Another Missed Opportunity: Anti-Offshoring Bill Could Have Been Boon for Dems

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/6496/another_missed_opportunity_anti-offshoring_bill_could_have_been_boon_for_de/

Friday October 1 3:14 pm

By Roger Bybee

In 2006, the “offshoring” of U.S. jobs was the top concern of American voters, along with the Iraq War. The issue has only gained more urgency during the massive job losses we have experienced since 2008.

In line with previous polls showing a majority of Republicans opposing the shift of U.S. jobs overseas, the GOP’s own website reveals some results that would upset America’s CEOs, as Pat Garofalo notes. The GOP proposal receiving the most interest in the website's job-creation section is to “stop the outsourcing of jobs from America to other countries that do not pay taxes into the U.S. and stop the tax breaks that are given to these companies that are outsourcing.”

Yet a relatively modest bill, the "Create Jobs in America and End Offshoring Act," to remove these incentives for the offshoring suffered an ignominious defeat September 28, as Amy Dean noted on this website earlier this week. The bill captured a 53-45 majority, but fell seven votes short of the filibuster-prooff 60 votes that has become the new standard for getting anything passed in the Senate.

Predictably, the Republicans goose-stepped in unison to vote against the legislation. In other words, they voted unanimously against a measure popular across the political spectrum, including a major chunk of their own political base.

By failing to give the issue sufficient build-up and to nail down a victory, the Democrats lost a potential "wedge" issue that they could have used to divide the Republican voters this fall.

FULL story at link.

[Better Believe It]

1. Filibuster? What filibuster?

I've grown so sick and tired of that lame and convenient excuse for inaction by the Democrats in the Senate.

They have the power to force real filibusters and to end them if they so choose.

[Dragonfli]

3. The like it as an excuse to "appear" to give a shit, the pretend filibusters will continue /nt

[inna]

2. kr and... arrgghh nt