White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that the decision by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) to scrap a bipartisan jobs bill — just hours after it was unveiled by a group of two Democrat and two Republican Senators, and subsequently endorsed by the White House — is not contrary to President Obama’s push for bipartisan cooperation.

Reid shelved the bill after hearing from liberal and progressive Democrats on Thursday, who complained the bill was packed with measures having nothing to do with job creation inserted solely to win over Republican support.
“The message is so watered down, with people wanting other things in this big package, that we’re going to have to come back and finish that,” Reid told reporters after meeting with the Democratic caucus.
A Grassley spokeswoman, Jill Kozeny, said that “Sen. Reid’s announcement sends a message that he wants to go partisan and blame Republicans when Sen. Grassley and others were trying to find common ground. The majority leader pulled the rug out from work to build broad-based support for tax relief and other efforts to help the private sector recover from the economic crisis.”
Hatch spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier said that “Sen. Hatch is deeply disappointed that the majority leader has abandoned a genuine bipartisan compromise only hours after it was unveiled in favor of business-as-usual, partisan gamesmanship.”
On Friday, Gibbs denied that Reid’s move was contrary in any way to the president’s message of bipartisanship.
Isn’t Reid’s scrapping the bipartisan effort contrary to the president’s message? Gibbs was asked.
“No,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs pointed out that Reid had also announced said that after their President’s Day break next week, Senators would have the opportunity to vote on a $50 billion bill that includes the Schumer-Hatch proposal to offer businesses an exemption from Social Security payroll taxes for every worker hired in 2010 that has been unemployed for at least 60 days. Other provisions will the extension of tax write-offs for certain capital expenditures, the creation of Build America Bonds , and extending highway and transit programs.
Said Gibbs: “many of these will be implemented and voted on and approved with strong bipartisan majorities.”