Rep. Cooper Says You Didn’t Hear What You Heard
Posted on February 4, 2009 at 11:55 amDavidson County’s congressman denies what you can plainly hear him say in this Liberadio(!) interview, that Obama’s people, in a subtle, unofficial way, sanctioned his vote against the stimulus package in the House:
“At no point did any member of President Obama’s staff encourage me to vote against the House economic recovery bill. I told them I believed that the bill had too much long-term spending and didn’t meet the president’s goal of getting 75% of the money into the economy within 18 months. After the conversation, I felt encouraged that the administration understood those concerns and shared my longstanding commitment to fiscal responsibility.”
Compare that with this:
Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I actually got some quiet encouragement from the Obama folks for what I’m doing. They know its a messy bill and they wanted a clean bill.
Now, I got in terrible trouble with our leadership because they don’t care what’s in the bill, they just want it pass and they want it to be unanimous. They don’t mind the partisan fighting cause that’s what they are used to. In fact, they’re really good at it. And they’re a little bit worried about what a post-partisan future might look like.
If members actually had to read the bills and figure out whether they are any good or not. We’re just told how to vote. We’re treated like mushrooms most of the time.
SEE ALSO: Cooper continues damage control, belittles radio audience.
Comments
14 Responses to “Rep. Cooper Says You Didn’t Hear What You Heard”
My guess is that they encouraged him to press Nancy Pelosi, et al, to stick to Obama’s original plan…but I very much doubt they’d say, “Hey, Jim, mind being one of 11 Democrats to cross party lines and give Republicans the comfortable frame of “bi-partisan opposition”?
[...] My guess is that they encouraged him to press… [...]
And Coop wonders why “they’re treated like mushrooms”.
Get your story straight man, you’re makin’ yourself, and your constituents look bad.
I know parsing equivalence reins these days, but there’s a big difference between Obama coming to Cooper and saying, “Vote no.” and Cooper trying to keep the bill as close to its original form as possible, ultimately voting against it, and having the Obama people say, “That’s actually fine with us.”
Another astute observation from Freddie O’Connell. Nonetheless good journalism from Kleinheider.
Who ever said Obama directed him to vote no?
Cooper screwed up letting everyone know that Obama had no problems with him unleashing the Blue Dog fury on Pelosi and now he’s trying to walk that back.
It is clear what Cooper meant and it is clear now he is now trying to give the impression that that’s not what he meant. And it was.
His office wasn’t terribly clear on his stance, either. But the person with whom I spoke made it pretty clear that he was going to vote aye on whatever comes out of reconciliation.
He’s not really walking it back that hard. He’s trying to tamp down the media hoo-ha of “Oo! Blue Dog bucks Pelosi with Obama egging him on!”
“Obama folks” = me.
I spoke with James Lueschen in Coop’s office and thought that the concerns re: COBRA funding, etc., were valid and accurate.
(ASIDE:) Why don’t journalists do journalism anymore?
here … i’ll spoon feed you a bit more… http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/il08_bean/091501stimulus.html
cooper links to this on his house.gov website: http://www.concordcoalition.org/issue-briefs/2009/0128/designing-framework-economic-recovery-and-fiscal-sustainability
[...] cooper links to this on his house.gov website:… [...]
[...] Kleinheider has the inevitable Cooper walkback: At no point did any member of President Obama’s staff [...]
Freddie gets it right - as he should since he did the freakin’ interview!
There is nowhere in the interview where I thought Cooper was trying to say that he was asked to vote no on behalf of the White House. Nowhere.
Folks, there are plenty of reasons not to like Jim Cooper. We don’t have to make shit up.