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McCain Blasts “Stimulus” and Obama’s Phony Bipartisanship

?You can call it an agreement, but you cannot call it a bipartisan agreement?

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  February 6th, 2009 at 04:20 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

If President Obama wants to do bipartisan legislation in the Senate, his best bet may be the co-sponsor of McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman, etc. If he wants sole Democratic ownership of the colossal stimulus bill, he can just say “I won” and leave ready-to-make-a-deal Republicans without a reason to make a deal. Looks like Senator McCain has figured out that the President has chosen Door #2: (video below the fold)

With Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) recovering from brain cancer and the Minnesota Senate race still unresolved, Democrats have 57 seats and need to keep their caucus unified while pulling support from three GOP senators to pass the bill as soon as Friday evening.

McCain rejected that strategy and said Democrats should not call the measure “bipartisan” if only a handful of Republicans support it.

“You can call it an agreement, but you cannot call it a bipartisan agreement,” McCain said.

McCain isn’t buying the notion that the point of a stimulus bill is to spend taxpayer money:

In a fiery speech Thursday night before House Democrats, Obama rejected the GOP’s characterization that the stimulus package was merely another spending bill.

“What do you think a stimulus is? That’s the whole point. No, seriously, that’s the point,” Obama said at the retreat in Williamsburg, Va.

On Friday morning, McCain fought back.

“The whole point, Mr. President, is to enact tax cuts and spending measures that truly stimulate the economy,” McCain said. “There are billions and tens of billions of dollars in this bill which will have no effect within three, four, five or more years, or ever. Or ever.”

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  • brooklynlou

    If McCain said this about the bailout he’d be President right now.

    • barry915barry

      was sitting on the shore(side)line watching the good ship McCain sink itself.

    • tankertodd

      Although McCain lost for more than just that.

    • icbm

      but he didn’t listen. kristol said – make that bailout the bush-obama bailout and campaign against it.

      woulda helped, too, if mccain had actually tried to educate the people about the CRA and the Fannie/Freddie Democratic (and partly Republican) scam.

  • Swamp_Yankee

    McCain is just ended. Preceded by Landrieu. For all those junkies, its pretty interesting.

    I know the Dems will get something sometime. But the clock is ticking for this week and the Dems and Obama will look bad over the weekend shows if nothing is done. I hope time runs out before a vote. I’ve heard 5: 00 and 7:00. Too late for 5.

    Landrieu was suprisingly cirtical. The bottom of the screen says Dems short of 60. I think the Center-Left is going to bail on Obama.

  • Martin Knight

    … the way Ali Baba’s hideout gates respond to “Open Sesame!”

    • icbm

      to reach a bipartisan compromise with obama, but the newly coronated leader would have none of it.

      that is to say, i think mccain sought bipartisanship, but he saw quickly that obama was not seeking it. in other words, it was still “open sesame,” but obama didn’t walk the walk.

      it would have been nicer if mccain had just stood against the bill from the beginning and opposed any compromise. (and while i’m dreaming, i’d like a 1960 cobalt blue mustang convertible and a 1970 red oldsmobile cutlass with two white stripes down the middle. and an antique coach shotgun. make that two – his and hers.)

      • Mike gamecock DeVine

        Until the final vote, there is no “the bill”, and I have endured a lot of grief for weeks for my effort to TRY, despite the odds, to suggest a strategy that might produce an actual stimulus bill that would shorten the suffereing becase what matters most is eliviating the suffering.

        Yes, I always knew it was a longshot. But I have won lots of longshots. My life is a testament to longshots.

        And here we are, 12 hoyrs after Harry Reid lost what he thought was sure thing. Maine and Specter refused to budge.

        The odds are that we will lose and govt will grow by 30% and that our only hope in the future is that after we do regain the majority that we make history and actually FIRE 600,000 govt employees.

        But the fact is that those defeatists in the peanut gallery will NEVER lead us to victory. If we win, it will be because of cock that never gave up.

        McCain has major flaws, but on this matter, he was right to TRY to get a good bill. We need a good bill. But that he and at least 38 repubs define good so well is a good thing.

        more later

        • icbm

          application in this instance.

          i don’t think mccain was trying to get a good bill. his proposal involved housing relief, and i don’t think that would be helpful to the housing market. we need to take the pain and let the market adjust as fast as possible.

      • Mike gamecock DeVine

        until the vote on this monumental bill

        same as I did on the bailout bill in late Sept 2008

        and tell me I ever abandoned the Reagan conservative principles that caused me to convert

        but yet, a strategy to actually help America is also important

        why?

        Because if this bill passes, many will suffer and will never recover

        just as under Carter

        too many repubs here say that we “survived” Carter

        bull

        many did not

        and my point is this

        Repubs need to make the MORAL argument against the Dems that WE in the GOP CARE and they don’t

        they show that they don;t by backing proven failed policies

        and part of what I am trying to teach these GOP lifers is that we must play the game

        more later

  • Doc Holliday

    but a lot of people threw McCain under the bus it seems about an hour after the election. one minute we were saying he had to win and the next he had to be primaried. I thought it better to let the dust settle for more than an hour, I was right.

    We all are angry, but we don’t need to replace a leader with General Confusion just yet. We need to fight the enemy.