The U.S. Senate today voted 60-39 to approve the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010, the Dodd-Frank legislation aimed at reforming financial-sector practices; it now goes to President Barack Obama for him to sign into law.

Three Republicans – Scott Brown, D-Mass.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine – crossed the aisle to vote with most Democrats in supporting the bill, while Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., voted with most Republicans against it.

From U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.:

“The reckless actions of Wall Street cost us millions of jobs and brought our economy to the brink of collapse. The landmark legislation we approved today will rein in casino-style gambling on Wall Street, create a new watchdog agency to protect consumers and safeguard taxpayers by holding financial firms responsible for their own costly mistakes.”

From U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah:

“This bill is a bad for Utah and our nation. Our financial system needs to be fixed, but this so-called cure will cause more harm than good to our struggling families, businesses, farmers, ranchers and economy. This massive legislation is a job killer – it will hurt Main Street America’s ability to access much-needed credit. It will send American jobs overseas. And it will add layer upon layer of burdensome regulations on to the backs of struggling job creators.

“This tremendous government overreach punishes those who had nothing to do with the financial meltdown and can’t afford an army of lobbyists and attorneys to get around these new regulations. What could be the most offensive part of this bill is what it’s missing: reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government sponsored agencies that were largely responsible for the financial meltdown and that taxpayers have been forced to shell out of $200 billion to support. That is outrageous.

“The added burden of regulation and uncertainty brought by this legislation are more examples of why our economy is not producing the number of jobs we need. The Obama Administration and its allies in Congress are doing everything possible to create a business unfriendly climate that is anti job creation and anti growth, and then they wonder where the new jobs are.”

Other perspectives, after the jump…
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The East Bay’s House Democrats are proclaiming victory with today’s final House passage of the Wall Street reform legislation on a 237-192 vote; only three Republicans voted for the bill.

From House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Martinez:

“Today’s vote to hold Wall Street accountable is a triple win — for families, small businesses, and consumers in our community. Every family in my congressional district has suffered from this devastating economic recession, the worst to hit our country since the Great Depression. And it was caused through a combination of greed on Wall Street and a culture among Washington Republicans under President Bush who turned away from any accountability for financial firms.

“The effects have been severe — sustained double-digit unemployment, too many Bay Area homes going into foreclosure each month, small businesses in shopping centers around the Bay Area fighting to stay alive but starved for credit. We cannot, and I will not, leave this system of greed and unaccountability unchanged.

“In addition to other steps we have taken to rescue the economy and create jobs, this bill protects consumers through common sense rules to stop predatory lending and bar mortgage offers to people who can’t afford them. It prevents lenders from getting bonuses for steering borrowers into higher cost loans, and enhances penalties for lenders making irresponsible loans,” Miller said.

“This bill, while it is only a first step at holding Wall Street accountable, is still the greatest single improvement to financial accountability in America in generations. One bill alone cannot avert a crisis, we all know that. But this bill will make a huge difference in our ability to try to prevent future crises and to better respond to them if they occur, and it will better protect consumers day by day from unscrupulous practices” Miller added. “For too long, reckless deregulation and Wall Street greed were the hallmarks of our financial system and left us in financial chaos. This bill ends that dangerous setup and provides one more step in our ongoing effort to get the American economy back on its feet.”

From Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland:

“It is insensible that hard working families in my home state of California and across this country continue to fall victim to the recklessness and greed of Wall Street, the same Wall Street that relied on tax-payer dollars to keep raking in the profits and shelling out billions in bonuses.”
“It is time that we start reinvesting our resources in the people of this country to provide pathways out of poverty and get people back to work. It is time we stood up on behalf of the consumer. This legislation will protect consumers from fraud and provide Californians with financial security. It is definitely a step in the right direction.”

