Treasury secretary scolds Congress for playing politics with Democrats’ Second Stimulus:

• “Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner responded to the jobs bill failing to pass in the Senate Tuesday night, telling Bloomberg TV, ‘There is just no reason why politics should stand in the way of doing something to help the economy now.’” (Ben White, “Geithner: Politics getting in the way,” Politico, 10/12/11)

But it’s clear the plan itself is about nothing more than politics:

• “Axelrod, one of Obama's most visible surrogates, left his post at the White House in January to work on the president's reelection campaign. He released a campaign memo on Tuesday signaling that Obama would make his American Jobs Act a major component of his reelection strategy …” (Josh Lederman, “Axelrod to raise Obama dough in Arizona,” The Hill, 10/12/11)

• “The Senate confirmed something last night that most people in Washington already knew: President Obama's $447 billion jobs bill won't pass Congress, at least not in its current form. But the bill is certainly not dead politically, as Obama pledged to bring it back up piece-by-piece in the weeks ahead -- presumably rolling right into the election year of 2012.” (David Jackson, “Obama jobs bill: Dead legislatively, alive politically,” USA Today, 10/12/11)

• “Now the White House is already circulating talking points to outside allies — sent over by a source — instructing them to amplify the post-jobs-vote message. They’re worth a look as a sign of how Obama’s team hopes to gain the political initiative in an environment where his actual policies face steep obstacles indeed …” (Greg Sargent, “Can the White House gain the initiative in jobs fight?” Washington Post, 10/12/11)