House Republican offers his own ‘American Jobs Act’

President Obama has been jobbed by a Texas congressman.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican, introduced his American Jobs Act this week. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the exact same monicker the president christened his jobs plan, the one he sent to Congress this week -- and it’s a name Obama has cited again and again in events in Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.

So, technically, the White House can no longer claim House Republicans don’t support the “American Jobs Act.” What made the brand confusion possible? No Democrat has yet introduced a version of Obama’s bill in the House.

“We have heard a lot of rhetoric about job creation from President Obama over the last several days. After waiting to see what the president would actually put into legislative language, and then waiting to see if anybody would actually introduce the president’s bill in the House,” Gohmert said, “I took the initiative and introduced the American Jobs Act of 2011.”

And where Obama’s sprawling $447-billion bill would attempt to do several things to boost (the “S-word” is now a loaded political term) the sputtering economy, such as extend a payroll tax break for employers, provide more money for teachers and firefighters and facilitate school renovation, Gohmert’s bill is simpler. It would eliminate the corporate tax.

That makes it a speed-read at two pages. Obama’s is 155.

When Obama’s bill is finally introduced it the House, it won’t need a new handle. House rules don’t preclude two bills sharing a single name. But it could result in a lot of Democrats and Republicans shouting on the floor about two different bills. If Obama does want a new name, Gohmert has a suggestion.

He told conservative website Newsmax that the bill should be called the “Save Obama’s Job Act.” Our guess is that that’s a nonstarter.