MoveOn, Americans United for Change, AFSCME and SEIU will be announcing a new ad campaign targeting moderate Republican senators who might support the stimulus — Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Charles Grassley of Iowa. GOP defies Obama overtures

Political manuevering was fierce Thursday in the wake of the party-line passage of President Obama's stimulus package by the House

House Republicans proposed an alternative bill that leaders say would create 6.2 million jobs for only $478 billion, as opposed to the $800 billion price tag on Obama's package, which no Republican House member voted for on Wednesday.


"What member can't go back his or her district and explain: rather than voting for a bloated bill, ... I voted for an alternative that would create twice the jobs at half the cost, and faster?" a House Republican leadership aide said. "That's why we didn't lose a single Republican and picked up 11 Democrats."

But Obama aides also feel they have the political upper hand. Pushing back against the unanimous House Republican vote, the White House plans to release state-by-state job figures “so we can put a number on what folks voted for an against,” an administration aide said.

“It’s clear the Republicans who voted against the stimulus represent constituents who will be stunned to learn their member of Congress voted against [saving or] creating 4 million jobs,” the aide said.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the lawmakers will have to answer to their constituents.

“I do believe that there will be people in districts all over the country that will wonder why, when there’s a good bill to get the economy moving again, why we still seem to be playing political gotcha," Gibbs said.

And later Thursday, MoveOn, Americans United for Change, AFSCME and SEIU will be announcing a new ad campaign targeting moderate Republican senators who might support the stimulus — Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Charles Grassley of Iowa.

The ad, which will run in the Washington market and in those states, consists of clips of the president talking about the stimulus, followed by the male voiceover, “Tell Congress to support the Obama plan for jobs, not the failed policies of the past.”

Letters on the screen say: “Tell Congress to support the Obama Plan.” In addition to the liberal-labor coalition’s ad campaign, the Laborers union, which represents construction workers, is airing ads aimed at Grassley, Sen Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Sen. Jim Bunning (KY). The spots call on Congress to support the stimulus package.

Obama tried mightily to win GOP votes. The president met privately with House Republicans at the Capitol, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had a private White House dinner for House GOP moderates, and the president had members of both parties and both chambers over for cocktails Wednesday night.

But they did not peel off a single Republican.

The tally took reporters by surprise: Aides had said the party’s votes for the package might be in the single digits. So “zero” was a feat for House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, who said on “Meet the Press” that he would oppose the package, and the next day asked members to follow him; House Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, who nailed down the votes; and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence sensed his members falling under Obama’s spell during their meeting Monday and brought them back by telling the President: “Know that we’re praying for you. … But know that there has been no negotiation [with us] on this bill – we had absolutely no say.”

White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the courtship will continue.

"The President is going to continue to do the same thing he has been doing — vigorously reaching out to Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to get the best possible plan to get our economy back on track," Burton said. "Americans have high expectations for the President and both parties in Congress to work together on this and all issues and we will continue to make every effort to do so."

Although a tactical triumph, the vote poses a risk to Republicans in the long run, with Democrats able to portray them as the party of "no" at a time when voters are hurting. Some House Republicans are likely to try to dilute the political risk by voting for the final version of the stimulus package after it passes the Senate.

This article tagged under: 2010

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