You're watching...
Senate Minority Leader discusses the chess match over the president's jobs bill, being called out directly during his press conference and more
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
-- -- is set -- to see you okay app earlier this week you wanted to get a vote on the president's jobs bill what happened.
Well first of all let me say this it's not a jobs bill in our view it's another stimulus bill.
-- about favorable -- rural Kentucky saying -- no education second -- of the new.
And so presents are recommending we do once again what we did and 2009.
Almost -- -- -- almost a trillion dollars stimulus bill.
After which we lost one point seven million jobs and we have nine point 1% unemployment.
He wants to take the same approach clear -- -- spending package including.
Attacks inquiries which has modified.
Would raise taxes on about 311.
-- -- representing about 3111000.
Employees in this country four out of five of the people who make more than a million dollars a year -- actually business.
That employ over 300000 people.
We don't think raising taxes on small business in the middle of recession is a jobs bill that may be -- good political statement it maybe.
Trying to play class warfare for the campaign had thought about creating jobs.
So the show when you have to have the bill I had under as I understand it you -- to -- vote on the Bill Owens did an immature and senate majority leader Harry Reid did not.
Yeah He -- if they usually have an odd twists and.
What did you don't want all the president's I don't twelve different occasions on the campaign trail He wanted to vote on his bill.
Without any changes exactly.
As He wanted it now.
And I'll bring down opportunity you know today and the majority leader of the democratic -- -- part of the president denied that opportunity in the region did -- was because his bipartisan opposition -- Now they've modified it a little bit since the -- for the week but I predict it will still be bipartisan opposition to a when we -- to go through and actually.
What is senator Reid's statement you would you would think if it's the president and -- the -- parties.
That that He would want to vote -- obviously He doesn't have the votes but what is -- what -- senate majority leader Harry Reid's seat to you about the bill opera flock arisen.
Well I mean you'd have to ask him what his view is but I think you felt some obligation the president needs to the deal -- -- at some point.
But the president is asking -- to be dealt with now and frankly I didn't think what the president is asking for was on -- engine give me -- vote.
On my proposal without any changes now.
And Alfred opportunity that was denied by the majority leader I think that originated wanna do it was because a lot of members along so -- -- -- I don't -- -- not only should.
-- what I voted.
Well is that of the modification.
And including -- surtax on millionaires four out of five of -- -- small businesses.
He will try to proceed to next week and I anticipate that we will not vote to proceed -- Do you think that there is democratic support for that surtax on millionaires -- and senate majority leader Harry Reid having -- In the Democrats to support that.
Well we'll find out.
Date has -- modified the tax portion of it in hopes of getting more -- -- Democrats on board.
There are going to be enough to pass the bill.
And it shouldn't -- because it's not about creating jobs this is about playing class warfare.
And launching the political -- Not about creating jobs.
If we wanted a great job to do things like passed in the trade agreements which we finally have gotten him to submit this week.
They've been sitting on his best and today He was sworn and a there would be things like.
Rolling back excessive regulation we in fact quit -- Went over regulated.
And quit threatening to raise taxes if we really wanted to get the private sector economy going -- what you would do not these government spending bills.
And -- Well He said earlier today -- press conference that He essentially is open door of Republicans.
And that the Republicans and he's expended a lot of political capital within his Democratic Party.
Reaching out Republicans and basically Republicans to say no and won't deal and who won't meet him halfway.
Well.
We passed FAA bill we passed -- bill we're gonna -- The trade agreements hopefully will be able to do something important on debt and deficit coming out of the joint -- committee later this year.
We're we're not going to.
Pass bad legislation.
In order to make him feel better and we're certainly not going to pass legislation.
Called a jobs bill that actually is a job killer.
Simply because he's asking us to.
Wake up and shout out today the press conference and -- to that but the president said about you He says.
And if mr.
McConnell accuses the vote against it meeting with jobs bill -- members of his caucus choose to vote against it.
I promise you we're going to keep ongoing and we will put forward maybe piece by piece each component of the bill.