But, from House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio:

“Americans have suffered through a serious financial meltdown that destroyed millions of jobs and wiped out the savings of millions of American families. A devastating meltdown slowed our economy and raised new doubts about whether it’s even possible any longer to pursue the American Dream. Unfortunately, this bill will do nothing to prevent it from happening to the American people again. This legislation will actually kill more jobs, widen the gap between Wall Street and Main Street, and force taxpayers to fund permanent bailouts for President Obama’s Wall Street allies.

“The fact of the matter is, the financial meltdown was triggered by government mortgage companies giving too many high-risk loans to people who couldn’t afford them. And it was the policies of the leadership of this Congress that allowed it to happen. This legislation will do nothing – nothing – to fix those mistakes. Permanent bailouts for President Obama’s Wall Street allies and more job-killing mandates for Main Street is not reform – it’s just more of the same broken status quo. Republicans have a better solution that ends the bailouts, ends ‘too big to fail,’ and reforms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”

More after the jump…
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House Republican Leader John Boehner’s office just sent me a link to a blog item just published by The Hill regarding President Barack Obama’s speech today in Pittsburgh:

President Barack Obama is “diminishing” the U.S. presidency through his rhetoric against Republicans, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) charged Wednesday.

Boehner ripped a speech by the president in Pittsburgh this afternoon in which Obama spoke against the GOP’s economic policies, arguing they would only benefit monied and powerful interests.

“The president diminishes the Office of the President when he resorts to straw man arguments that willfully mischaracterize the views of others,” Boehner shot back this afternoon. “All of the president’s talk of post-partisanship, reaching out and finding common ground reminds us that the country deserves better than his hyper-partisan speech today.”

Obama sought in remarks at Carnegie Mellon University to portray the midterm elections as a choice between old, Republican ideas and a future led by his economic policies.

“As November approaches, leaders in the other party will campaign furiously on the same economic argument they’ve been making for decades,” he said. “Fortunately, we don’t have to look back too many years to see how it turns out. For much of the last ten years, we tried it their way.”

This was, however, the fifth e-mail that Boehner’s office has sent me today, all of them mounting attacks on the President and his policies: two preemptively pooh-poohing the soon-to-arrive May employment figures, which the GOP notes will be “spiked” with temporary hiring of census workers; two offering comments (Boehner’s and an economics professor’s) on the President’s speech, and this one.

That’s par for the course: Boehner’s office, the Republican National Committee and other party organs churn out release after release – “ICYMI’s” (in case you missed it), “GOP Leader Alerts,” “RNC Research Briefings” and so on – every single day attacking the President and his policies. (I got one of those “RNC Research Briefings today, too.)

That’s fine – I read ‘em all and save most of ‘em – but spare me the hypocritical crocodile tears when the President talks back. It’s like the playground bully who goes crying to the teacher when somebody finally clocks him.

Democrats are doing their happy dance now that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in reaction to the epically disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, has withdrawn his support of the proposed Tranquillon Ridge oil drilling project off California’s coast.

From state Controller John Chiang:

“I am pleased the Governor has withdrawn his support for what would have been the first new oil lease off the coast of California in 40 years.

“As a member of the State Lands Commission who voted against the project last year, I am saddened that it took a tragic and massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to remind us how important it is that we continue to protect California’s shores and our multi-billion dollar coastal and port economies.”

From Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, who chaired the State Lands Commission while serving as lieutenant governor:

“It’s unfortunate it took one of the worst ecological disasters in U.S. history for Governor Schwarzenegger to come to his senses, but today, friends of California’s coastline can breathe a sigh of relief. There will be no more new leases for oil drilling from platforms off the coast of Santa Barbara.

“When I chaired the California State Lands Commission, the independent commission responsible for approving oil leases in California, I made it clear that the risk of permitting new drilling from platforms in California is ecological and economic disaster. The Gulf Coast oil spill – which threatens 40 percent of U.S. wetlands and will cost fishing and tourism industries billions of dollars – proves my point. We don’t want to imagine what a similar spill would do to California’s coast.

