And he could easily do it, only takes one Senator to jam the Senate up and prevent the resolution that is needed for Obama to speak from passing.
(Politico) — Sen. Jim DeMint vowed Wednesday to try to block President Barack Obama from addressing a joint session of Congress on the same day as a Republican presidential debate next week.
Obama could learn something from the GOP, DeMint reasoned, in adding his voice — and his vote — to a growing chorus of Republican objections.
“The president should pick another night. I’m planning to watch the Republican primary debate . . . and the president should watch it, too,”
The iconic South Carolina conservative said. “If he has a jobs proposal, put it in writing, give us a cost estimate, and send it over. I want to read the bill, not listen to talking points off a TelePrompter. If he insists on playing politics by picking the night of the GOP debate, I will object to the session.”
A lone determined senator can tie the chamber in knots for days, and the House and Senate must both pass a concurrent resolution to allow for the president to speak to a joint session.
To the surprise of Republican officials, Obama announced Wednesday that he wanted to give a jobs-focused speech to Congress on Sept. 7 — at the same time as the NBC News- and POLITICO-sponsored Republican debate in Simi Valley, Calif.