Just the day before Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., blocked a vote on President Obama’s jobs proposal, the president complained that Congress has kept him waiting “several weeks” for a chance to sign the bill into law.
“As I’ve been saying on the road, I want it back. I’m ready to sign [the American Jobs Act legislation],” Obama said. “I’ll be talking to Senator Reid, McConnell, as well as Speaker Boehner and Nancy Pelosi, and insisting that we have a vote on this bill.”
Apparently, Obama didn’t talk to Reid soon enough – but Sen. Mitch McConnell, D-Ky., certainly got the message. Obama called for Republicans to identify what part of the bill “they’re prepared to see move forward” and McConnell responded by trying to move the whole bill to the floor. With McConnell calling for a vote, Reid blocked the legislation on the grounds that there had not been a full debate.
McConnell had a more political explanation for Reid’s intransigence. “I think my good friend’s problem here is that there is bipartisan opposition to the jobs bill,” he explained.
You can see the video of Obama “insisting” on a vote on the bill. You can see Reid block the vote here.
