Bunning Accepts Deal Allowing Benefits Bill to Advance

[onehandle]

Source: Roll Call

Under increasing pressure from Democrats and members of his own party, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) Tuesday night abandoned his one-man filibuster of a one-month extension to unemployment benefits and other programs.
In the end Bunning agreed to a deal allowing him one vote on an amendment to pay for the bill’s $10 billion cost. That proposal was offered by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) last Thursday at the start of his filibuster, but Bunning rejected it because he feared his amendment would not pass.

Reid has also agreed to give Bunning two votes on amendments to a larger, one-year extension bill that is currently under consideration in the Senate.

Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he was pleased a deal could be reached.

Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/43750-1.html?type=printer_friendly

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Breaking news on the Ed Show.

[jefferson_dem]

1. Linky.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/43750-1.html?type=printer_friendly

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Reid gave away too much.

They should have made him filibuster right up there in front of God, the voters & everybody.

[AlinPA]

6. Reid does not want to anger "his friends on the other side of the aisle". nt

[EvolveOrConvolve]

19. Reid didn't want to miss dinner in Georgetown

And a good night's sleep. POS.

[Psephos]

35. You figured that one out right. n/t

[onenote]

21. what exactly do you think reid gave up?

and if you were someone whose benefits were suspended or had been furloughed and you had a choice between a certain resolution of or an uncertain one, which would you take?

[Jackpine Radical]

23. I certainly understand the difficulties people experienced

but it wouldn't have taken that long to break hi down and not leave him with a face-saving accommodation with the votes. I think it's sometimes worth some agony to make your opponents hurt a little for their misbehavior. To do otherwise constitutes tacit rewarding of parliamentary bullshit.

[onenote]

29. wouldn't have taken long? how do you know that?

He could sleep there with a staffer to wake him every time someone asked for unanimous consent.

[CLANG]

28. Well, that makes total sense to you and me...

[aquart]

2. I don't want him folded till he's put through the wringer.

And hung out to dry.

[Tippy]

4. Thank god......

[Tippy]

5. But now he gets to make 2 amendments to the larger bill

[RantinRavin]

7. So he offers up some amendments

Which the Democratic majority quickly votes down....

[Abq_Sarah]

20. For this reason

I hope not. This bill has to be paid for eventually and we need to figure out how to pay before we start slinging money around. Neither side wants to do the hard lifting and either cut spending elsewhere or increase FUTA.

[DLnyc]

24. or raise the top tax rate back up to 89% where it belongs.

[CLANG]

30. I disagree vehemently

The top rate should be somewhere between 65-75%. I think 69% would stick it to them pretty good.

[wordpix]

36. thank you. enough free lunch and prime rib dinners for these rich fat cats

[Botany]

22. egg zack lee

Bunning gets to offer 2 amendments that will never go anyplace.

[high density]

8. So act bad and get rewarded with what you want?

lol, this is great leadership here from Reid.

[onenote]

9. how is getting benefits restored and not giving away anything bad leadership?

[high density]

12. I thought we didn't negotiate with terrorists

But I guess I'm wrong.

[underpants]

10. Did Bunning vote for the Bush tax cuts and the Bush War on Iraq?

Oh but one month of unemployment benefits was just too much for him

What an idiot

[PeaceNikki]

11. Jim Bunning has ended his standoff.

However, he said he still plans to eat the Easter Bunny in a fricassee served over a bed of rice.

http://twitter.com/thecajunboy

[jefferson_dem]

13. Durbin: Bunning accepted offer made last week.

Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he was pleased a deal could be reached.

“Bunning is coming back now, he has accepted our offer to have one offsetting amendment, which is an offer we made last week, and now he’s accepted it. I think it’s a new offset, we’re waiting to see. So, we’ll see where it goes,” Durbin said. “So it would give us two votes: offset amendment and final passage of the short-term .”

http://www.rollcall.com/news/43750-1.html?type=printer_friendly

[my2sense]

14. From Twitterverse

"Next time Bunning wants 2 get his ego stroked, y doesn't he just hire hooker like any other good Repub?"

[Botany]

15. The Standoff w/ Bunning is over

Source: MSNBC Big Eddy

Ed just said that the standoff w/ Bunning is over. (rough quote)

Read more: xxxxxx

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Guess the idea of staying up all night was a little much for Bunning.

[Captain Hilts]

16. Shit! I wanted an all-nighter. nt

[cutlassmama]

17. The old fool probably hasn't been up all night in 30 years

[Jackpine Radical]

32. It probly takes him all night

to GET up.

[wordpix]

37. just the thought made him cave!

[Mike 03]

18. Damn. Does this mean no all-night Senate session? NT

[ej510]

Reid extended the corporate tax breaks for another year!

Fuck You Reid! You spineless bastard. Once again the dems are showing their corporate side.

[DallasNE]

25. Irony of Irony At Work

By adding Bunning's amendment the bill will be further delayed because it will be different than the House bill and throw it into conference. The only speedy way to proceed would be for the Senate to pass the bill before the Senate, which is the House bill, then for the Senate to use Reconciliation to add Bunning's amendment.

[Duer 157099]

26. Exactly. More delay. n/t

[onenote]

34. what are you talking about?

Bunning's amendment will be defeated. The extenders bill that passes will be the same bill that the House passed.

Where are you getting your information?

[DallasNE]

39. The Bunning Amendment Was Defeated

So the measure now goes directly to the President. I was just speculating on what would happen in the event it passed. Now it just looks like Bunning succumbed to pressure from McConnell and was given a fig leaf for appearance sake.

[stlsaxman]

27. Okay then- it's 19:30 Central on 3/2/10... so why the fuck is HE STILL TALKING???!?!?!?!?

[CLANG]

31. I don't know. There's something about that Bunning dude just doesn't sit right with me.

:spray:

[SlingBlade]

33. I see Obama, Reid and Durbin just hit their knees for

this fuck'in Re-Puke.

What the fuck happened to the Democratic Party ?
They HAD these assholes in the cross hairs over this shit.

[and-justice-for-all]

38. Well if we did have to pay for Bunning...

and others like him, then we would not have to worry so much about these things not would we?

Worthless obstructionist should not be on the payroll.

[eirteacher]

40. See the old senile bastard stand there and piss his pants

To bad I would have loved to see the old senile bastard stand there and piss his pants trying to filibuster.