Dems Starting to Realize They Can't Pass the Porkulus Bill

At least as it's now written:

To remove obstacles from the measure's path, Reid said numerous items could fall by the wayside. "The president, the Democratic leaders, the Republican leaders certainly have every intention of moving forward to getting everything out of the bill that causes heartburn to a significant number of senators," he told reporters yesterday.

What Senate leaders cannot predict is which provisions will stay in and which will fall out. It also remains unclear whether Democrats are willing to tamper with measures that are considered high priorities for Obama, but that tackle longer-term challenges such as health-care reform and alternative energy development, rather than providing the quick jolt of expanded unemployment and food-stamp benefits and individual tax relief.

The most ambitious effort to cut the bill is being led by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), moderates in their parties who share a dislike of the current version. Collins is scheduled to visit Obama at the White House this afternoon. "I'm going to go to him with a list" of suggested deletions, she said.

Dems don't want another shutout in which the bill gets no GOP votes. With so much nonsense in it (and more coming out every day) it's going to take some radical surgery to get a bill the GOP can support.

The GOP has the momentum now and they need to use it to dump the pork and if a stimulus is really needed, confine the bill to proven stimulus projects.

No more doorbells for Mississippi or dogparks in Chula Vista.