“President Obama has proposed a temporary presidential moratorium on new offshore oil drilling, and that’s a good start, but Congress plays an important role as well. Our coast is best protected when both the President and Congress make it clear that new offshore drilling is not an option.

“An oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara jumpstarted the modern environmentalist movement 41 years ago, helping to create the Environmental Protection Agency, Earth Day, and ultimately, offshore oil drilling moratoriums that served us well for 26 years. What will they say about our response to the Gulf Coast tragedy?”

Since I wrote Friday about the differing views on this, new information about the spill’s severity has elicited more powerful criticisms of off-shore drilling.

Greenpeace – never a friend to oil interests, of course – put out this map today superimposing a projection of the Deepwater Horizon spill’s extent upon California’s coast, to illustrate the effect a similar spill might have here:

And the Center for American Progress – a progressive think-tank with a lot of connections to the Obama Administration – made its case today, too.

“We need to learn from this tragedy,” wrote CAP Senior Fellow and Climate Strategy Director Daniel J. Weiss. “Offshore drilling is a risky way to meet our energy needs. We have only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, yet we use one-quarter of the oil produced annually. It is a dangerous practice that puts American lives and livelihoods at risk while distracting from real solutions that can provide clean energy while creating jobs.”

But House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, says domestic drilling still has to be part of the nation’s overall energy plan.

“The Obama Administration is right to insist on a full investigation of the events leading up to this tragic, deadly, unacceptable accident and the oil spill that resulted. We must stop the leaking oil, and help the Gulf recover, but we also need to know how it happened, who is responsible, and how we can prevent future incidents. The White House must ensure that BP bears the entire financial burden to clean up this disaster. Not a dime of taxpayer money should be used to clean up their mess. Also, House Oversight Ranking Member Darrell Issa is asking important questions related to the Administration’s response to this incident and he should get prompt and complete answers.

“At the same time, this tragedy should remind us that America needs a real, comprehensive energy plan, like Republicans’ ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy, which includes more of everything: more clean and renewable sources of energy such as nuclear power, wind, and solar energy, more alternative fuels, more conservation, and more environmentally-responsible development of America’s energy resources. Our American Energy Act would use the funds generated by expanded American energy production to speed up the development of the next generation of clean-energy alternatives. It would also lower fuel costs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and – at a time when Americans are asking, where are the jobs? – it would create more than a million new American jobs.

“Now is not the time for new government-mandated limits on the production of American-made energy, as such limits will only make us more dependent on foreign oil, slow the development of clean-energy alternatives, increase fuel costs, and destroy American jobs. It’s time to get to the bottom of this tragedy, work to ensure it never happens again, and move forward in a responsible manner on an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy to lower energy costs, expand the use of clean-energy alternatives, and create American jobs.”

UPDATE @ 4:41 P.M.: More Democratic praise for Schwarzenegger’s move, after the jump…
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Today is the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the rhetoric is flying hot and heavy.

The President’s Council of Economic Advisers, chaired by former Cal professor Christina Romer, estimates 256,000 California jobs were created or saved by the Recovery Act in 2009; more than $34.8 billion in Recovery funds have been made available to the state, with more than $22.4 billion already spent.

That includes $3.5 billion for 1,041 transportation projects; 5,663 Recovery Act-backed small business loans supporting more than $3.4 billion in lending; about $6.4 billion in tax relief for 12.6 million California working families through the Making Work Pay credit; expanded unemployment benefits for more than 2.5 million Californians; more than $1.3 billion in one-time economic relief payments of $250 each to more than 5.2 million California seniors, veterans, and other high-need residents; funding of almost $50,000 education positions; and more than $6.5 billion available to stave off additional MediCal cuts.

California’s unemployment rate remains at 12.4 percent, well above the 10 percent national rate, and Republicans’ mantra has become “Where are the jobs?” To that, the Obama Administration replies:

(click graph to enlarge)

Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — grew at an annual 2.2 percent in 2009’s third quarter and 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter; compare that to minus 6.4 percent during the recession’s deepest point, 2009’s first quarter.

