee Main Hypocrite Of All. The Same Shelby Who Has Benn Bailing Out Toyota For Years

leslie, florida (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:47 AM)

Whose idea was it to tuck a nice, fat raise in the auto bailout package for the Supreme Court Justices?

J. Ellis, Virginia

~~~~~~~~~~~

It was me.

Lenny Weber, Benton Arkansas (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:58 AM)

ANOTHER ADMINISTRATION IN LOVE WITH DEBT. What could possibly go wrong?

More revelations present a better and more accurate view of the nature and attitude that can be expected from the Obama Presidency. And now for a taste of its attitude regarding DEBT....

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/12/obama-second-tell_10.html

PacificGatePost (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:59 AM)

If it in any way benefits working people you can bet your last dollar that the Conservative Republicans will be opposed to it. Other Republicans may go kicking and screaming but will eventually vote for it. I will be so glad to see the 111th Congress. Maybe the people's work will finally get done.

eagle1776 (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:00 AM)

This is why I tell anyone who will listen that if you work for a living, you should be a democrat. The repugnant ones are only there to serve the ceo's, banks and large corportions. What Shelby doesn't realize is that if the auto bailout goes down, who will be left to buy the honda's and toyota'a and kia's that are built in his state. The ceo's will be buying something much larger and more expensive, I can assure you. The choice is simple, there are more of us workers than ceo's, we have the power to vote the repugnant ones out of office and let them be unemployed for a change. I don't like the bail out either, but it must be done to save what little is left of our country after the reign of terror of the repugnant ones.

justthinkinoutloud (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:02 AM)

It seems that the Republicans can't figure out what they really want to do; keep the jobs here in the US and avoid a larger recession prospect or let the American auto makers die and watch millions of Americans go out of work and see the crippling of a major part of the American manufacturing sector.

Everyone needs to give a little on this one. If the auto makers can buy back the cars at a discount from the dealers and recycle all the pieces into better smaller more fuel efficient cars, that could save them on the raw and refinied materials.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:05 AM)

Isn't REPUBLICAN and COOPERATION an oxymoron? Or are they just morons? Shelby, Vitter and Corker are truly the Three Stooges of the Senate. When was the last time any of these CLOWNS came up with anything constructive?

Skip, NH (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:16 AM)

The republicans are proving once again that they care less about middle class America.
It is a disgrace for our country that these pompous, egotistical hypocrits are in the position to make any decisions concerning our survival. They have almost destroyed us and are continuing down their destructive path.
Remember them at the next election, voters.

katiec (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:19 AM)

Again, typical Republicans. I guess they consider this payback for the Unions not endorsing them.

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA.

===============

Funny how that works.

Non-Union Label (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:33 AM)

Note to the gentleman in UT -- No, this is why we VOTED IN the Dems, because with Bush as pres and the current mix in the house and senate we can't get anything done.

On another topic, Shelby and other senators from states that have non-US carmakers in their borders have no credibility in the discussion of the US carmakers' bridge loan. Their states, and the countries that own Honda, Toyota, etc., are already giving assistance to those non-US companies, so just to be on an even playing field we need to grant the bridge loan to OUR carmakers, and we ALSO need to force the banks that have received bailout money to start making loans. For once, the House got it right, and the Senate needs to belly up to the bar and JUST PASS THE BILL.

Indie Woman in Denver (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:37 AM)

It was the COLA that all Federal employees get every year. But it still has to be voted on. It passed the Senate months ago but had never passed the house. So the President asked them to add it to this bill so it could go into effect on the 1st of January. That's all it was. It is the same COLA that is included on SS checks, and every other Government check issued. It is not pork, it is not waste, it is for Judges and well worth what we pay them. They don't get that much, they deserve every penny they get.

Annette, Odessa, MO (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 11:12 AM)

Note to Annette in MO -- I agree that the raise for the Supremes is not pork, and they are probably due the raise, but you have to admit it's ironic that it be added on to a bill that, if it goes down (as the Repubs are threatening), will put hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work. I don't understand they have to tie non-related stuff into a single bill. Why can't they just vote on each separate item?

Indie Woman in Denver (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 11:51 AM)

The Bailout/Bridgeloan for the Big Three is a big question. One can see the logic behind both sides. The Senate should discuss the bill and vote. We the people should accept that. If the bill dies by filibuster, we should not accept the outcome. That would represent the politics of gridlock, which will be bad for all of us. If the filibuster is employed, I think political revenge should be delivered. My suggestion would be to itemize the portion to each state for the next stimulus package. When both the House and Senate pass the legislation, then President Obama should utilize the line item veto to payback the Senators who proposed and supported the filibuster.

MO. INDEPENDENT (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 11:59 AM)

And you can count on the republicans in S.C. to do thier part in obstructing any positive plans in congress untill the poor people in S.C. realize that they are not really republicans. Our Senator DeMint is
right up front screaming no bailout for American workers. He being from a right to work state ( you can go to work if you have a job, no security, no living wage, no benefits, no rights,period). And the uneducated keep voting them in, they carry thier bibles around with them and speak of morals and values, yet have none. You can expect to see them front and forward, to the shame of S.C.
marty

marty,columbia,s.c. (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 1:37 PM)

I find it disturbing that the very same politicans can give billions of our tax dollars to the foreign auto makers in their states, but they can't rescue our domestic auto makers. At this grave time in our history politics should be put aside so that americans can keep jobs and homes in these troubled times. I can't beleive that this is happening, how stupid are our elected officals. Are we not all in this together, from sea to shining sea?

Marvin Las Vegas (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 1:46 PM)

Automakers have been giving American drivers what they want and for a long time they wanted big, gas guzzling, lumbering SUVs and Pickup trucks. It's like illegal drugs...Don't blame the supply, blame the demand. I do think that the industry needs to reform itself and start building better fuel efficient cars and be more competitive. Electric cars available for the masses is a long way off but Detroit needs to take the first serious steps toward that goal now. That's how you start a long journey, with the first steps.

Joe Sepeda,Early, Texas (Sent Thursday, December 11, 2008 2:39 PM)

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