It doesn't need to be this way

"Dear Arnaldo --

According to our records, you are currently living and registered in California's 30th Congressional District.

Last night, Democrats in the Senate tried to pass a simple piece of President Obama's jobs plan that shouldn't be controversial: provide money to prevent further layoffs of teachers, cops, and firefighters at the local level, and pay for it by taxing the income of millionaires an extra 0.5%.

This morning a lot of media outlets reported that the Senate "rejected" or "voted down" this proposal.

But that's not what happened. The measure didn't come to an actual vote.

That's because every single Republican senator filibustered the bill -- meaning they wouldn't even let an up-or-down vote happen. Republicans have unilaterally decided not to allow even that simple majority vote on anything that might help the economy before the next election.

To be clear: This bill would have created jobs, and both parties have supported similar measures in the past.

But, sadly, some in the Congress do not feel any responsibility to act. As someone who has spent a lot of time working in and with the Senate, I can tell you that it's a particularly low moment for the legislative branch of our government.

It doesn't need to be this way. That's why the President and our campaign are focused on fixing what's broken in Washington. Right now, that means we're going to keep the pressure on Congress to act, until every single piece of the President's jobs plan -- the parts to help veterans find jobs and get small businesses hiring more people -- gets a vote.

So please, reach out and keep reaching out to Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, and ask him to give each piece of the American Jobs Act a fair vote.

You can reach his office at (202) 224-2541.

Call now -- then let us know how it went.

If you're on Twitter, be sure to tweet at your Republicans in Congress as well.

We'll have more on this soon.

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager - Obama for America"