Lame-duck agenda: What should it be? IMO, strategically, the Veterans Jobs Bill should come 1st.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

Veterans Day is next week. In their most shameful vote ever, Senate Republicans filibustered a bill to help our heroes transition into civilian employment. Cloture failed six weeks ago by two votes (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/vet-jobs-bill-fails-in-senate-caught-in-hill-battle/2012/09/19/9d35a104-0292-11e2-91e7-2962c74e7738_story.html ).

IMO it would be very difficult now for Republicans to repeat their obstruction of this bill. All the kitchen lights are on, and the roaches won't dare to come out for awhile. What could Mitch McConnell possibly say to justify a huge insult to new veterans on Veterans Day, in the form of obstructing this bill again?

Victory here could help revive the American Jobs Act and other recovery legislation McConnell and company have blocked for years. IMO, now is the time to get Republicans to begin ending their economic sabotage. Now that the President has been re-elected decisively, the media have a HUGE "newshole" to fill, and Republican action or inaction on the Veterns Jobs Bill could help fill it.

WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

WHAT OTHER LEGISLATION SHOULD BE HIGH ON THE LAME-DUCK AGENDA. AND, STRATEGICALLY, WHY?

[patrice]

1. Since Benghazi, I'd like to see some names on the record re Rand Paul/the NRA's ...

Grover-Nordquist-style OATH that Senators support no UN treaties that control the flow of small arms from the US into other countries.

I want to see just how many Senators want to lay the ground-work NOW for American troops to die abroad for ______________________________________ (what-the-fuck-ever) nation building.

I think there are some Evangelical Survivalist/End Timer/Tea Party/White-supremecist types who are probably interested in this bill of Rand Paul's for similar reasons but with much darker hopes.

[dtom67]

4. Me too...

I want a Norquist type pledge as well;
No Grand Bargain that cuts Social Security or Medicare during the largely manufactured " Fiscal Cliff" or Debt ceiling " crisis ".
If Democrats start acting like republicans, why should we continue to vote?
If the POTUS has a hand in cutting SS, why shouldn't we just give the Senate to the GOP at mid-term?

We voted democrat because we believe the Country is farther to the Left than the News Media reflects. The Party needs to reflect that as well...

[patrice]

8. Solidarity on that, dtom67! Please stay active & VOCAL for ALL ears, not just DU.

[Thinkingabout]

2. Along with the Jobs for Veterans bill should be a push to rebuild infrastructure.

Our brave veterans has put their lives at risk in their service to our country, it is time to reward them with jobs so they will be able to support their families. This is a win win situation for our nation, we get our infrastructure rebuild and the workers in turn pay taxes. This would also require houses to be built, needs for furnishings and on and on.

We have elected members of Congress to legislate and not to obstruct. It is time they start earning their keep or they need to resign.

[jtuck004]

3. Not nearly enough. There are 12,258,000 unemployed among our neighbors,

over 5 million long-term unemployed. 47 million on food stamps and in poverty, 10 million households considered "working poor".

The legislation is pathetic. The Republicans aren't obstructing the country nearly as much as the lack of imagination and ignorance of the working people that made this country strong in the first place.

[NCTraveler]

10. +1

No shit. Unemployment among AA is over 14%. Guess the African American jobs bill just isn't patriotic enough. It needs to be about job creation for all.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. "Strategy" means one step at a time. 1st you get the media to drive home

how obstructive the Rs have been. Most voters have no idea that six weeks ago Senate Rs filibustered successfully to stop a bill to help returning new veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq get civilian jobs to support their families. After getting them to do that, you re-introduce the American Jobs Act, whose 2 million jobs Republicans have blocked for over a year. Then you move on to the Infrastructure Bank bill, etc.

You cannot start at Step Five and expect to stop Republican economic sabotage instantly.

[jtuck004]

17. Excuses don't create jobs and feed kids, either. That's like saying we could get to the moon

by driving to Tulsa, when the trip to the moon is never on the map.

I remember a time when we had people who didn't let excuses substitute for accomplishment. And without knowing quite how, we decided that we were going to the moon. And then did it.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

5. I like this better than giving them preferential treatment in jobs already available... nt

[patrice]

9. +++1

[Johonny]

6. My guess is they want to make a deal on defense budget cuts

Bush tax rate ending and the debt ceiling. It will be interesting to see how Obama plays this as one would think to save defense cuts for the GOP he could get something of value...

[msongs]

7. "fiscal cliff" is a republican scare tactic that has been bought by dems nt

[Fumesucker]

11. It doesn't matter what it should be, what it will be can be described with two words

Grand Bargain.

Say bye bye.

[Poll_Blind]

16. Yup. nt

PB

[BlueStreak]

12. I don't know that much will be done "lame duck" because the duck ain't lame

Obama is in a much stronger position when 2012 rolls in. Some of the most offensive teabaggers will be gone from the House. The Senate is significantly upgraded with a net 2 IN ADDITION to moving out Lieberman and Conrad. Plus Obama has outstanding leverage with:

- the Sequester kicking in
- the Bush tax rates expiring
- Another debt extension that will rip apart the GOP

I think Obama will work on the tax rate stuff in November and December hoping to get a deal that can be passed early in January. But if he doesn't get the cooperation, he'll need to just wait until the pressure starts to build on Boehner. Once people start seeing less money in their paychecks in January, the pressure will crank up in a hurry and Obama can use the bully pulpit to make sure everybody knows it is Paul Ryan and John Boehner that are causing that.

Here's a key point. It is no accident that all three of these things are coming together at the same time. OBAMA ORCHESTRATED IT THAT WAY on purpose. This may be the last time in his 8-year presidency that he will have this kind of leverage, and this is equivalent to the leverage he had when the economy was in full melt-down in early 2009.

He has to exploit this opportunity. Basically anything he's going to get for the next 4 years is probably going to be in that package. For example, he should be setting up for another round of stimulus spending as part of his grand bargain. The timing of these events has been known for 9 months now, so we have to assume the White House has been hard at work planning how they were going to exploit it.

It will be interesting.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

15. Yes, the "Grand Bargain" is at the top of the agenda for January, after we go "over the cliff"

But what should be the agenda for November and December, with congresspeople who'll be leaving office in January? IMO, it's important now to get the media focused on all the economic sabotage Republicans have wrought since January 2009. If voters are going to call their Congressperson and Senator to demand action over anything, what better issue than jobs for returning Afghanistan and Iraq veterans.

[BlueStreak]

19. I'm all for that, but I think most of their attention will be on putting the pieces

in place for the grand bargain. They will not wait until January to start working on that. That will be the biggest deal they do in the entire 4 years, I predict, so it will really have their attention.

[Recovered Repug]

13. The extension to unemployment benefits runs out at the end of the year.

That will have to be looked at again.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

18. IMO that has to be part of the "grand bargain" in January,

but you are right to bring it up as very important. The Congressional Budget Office reported that money spent on unemployment benefits stimulates more job growth than any other kind of government expenditure.