And each time they're going to have to explain why is that -- be opposed to putting teachers back in the classroom.
Or rebuilding our schools are giving tax cuts to middle class folks He giving tax cuts to small businesses.
Well it does that were happy to explain our opposition to attacks.
And it increases -- -- jobs in the middle of an economy which we have nine point 1% unemployment we're certainly not embarrassed to say that this is not a jobs bill.
Now we may be able to do some business on some of the things the president would like to do let's -- with the joint committee.
Came up work.
Aborted listed.
Things that we don't about partisan basis just over the last few months.
But we're not gonna I would just because he's trying to get us to raise taxes and -- recession agree that that's a good idea.
When we know it's gonna -- -- How -- did with President Obama.
The same or different from do it sent -- President Clinton when He was the democratic president.
Well I think President Clinton was more interested in moving to the political -- and make improper.
President Obama at least so far has pretty much clung to the political.
-- defeated the motivated zone.
Very liberal supporters threw strikes me are already pretty enthusiastic about it.
I would've had a vision issues moved to the senator.
Done more business with Republicans.
And try to make progress on a bipartisan basis instead he's advocating -- would have no chance of getting Republican support.
And many -- -- -- -- don't even have the united democratic support so he's advocating things.
That are bipartisan -- they're bipartisan they oppose.
Up here.
Is it.
His conviction and the sentence is that his political conviction or hours of play it.
Obviously your view.
Well you know I'm not his cycle animals but I do -- He is taking a hard left.
Position.
And then complaining because He doesn't have bipartisan support when He takes a hard left position in fact all it -- -- bipartisan opposition they're both Democrats and Republicans.
That oppose the way in which he's trying to go about this and understand that this is not a job creating bill.
Yes but Republicans Dallas so what's the Republican I mean when He asks you for Republicans to.
You know you make -- suggestion.
-- element to two things number one quit doing what we're doing you know Einstein's the definition of -- -- doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
We're borrowing quit spending would over regulating quick run to raise taxes and and specifically and ordered senator -- private sector Senator McCain and senator Rand Paul.
We'll launch next wait what we think.
Are the kinds of signs that ought to be gone to get private sector going again and they -- not include.
Government borrowing and spending we have tried that does not work.
The only way we're gonna get the economy going to -- -- about the private sector and her and -- and the John McCain Rand Paul Bill which you'll learn more about actually.
Will be our prescription.
How do you convince Americans even as American -- pretty desperate right now and hire a little bit confused -- locking them.
Grossly disappointed in the stimulus all of the Democrats must say that it's saved jobs and it's very hard to quantify -- didn't create jobs in one.
And it it's sort of uncertain what the same illness but.
How do you tell the American people OK -- -- this'll work.
Well look we know what doesn't work.
I think we can rule out.
Spending and borrowing.
And raising taxes I don't think anybody's truly believe that's gonna get the economy -- -- -- And if you look at the only time and wish government gains revenue.
Is when you have a healthy economy.
And they only get a healthy economy is with a vibrant private sector.
Right now the private sector is -- -- on between two and two and a half trillion dollars.
In on invested cash.
Because of all of this government overreach their frozen up.
We need to send them a message that we're through spending through borrowing through over regulating and the -- threatening to raise taxes.
That is the way you incentive some private sector to get -- -- again.
Which means they will grow and create jobs and opportunity and the government will get more revenue.
As a result of what is -- that -- at present we just -- the outlook -- -- appointed commerce solution.
The president -- very very liberal He believes that in short of the Western European approach.
For our country in which you have very large government.
My -- Rand Paul lot smaller government full of busy bodies that trying to tell everybody what to do.
Bare their view is that if you're in the private sector and -- -- profit you must feel to no good.
And so the government -- -- to modify your behavior and tell you how to run your bills that kind of medal.
Which is -- all all across the American products doctor is what has gotten this economy frozen up and is the reason.
We haven't come out of this recession look the president inherited a tough situation but He has made it work.
