Democrats have conceded they can no longer pass healthcare
on their own, ensuring that their key legislative reform either
dies or accepts further compromises to gain approval from Republican
members.
What's more, they've decided to outline their case to the public
through a set of talking points issued to Democrats after Tuesday's
election upset in Massachusetts.
Their meme? "It is mathematically impossible for Democrats
to pass legislation on our own."
The approach was endorsed despite the fact that Democrats hold
a sizable majority in both the House and Senate. The Senate
majority is considerably larger than the majority Republicans
held over Democrats for much of President George W. Bush's second
term (2005-2007), when Republicans had 55 Senate seats.
The following talking points, issued to Senate Democratic press
secretaries, were acquired by Talking Points Memo's Brian Beutler.
MASSACHUSETTS ELECTION MEANS THAT SENATE REPUBLICANS HAVE
MORE RESPONSIBILITY TO GOVERN, NOT OBSTRUCT
· We welcome Scott Brown to the Senate.
· While Senator-elect Brown's victory changes the
political math in the Senate, it does not change the challenges
are country faces or the need to address them.
· We remain committed to strengthening our economy,
creating good paying jobs and ensuring all Americans can access
affordable health care.
· Senate Republicans have an obligation to the American
people to join us in governing our nation through these difficult
times and to help clean up the mess they left behind.
· It is mathematically impossible for Democrats to
pass legislation on our own. Senate Republicans to come to
the table with ideas for improving our nation and not obstructionist
tactics.
· Saying "no" might be a good political
strategy but it does nothing to create jobs or help improve
the lives of struggling Americans.
· We understand that there is great anger, anxiety
and frustration among voters as the economy continues its
recovery. That is why Senate Democrats will continue to do
everything that we can to strengthen our economy, put Americans
back to work, reform Wall Street and address the health care
crisis.
Republican Hypocrisy on Debt Limit Puts Our Economy, Seniors
and Veterans at Risk
· Failing to raise the debt limit would undermine
our nation's credit worthiness, badly weaken our economy and
put Social Security and veterans benefits at risk.
· In 2001, America enjoyed a $236 billion budget surplus
with a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion.
o Republicans squandered those surpluses by spending wildly
on massive tax breaks for the wealthy and special interests,
leaving President Obama with a $1.3 trillion deficit on the
day he took office last year.
· Now, as the time comes to take responsibility for
those mistakes, Senate Republicans want to pass the buck.
· Senate Democrats didn't create this problem - we
are simply cleaning up the fiscal mess that we inherited from
the last Administration in order to avoid the economic catastrophe
that would be created if the United States defaulted on our
debt.
· When they were in control, Senate Republicans voted
seven times to raise the debt limit and refused to pay for
the costs of major initiatives. Their claims of fiscal purity
do not square with their record of wasteful spending and excess.
· Increasing the debt limit does not authorize a single
penny of new spending - it allows the government to pay bills
already incurred.
· Standing against this measure would demonstrate
yet again that Senate Republicans have no real plan to solve
our nation's economic challenges they helped create.
· Republicans, now more than ever, have a responsibility
to work with us to move our nation forward with economic policies
that continue us on the path to recovery.
