Does the Senate’s passage of the STOCK bill suggest the Republicans have lost their obstructionist mojo? Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) seems to think so.
The third-ranked Senate Democrat made the taunt hours before the chamber’s overwhelming 96-3 approval of the President Obama-backed STOCK Act Thursday, which aims to crack down on congressional insider trading. He accused GOP lawmakers of inelegantly dragging their feet on STOCK as well as the payroll tax cut in an effort to sink the measures.
“Haven’t they learned the lesson?” Schumer told reporters. “Their obstruction, which they did more artfully last year, is now becoming clear to the public. Their idea of blocking bills with no fingerprints on them is gone. Everyone sees loud and clear what they’re doing.”
Still, for now Schumer’s taunt remains exactly that: a taunt. There’s good reason for thinking Thursday night’s vote may well turn out to be something of an aberration. And there are signs the GOP’s already rocky relationship with the White House — and thus Dems in general — could actually be about to worsen.
Sahil Kapur
Sahil Kapur is a congressional reporter for TPM. He previously covered politics and public policy for numerous publications including The Guardian and The Huffington Post. He can be reached at sahil [at] talkingpointsmemo.com.
Facebook Conversations
Questions about commenting with non-Facebook accounts like Yahoo, or other concerns? Click here to read the TPM Commenting FAQ.