As Brad DeLong, a University of California, Berkeley economics professor and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, put it on the stimulus’ six-month anniversary, “(j)ob losses are a lagging indicator and will be three or four months behind what’s happening to production. You’ve got to turn production around before you can turn employment around.”

In other words, employment trends don’t turn on a dime, and it’s going to be a long slow slog back to pre-recession levels as employers regain their confidence enough to hire.

Lots of spin from both sides of the aisle, after the jump…
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…starting with California’s U.S. Senate race.

From U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.:

“With an emphasis on creating jobs through investments in infrastructure, clean energy, education and tax cuts for businesses, this budget will help put California and our nation back on track. It also includes targeted spending cuts that will put us on a path of fiscal responsibility.

“This budget represents the priorities I have been working on as part of the leadership team in the Senate that is putting together the new jobs initiative, which will include investments in infrastructure and incentives to help small businesses create jobs.

“While I may disagree with the President on some line-item cuts, I fully agree with the thrust of his budget – creating jobs, jumpstarting our economy and taking important steps toward fiscal responsibility.”

From Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina:

“The budget the President presented today builds on failed policies that have resulted in massive increases in federal spending, ballooning deficits and increasing the debt we are leaving to our children and grandchildren by trillions of dollars. This is the wrong policy for our nation’s economy both in the short and long term.

“The budget is a roadmap for the future. Unfortunately, the President did not take the opportunity today to set us on a path toward a sound fiscal future. This budget only further mortgages our nation’s future by pushing our national debt to its highest level in history.

“There are two ways to get rid of our deficit and get control of our debt: cut spending and grow the economy. If our leaders in Washington are serious about economic recovery and job creation, I urge them to set aside the President’s proposal and instead make the tough decisions necessary to rein in out-of-control spending and support our nation’s true job creators: the entrepreneurs and small businesses that will lead our nation to recovery.”

I sought statements from the other Republican gubernatorial primary candidates, Tom Campbell and Chuck DeVore, about two and half hours ago, but haven’t received them yet.

More from other sources, after the jump…
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I listened in on a conference call this morning with U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and President’s Council of Economic Advisers Chairwoman Christina Romer, a pair of Californians discussing the speech on job creation initiatives that President Barack Obama gave this morning at the Brookings Institution. The Washington Post describes the speech thus:

President Obama outlined a series of broad job creation ideas Tuesday that build on some of the most successful elements of the stimulus package passed earlier this year, including tax cuts for small businesses, incentives to hire new workers and a fresh round of infrastructure spending.

The president also recommended that Congress enact a new “cash for caulkers” program, which would offer financial incentives for homeowners to weatherize their homes. Senior administration officials said the program, based on the successful “cash for clunkers” automobile rebate program, would leverage hiring in construction and manufacturing — sectors especially hard hit by the recession — while promoting energy efficiency, resulting in long-term savings for homeowners.

Obama also called on Congress to extend unemployment insurance, aid to cash-starved states and cities, emergency aid to senior citizens and health-care help for the jobless.

“There’s not a day that goes by that the President and his economic team does not discuss steps we can take to put Americans back to work,” Solis, the former Congresswoman from El Monte, told reporters on the call. “The president is very clear about looking for proposals that will give us the biggest bang for our buck.”

Romer, formerly a Cal professor, said the Obama economic strategy “really is an evolution” that started with efforts such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and continued with efforts such as the “cash for clunkers” program as well as extension of unemployment benefits and the homebuyers’ tax credit. Now it’s time to evolve some more, she said: “We think they are wise policies for this point in time.”

Especially in light of yesterday’s news that the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) that rescued Wall Street may cost about $200 billion less than originally expected, Romer said, “there is a fiscally responsible way we can make some of these investments for Main Street to spark job creation.”

