Bill Clinton: “I don't know. We're working at it. I mean, it's a classic--there was an article in the paper today, one of the papers I…”

“I don't know. We're working at it. I mean, it's a classic--there was an article in the paper today, one of the papers I saw, which pretty well summed it up. They said, you know, it's just a political power play. In the Senate the majority does not rule. It's not like the country. It's not like the House. If the minority chooses, they can stop majority rule. And that's what they're doing. There are a lot of Republican Senators who have told people that they might vote for the stimulus program but there's enormous partisan political pressure not to do it. And of course, what it means is that in this time when no new jobs are being created even though there seems to be an economic recovery, it means that for political purposes they're willing to deny jobs to places like Baltimore and Dallas and Houston and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and Portland and Seattle. It's very sad. I mean, the block grant program was designed to create jobs in a hurry based on local priorities, and it's one that the Republicans had always championed. Just about the only Democrat champions of the program were people like me who were out there at the grassroots level, Governors and Senators. I just think it's real sad that they have chosen to exert the minority muscle in a way that will keep Americans out of work. I think it's a mistake.”