The new mantra: “We can’t Wait”

President Obama begins a three day campaign swing to the west coast today, and we will hear yet another slogan intended to prod Congress into passing his American Jobs Act.

One White House spokesman said on Twitter Sunday night that the President would continue to pressure Congressional Republicans with a new mantra “We can’t Wait.”

I can only conclude that the President believes that “pass this bill, pass this bill now” didn’t work too well.  And, in fact it didn’t.  Not one Democrat in the House was willing to put his or her fingerprints on it by sponsoring the bill. 

In the Senate, the full bill was defeated on October 11.  The President then changed tactics and urged that the bill be broken up into little pieces, something he vowed earlier he world not accept.  But, that didn’t fair so well either.  On October 21 the $35 billion portion that was designed to go to states to help teachers, firefighters, etc. also failed with two Democrats, Mark Pryor (D. Ar.) and Ben Nelson (D. Ne.), and one Independent, Joe Lieberman (I. Ct.) voting against it.

The $60 billion piece of the President’s bill dealing with infrastructure spending will be up next in the Senate, but, in spite of the President’s new message, the President will have to wait…the Senate will not be back in session until Halloween.

 

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SoundOffSister

The Sound Off Sister was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and special trial attorney for the Department of Justice, Criminal Division; a partner in the Florida law firm of Shutts & Bowen, and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, School of Law. The Sound Off Sister offers frequent commentary concerning legislation making its way through Congress, including the health reform legislation passed in early 2010.

18 Comments

  1. jem on October 24, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    How come everything with O-blame-ah needs to be done “NOW”?? That’s a sign of poor leadership, poor planning, and, yes, bullying IMHO.



  2. Plainvillian on October 24, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    Constitution?? We don’t need no steenkin’ constitution.? Has Mr. Obama appointed himself chancellor?? When will ‘We can’t wait.” become “Sieg heil!”



    • johnboy111 on October 24, 2011 at 7:13 pm

      but there seems to be enough “sheeppeople” who will follw no matter what????



    • johnboy111 on October 24, 2011 at 7:14 pm

      41% still approve//////of what????



    • ricbee on October 24, 2011 at 11:17 pm

      I too,find this mind boggling.



  3. Anybody but Obama on October 24, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    If only he was this gung-ho a few years back when during the state of the union he proclaimed jobs number 1 then pushed obamacare



  4. kateinmaine on October 24, 2011 at 6:10 pm

    yet another tasty tidbit the right can co-opt and reapply–impeach, displace and otherwise fire obama–we can’t wait.? however, back to topic.? despite o’s implied urgency, i don’t see him taking up anything that can be directly attributed to him–he doesn’t have that sense of responsibility.? he’d rather take credit once the real work is done and it seems to have worked.? the next year is going to be something to watch.? sure hope there’s something left at the end. . .



    • phil on October 25, 2011 at 7:45 am

      Now, that’s where we can’t wait!



  5. Moe on October 24, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    Obama should be saying, “Stand still, little lambs, to be shorn!”



  6. joe_m on October 24, 2011 at 9:05 pm

    Does anyone still actually listen to anything he says? I don’t.



  7. BEA on October 24, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    Ya, that’s my new mantra too…”I can’t wait, can’t wait?until November 2012″ that is! And I guess the fact that they didn’t pass?the bill means that they didn’t love you President Obama. Btw, I hadn’t heard a line like that since I was in high school! Yuck!



  8. BEA on October 24, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    Oh, yeah … “the Senate will not be back in session until Halloween.”?… there’s a joke in there somewhere! 😉



  9. ricbee on October 24, 2011 at 11:16 pm

    ?I’m glad that Lieberman is finally voting his conscious now that he’s leaving. Probably so he can look people in the eye when he is one of us. He might even become one of us.



  10. Benjamin Less on October 25, 2011 at 5:48 am

    You all laugh now about Obama now and over his tactics, but the average citizen sees his side of the story only because none of the Congressional Republicans COUNTER his claims.? So in the publics’ mind – Obama speaks truth.? If the Republicans don’t get up and off their butts counter-commenting Obama’s lies – it’ll be the end of seeing a Republican in office 2012.? You just can’t let a bully – bully you and do nothing.? Republicans have to get a VOICE and counter-claim each and every accusation Obama throws out to the masses.? Please keep in mind that the “average” citizen is a drive-by believer. Last word means the truth.



    • Dimsdale on October 25, 2011 at 9:39 pm

      You’ll get no argument from me on this.? The Republicans need a rapid response team to the falderal that spews from ?bama’s and the Democrat party’s mouths.



    • Lynn on October 26, 2011 at 8:55 am

      Of course and I nominate Mike Walsh, however, what news agency will report the response?



  11. Anybody but Obama on October 26, 2011 at 11:54 am

    Congress doesn’t pass any of zero’s bills, could it be that they are just bad bills that won’t work?



  12. Dimsdale on October 28, 2011 at 8:29 am

    I just love the “hurry up and wait” mentality of this administration.?? “Pass ?bamacare quickly or everyone is going to die!!!”, then put off its actuation until well after the next election.?? And don’t forget not to cover everyone!?? “Pass the stimulus bill or the country will have high unemployment and the economy will fail!!!!”?? Well, we know how that is turning out.?? “Pass out guns to Mexican drug lords so we can see where they go!!!!”? “We have to take over two of the three biggest car companies before they fail!!!”? Or actually reorganized and cast off the yoke of excessive union parasitism.? And to hell with the holders of preferred stock!!? Now it’s “We have to pass this “jobs” bill right now!!!? We can’t wait!!!!”, as a means of showing that they care and help them get elected.???
    ?
    Stop me if you’ve heard this before.



Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., speaks about race during an address in Philadelphia, Tuesday, March 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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