Senate Republicans blocked a $30-billion plan to help community banks boost lending to small businesses, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama’s election-year battle to reduce unemployment.
Tempers ran high as Democratic leaders failed to muster the 60 votes needed to advance the measure over a Republican filibuster…
Even if the Senate passes the small business lending bill next week, it will be too late to get it to Obama’s desk before mid-September. The House of Representatives, which passed its version of the bill in June, is set to begin a six-week break on Friday. The House will be unable to vote on the version passed by the Senate until then…
Obama has been pushing for passage of the lending measure arguing that getting more capital into the hands of independent community bankers would lead to more small business loans. It is supported by independent bankers and business groups.
Right now, in my neck of the prairie, there is no sector of banking with more energy and activity than small business lending. Every penny made available to community banks would be going straight back out the door into economic stimulus – and to qualified borrowers at that.
The Republican Party could care less.
Have Charlie Rangel sponsor the bills.
Time to move on to the obligatory Anne Rice Christianity story to give the atheist some support.
NO to domestic spending, but a big YES to unnecessary wars. Gingrich came all out for attacking Iran AND North Korea, so we can ‘finish the job’ that Dubya so wisely said we need to do.
http://huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/30/newt-gingrich-suggests-at_n_665063.html
Oh, that’s right, military spending doesn’t count. It’s only social spending that counts.
“Jobs saved” doesn’t count, it’s only “jobs created” that count.
Folks there are 60 Democratic Senators. They could pass anything they want to pass. They just don’t have the balls to do anything without some Republican cover.
If these small business loans are so great, then why aren’t more people making these loans? Why does the government have to send 30 billion to the banks to make loans? Sounds like another bailout waiting to happen.
Sometimes ‘No’ is the correct answer. And with the agenda being pushed by this administration, ‘No’ is almost always the correct answer.
Why are the libs so upset? The republicans are just helping them follow their own rule they passed and trumpeted which they claimed would freeze government spending.
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jan/27/barack-obama/obama-criticized-mccain-spending-freeze/
http://huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/26/obamas-spending-freeze-a_n_437017.html
22-youre confusing Republican and conservative. Progressive Republicans started a lot of problems that progressive Democrats are now taking to a whole new level. Basically were all screwed.
Awake #32
“NO to domestic spending, but a big YES to unnecessary wars.”
You must be talking about the current congress.
A July 2010 House vote on a war funding bill for Afghanistan and Iraq passed by a margin of 308 to 114.
#35 aslightlycrankygeek
Two very good links, thanks!
Hamster, ok maybe, it’s a distinction without a difference. I wish that distinction let them vote independently but that doesn’t happen. They all vote the same, all the time usually.
GigG, there are 57 Democrats in the Senate. Two independents caucus with the Dems, making 59.
A country gets the government it deserves and after reading the pig stupid partisan brain farts being posted at this site I’d say an awful lot of people deserve to be sold to the highest bidder because they are way to foolish to deserve freedom or to exercise the right to vote.
Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. It allows people to judge the truth worth of what you support.
Could someone explain to me why this $30 billion to banks is somehow supposed to work better than the $750 billion we already gave?
Are the Democrats insane?
Smith, -30 is a higher number than -750.
If you have any more easy questions, just ask.
Caught Anthony Weiner on tape from yesterday. He’s upset the Repukes are voting in block to defeat healthcare for 911 responders.
Whether the Dems are wimps or lack a backbone is irrelevant: The Repukes are putting party politics above every other interest. No balance. Truly pukes.
The party of NO has NO POWER!
House of Representatives is a >50% vote: Dems have it.
Senate is >60 Senate votes for : Dems have it.
So the premise of Eideard’s liberal whine is off base….it’s a few defecting Democrats that are throwing the Spend-Spend-Spend-Train off it’s tracks.
The republicans are predictable. The problem with the Democrats are the existence of the Blue Dogs, which are Republicans pretending to be Democrats.
They’re the leftover racist dixiecrats that progressive liberalism has been trying to get rid of for years, but these old men just refuse to retire back to their plantations.
So now the government wants to buy a share of some smaller banks, and assumes it will make a profit on the 30 billion investment it is making. If it is such a guaranteed profit, you would think someone would invest their own money.
Instead corporations are hoarding cash.
The 9/11 responders bill received 255 votes. Yet it did not pass. Think about why that is for a moment.
What’s funny is the GOP doesn’t seem to give a damn about the 1st amendment….at least until they feel that corporate interests are threatened, then suddenly they’re sword wielders of the corporations 1st amendment right to put as much PAC money as they can into a campaign.
1) republicans can block nothing until november, if it was BLOCKED, it was by Dems
2)it was full of pork spending that we cannot afford, they should be cutting programs not adding them
Corporations are more important to the GOP than people, plain and simple.