White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was unable to
sway a group of House Republicans to vote for President Obama’s stimulus
package despite inviting them to the White House Tuesday night.
In fact, no Republicans voted for the $819 billion
package, which GOP leaders have described as too big and containing too much
spending that will not stimulate the economy or create jobs.
{mosads}In an effort to sway some Republicans, Emanuel invited GOP
Reps. Jim Gerlach (Pa.), Charlie Dent (Pa.), Fred Upton (Mich.), Steven
LaTourette (Ohio), Mike Castle (Del.), Candice Miller (Mich.), Vernon Ehlers
(Mich.), Jo Ann Emerson (Mo.), Leonard Lance (N.J.), Shelley Moore Capito
(W.Va.) and Tom Petri (Wis.) to the White House.
The invitation was part of a full-court press the new
president and his staff employed as they tried to get at least some bipartisan
support for the bill.
Obama invited GOP and Democratic leaders to the White
House last week to listen to their ideas, but Republicans emerged from that
meeting skeptical of the size and spending in the package.
On Tuesday, Obama made a trip rare for a sitting
president to Capitol Hill to meet with both House and Senate Republicans
separately.
House Republicans had high praise for Obama’s willingness
to visit them, but were not swayed by the personal appeal.
In a statement after the vote, the president said he was “grateful”
that the bill had passed, and, now that it moves to the Senate, expressed hope “that
we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk.”
“But what we can’t do is drag our feet or allow the same
partisan differences to get in our way,” Obama said. “We must move swiftly and
boldly to put Americans back to work, and that is exactly what this plan begins
to do.”
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stressed that
Wednesday’s vote is not the end of the process, and he said that in the end, he
does think the bill will win some Republican support.
The White House does not appear to be ceasing its efforts
to win over Republicans or trying to foster a spirit of bipartisanship.
After the vote Wednesday night, congressional leaders
from both parties were invited to the White House for a cocktail reception.
House Democrats invited, along with their spouses,
include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.),
Majority Whip James Clyburn (S.C.), Caucus Chairman John Larson (Conn.), Caucus
Vice-Chairman Xavier Beccerra (Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
On the House Republican side, Obama invited Minority
Leader John Boehner (Ohio), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), Conference
Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.), Conference Vice-Chairwoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (Wash.),
Conference Secretary John Carter (Texas) and Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.),
chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee.
Senate Democrats invited include Majority Leader Harry
Reid (Calif.), Senate President Pro-Tempore Robert Byrd (W.Va.), Assistant
Majority Leader Dick Durbin (Ill.), Conference Vice-Chairman Chuck Schumer (N.Y.),
Conference Secretary Patty Murray (Wash.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.),
chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Senate Republicans invited include Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (Ky.), Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Minority Whip Jon
Kyl (Ariz.), Conference Vice Chairman John Thune (S.D.), Policy Committee Chairman
Jon Ensign (Nev.) and Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), chairman of the National
Republican Senatorial Committee.