Romer provided neither an overall price tag – “it’s early in the process” with the numbers still “very much in flux” – nor an estimate of how many jobs might be created, a projection she said would depend on the private sector’s response to the incentives being laid before it. As for the political process, she said, “This is likely to be a continuing process, as ideas come to fruition and congress is ready to move … I wouldn’t expect to see one bill.”

But House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, says no:

“Out of ideas and out of touch, President Obama has chosen to double down on more of the same ‘stimulus’ spending that just isn’t working. Of course, the President won’t call it another ‘stimulus’ because doing so would serve as an admission that the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ hasn’t delivered, but that’s exactly what this is.

“The President also refused to put a price tag on these new ‘stimulus’ initiatives, instead proposing to turn TARP into a slush fund for politicians and continue Washington Democrats’ unprecedented deficit spending binge. Remaining TARP funds should be used for deficit reduction, not more of the same ‘stimulus’ spending.

“While this may be the umpteenth time the President has unveiled initiatives designed to help small businesses, employers large and small will continue to hold off on hiring as long as Washington Democrats pursue costly, job-killing policies. The President might understand this better if he, the Vice President, or any senior members of their Administration had ever run a business. I know what it takes to meet a payroll and maintain a healthy balance sheet. A government takeover of health care, a national energy tax, ‘card check,’ and more tax increases are all policies that will cost America jobs and hurt our economy over the long-term.

“Make no mistake, our economy will recover, but it will do so only because of the hard work and ingenuity of the American people, not because of wasteful Washington spending. Families and small businesses asking ‘where are the jobs?’ deserve better and Republicans have been offering common-sense solutions all year long to help put people back to work and make government live within its means.”

From President’s Council of Economic Advisers Chairwoman Christina Romer:

“Data released today by the Commerce Department show that real GDP [Gross Domestic Product] grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of the year. This is in stark contrast to the decline of 6.4 percent annual rate just two quarters ago. Indeed, the two-quarter swing in the rate of growth of 9.9 percentage points was the largest since 1980. Analysis by both the Council of Economic Advisers and a wide range of private and public-sector forecasters indicates that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 contributed between 3 and 4 percentage points to real GDP growth in the third quarter. This suggests that in the absence of the Recovery Act, real GDP would have risen little, if at all, this past quarter.”

“After four consecutive quarters of decline, positive GDP growth is an encouraging sign that the U.S. economy is moving in the right direction. However, this welcome milestone is just another step, and we still have a long road to travel until the economy is fully recovered. The turnaround in crucial labor market indicators, such as employment and the unemployment rate, typically occurs after the turnaround in GDP. And it will take sustained, robust GDP growth to bring the unemployment rate down substantially. Such a decline in unemployment is, of course, what we are all working to achieve.”

From House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio:

“Any positive signs for our economy are welcome, but a jobless recovery is not what the American people were promised. President Obama and his economic team said the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ would create jobs immediately and keep the unemployment rate below eight percent. Since then, roughly three million jobs have been lost and unemployment has risen to near 10 percent.

“For millions of out-of-work families struggling to make ends meet, this recession feels far from over. Yet even now, after the Obama Administration’s top economist has stated that the ‘stimulus’ already had its greatest impact on the economy, Washington Democrats are intent on staying the course and trying to spend, tax, and borrow their way to prosperity. Republicans have proposed fiscally responsible solutions to help small businesses create good-paying jobs and get our economy moving again.”

From House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Martinez:

“Today’s news is another important indicator that the Recovery Act is beginning to repair our economy and get our nation back on its feet. While it will take time for all these investments to kick in, we know that the Recovery Act has already helped to stave off hundreds of thousands of pink slips being planned.

“While saving and creating jobs must be a central concern, we also must ensure that Americans still looking for work have the temporary support they need to get by and that displaced workers have access to the education and training they need to succeed in the jobs of the future. We won’t rest until the millions who lost their jobs during this economic crisis have an opportunity to work and are ready to help shape a new era of economic growth and innovation.”

