President Barack Obama and the Democrats head into the summer campaign season with the economy slowing, unemployment flirting with double-digits — and few options for a quick fix.
Obama’s economic stimulus plan is winding down, right when Democrats need it most. And a big new jobs bill?
Forget it. House Democrats had to battle this week just to pass a bill to prevent teachers from being laid off, over the objections of 15 mostly conservative House Democrats and even Obama, who threatened a veto over how the House planned to pay for it.
The spending was so sensitive that the White House pleaded for the funding privately and through surrogates — and even ultimately in a public letter — but refused to make an official budget request, infuriating some in House leadership.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi even enlisted Mark Zandi — a former economic adviser to Republican John McCain’s presidential campaign — to make the case to her caucus for more spending. Zandi’s warning Tuesday: boost aid to the states or risk a “double-dip” recession — which House Democrats clearly understood could cross-check their chances of retaining the majority in November. - Politico Story
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