COMMENT In Barack Obama’s victory speech, he vowed to govern in the spirit of bipartisanship. Late on Thursday, Senate Republicans gave their response. Of the 41 in the Senate, all but five voted for an amendment that would have stripped the $900bn (€701bn, £620bn) bill of all spending and replaced it with tax cuts.
The amendment was put forward by Jim DeMint, who said it was the “worst bill since the 16th amendment [to the constitution] paved the way for income tax”. Not noted for his grasp of economics, Mr DeMint added: “It’s not stimulus. It’s just a spending bill.”