The House today approved the conference report for the fiscal year 2010 Defense Authorization bill on a 281-146 vote. Most of the nays were Republicans who were incensed that House Democratic leaders had attached to the bill an amendment expanding federal hate-crime law so it would be a federal crime to assault people because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

To wit, from House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio:

“Democrats have done a great disservice to the brave men and women of our Armed Forces today by using them as leverage to pass radical social policy. They engineered this abuse of the legislative process because they had no way other to pass legislation that is unconstitutional and just plain wrong. Our troops – and their families – deserve better.

“All violent crimes should be prosecuted vigorously, no matter what the circumstance. The Democrats’ ‘thought crimes’ legislation, however, places a higher value on some lives than others. Republicans believe that all lives are created equal, and should be defended with equal vigilance.”

But for Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont – the only Bay Area member to cross the aisle and vote with Republicans against the bill – the hate-crimes language was the only good thing about it. He said:

“Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Defense Authorization bill. As we focus on slowing the rising cost of health care, we should be just as vigilant about ever higher levels of defense spending.

“No one on the international stage comes close to our military spending. The United States accounted for 41.5 percent of the entire world’s military spending in 2008 – the next closest country was China at 5.8 percent. To put this in perspective, if we spent only six times as much as the next closest country, instead of seven times as much, we would have more than enough money to completely pay for health care reform.

“I urge my colleagues to join me in voting against the Defense Authorization bill. That said, there is an important provision in the bill that I support, extending hate crimes laws to cover sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability. I have supported hate crimes legislation throughout my career in Congress, including as a co-sponsor of this legislation when it was approved by the House in April, and I am glad that the hate crimes provision in this bill will finally become law.”

So, yesterday in our nation’s capital, chairmen of the three House Committees with jurisdiction over health policy introduced comprehensive health care reform legislation that they say will reduce out-of-control costs, encourage competition among insurance plans to improve choices for patients, and expand access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Here’s what some of our voices in Congress had to say about it:

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-Martinez:

“American families cannot afford for Washington to say ‘no’ once again to comprehensive health care reform. We are proud to introduce legislation that meets the goals articulated by President Obama – to lower costs, preserve choice, and expand access to quality, affordable health care – while strengthening our economic and fiscal health. We will continue to work with our colleagues in the weeks ahead to deliver the fundamental reforms that the American people want, need and deserve.”

House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark, D-Fremont:

“I am proud to join with my colleagues to introduce America’s Affordable Health Choices Act. This bill meets President Obama’s call for health reform that provides coverage for all, promotes delivery system reforms, and controls costs. Our committee will begin markup this week and have a bill for members to approve before the August recess.”

Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee, D-Oakland:

“The introduction of the bill is a positive step towards comprehensive health reform. I am extremely encouraged by the inclusion of a robust public health option, the expansion of prevention and wellness services and programming to better identify and address health disparities.
“Healthcare reform has never been more urgently needed than right now. I applaud President Obama, and our House and Senate leadership for their diligent work on this issue and I look forward to working together with them to pass this much needed legislation.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio:

“During a deep economic recession, it is criminal malpractice for Democrats to push a government takeover of health care and a new small business tax that will destroy more American jobs. After the Democrats’ trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ did not fulfill the Administration’s promises to create jobs immediately, a small business tax will make matters worse for middle-class Americans looking for real solutions to help put them back to work and give them better access to quality health care. Washington cannot afford to make the same mistake now that Democrats made earlier this year on the ‘stimulus.’
“House Republicans have offered a better health care alternative that will reduce costs, expand access, and let Americans who like their plans keep them – all without a job-killing small business tax. The House Democrats’ proposal will force more than 100 million Americans off their current health care plans and move millions of seniors, particularly in rural areas, out of their current coverage and onto the government rolls as a result of deep Medicare cuts. Middle-class families, small businesses, and senior citizens deserve better than what House Democrats have offered. If Democrats are serious about real job creation and true health care reform, they’ll scrap this government takeover and work with Republicans on a plan that helps small businesses create jobs and gives Americans better access to quality care.”