In the next one to three months, Congress will go forward with a $100-$200 billion "jobs bill." In short order, it will become the biggest political story in the country, as well as an enormous political opportunity for progressives.
The reason it is such a big opportunity is because the plan is completely unformed. In a conversation last night with a source on Capitol Hill, I learned the following:
Right along with Harry Reid in the Senate, the Democratic leadership in the House is also pursuing this idea. So, its going to happen.
The Democratic leadership does not currently know what we will be in the bill, and are actively soliciting suggestions of almost any sort from the caucus membership. So really, start making suggestions.
It could range in size from $100 to $200 billion, which is a wide range. Again, we can play a role in determining how big it becomes.
Some members of Congress, including the leadership, are open to using TARP bailout money (still $317 billion of it left) as the primary funding mechanism. This would make the bill a huge political winner, as the bailout is directed away from Wall Street and toward Second Street (which is actually the most common street name in the United States).
It will happen quickly. In the House, it might even happen before the month long, December-January holiday break, as members look to tell their constituents they have passed a jobs bill as quickly as possible.
No groups are really mobilized to fight on this bill, so the playing field is wide open. If we move quickly, we can play a role in what will effectively become a smallish, though still very needed, second stimulus.
There is certainly a possibility for a whip action here--calling up members of Congress and asking them if they would want the bill to be funded with the leftover TARP money. And there is also a possibility of whipping on some smart, smaller uses for the money that bubble up from online conversations.
Lastly, there is a real element of desperation to this fight. This jobs bill will be pretty much the last chance Congress has to turn the economy around before the 2010 midterms. If Democrats don't pass a sizable bill with an immediate impact on the economy, whatever small role that progressives currently have in the governing might be entirely wiped away in less than a year.
There will be opposition, of course. Many New Dems, along with elements in the Obama administration, won't want to take any money away from Wall Street. Republicans will just demand tax cuts. Blue Dogs will be hard to predict, given that they have become very anti-bailout, but some might demand the money be used to pay down the debt.
Whatever the opposition, this is a fight that Open Left is going to engage, even as we continue our ongoing campaigns for the public option, reproductive rights, and marriage equality. Any thoughts you have on how to be effective in this fight are more than welcome--this really is brainstorming time. And, since our fundraiser is still ongoing, any contribution you make to Open Left will help start up this fight, too..
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