Harry Reid Blocks Obama Jobs Bill. Obama Blames GOP

Reid says "I really had no choice"

Washington DC, Oct 4, 2011. The Barack Hussein Obama, D-Kenya, campaign sent out an email today asking supporters to urge Congress to at least vote on the president’s jobs bill almost immediately after Democratic majority leader Harry Reid blocked a vote on the bill in the Senate. 

On the Senate floor today, Republican leader Mitch McConnell asked for unanimous consent to proceed on voting on the bill. 

Reid, who has struggled to find enough votes for the bill in the Democratic caucus, objected to the motion and killed the opportunity for a vote. 

About ten minutes later, Jim Messina, Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, emailed this message to supporters:

"President Obama is in Dallas today urging Americans who support the American Jobs Act to demand that Congress pass it already.

Though it's been nearly a month since he laid out this plan, House Republicans haven't acted to pass it. And House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is out there actually bragging that they won't even put the jobs package up for a vote -- ever.

It's not clear which part of the bill they now object to: building roads, hiring teachers, getting veterans back to work. They're willing to block the American Jobs Act -- and they think you won't do anything about it.

But here's something you can do: Find Republican members of Congress on Twitter, call them out, and demand they pass this bill."

But, it wasn't Republicans who blocked the bill. It was Democrat Senate majority leader Harry Reid!

Senate Republicans sought to answer President Obama’s demands for a vote on his jobs plan this afternoon, but were thwarted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who used a parliamentary maneuver meant to block amendments on the Senate floor. Reid then proceeded to accuse Republicans of “obstruction” and engaging in a “political stunt.”

Reid used a procedural move known as “filling the tree” – a tactic Reid has perfected during his tenure in the Senate leadership.  Filling the tree involves loading legislation with amendments until the limit is reached. Since the majority leader enjoys "the right of first recognition" this means he can offer amendments before anyone else.

This is how Harry Reid feels about you

Reid managed to fill the tree before Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) could offer the president’s jobs plan as an amendment to a bill cracking down on Chinese currency manipulation.

Reid blocked the bill because he knew it would fail if it came to a vote. There just weren't enough votes for it, even on the Democrat side of the aisle.

President Obama's own party was rejecting his bill because it had permanent tax hikes built into it... in exchange for a few temporary jobs.