Refusing to explain obstruction of unemployment benefits, Bunning shoots reporter the middle finger

[babylonsister]

Another classy rethug-they're a dime a dozen. :boring:

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/01/bunning-middle-finger/

Refusing to explain his obstruction of unemployment benefits, Bunning shoots reporter the middle finger.


Since last week, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has been obstructing legislation to extend unemployment benefits, telling Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) “tough sh*t” when Merkley pleaded with Bunning to drop the hold on the Senate floor. Bunning blocked the measure because of “a dispute over how {the bill} should be funded,” leaving 400,000 Americans in limbo after the benefits expired at midnight on Sunday. Today, an “angry” Bunning refused to answer questions about his hold, running away from an ABC reporter and taking refuge in a senator’s only elevator. Shouting “Excuse me!,” Bunning would not say whether he was concerned about people losing their benefits. Watch it:

Video at link~

Off camera, when ABC producer Z. Byron Wolf tried to engage Bunning, he said, “I’m not talking to anybody” and gave Wolf the middle finger.

[Hannah Bell]

1. somehow they came up with the votes to cut medicare, though.

letters to terminate UE benefits started going out sunday night.

[Beetwasher]

7. Bullshit, That's A Direct Result Of Bunning's Obstruction NOT A VOTE

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/bunning-blockade-leads-to-21-percent-pay-cut-to-doctors.php?ref=fpblg

Bunning Blockade Leads To 21 Percent Fee Cut For Doctors

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) is already infamous for blocking a temporary extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits for out of work Americans. But included in that package is legislation to prevent a mandatory pay cut for doctors--and by standing in it's way, he's triggered a 21 percent fee reduction to doctors seeing Medicare patients starting today.

Republicans say they support a temporary measure to avoid the cuts, but they have been unable to rein in Bunning, and, as such, the Senate has failed to act on a House bill that staves them off.

[Hannah Bell]

11. Why no attempt at cloture?

[Beetwasher]

12. That's Not The Point, The Point Is YOU ARE SPREADING DISINFORMATION

I'm calling you on your bullshit.

There was no vote to cut medicare. Stop trying to change the subject.

[Hannah Bell]

13. you're right, no vote: same failure to invoke cloture to counter the all-powerful bunning, my error:

Senate gridlock triggers 21% cut to doctors

WASHINGTON (AP) — Political gridlock in the Senate triggered a legal requirement Monday for a 21% cut in Medicare fees to doctors, who warned they may have to limit care for seniors unless the reductions are reversed.

Hoping the Senate will act soon to stave off the cuts, the Obama administration directed Medicare billing contractors to hold off processing claims for 10 business days. Medicare normally takes 14 days to pay doctors, so there would be no reduction in reimbursement if lawmakers move quickly.

But the American Medical Association assailed lawmakers for allowing the cuts to go through, saying it shows the political system is failing to address manageable problems with health care, let alone big challenges like covering the uninsured and trying to slow rising costs.

Funding to temporarily stave off the cuts was part of a bill passed last week by the House. But the Senate failed to act on the one-month fix because Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky objected that the $10 billion measure would add to the deficit.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-03-01-Medicare_N.htm

[Beetwasher]

14. How Will They Invoke Cloture?

When not a single Repub will vote for cloture?

[Hannah Bell]

15. since they didn't try, we'll never know, will we? 10 republicans voted again the patriot reauth-

orization, however.

i don't imagine *every* republican would like to go on record as cutting off UE & medicare in this economic climate.

plenty of conservative voters who would oppose those actions.

[Beetwasher]

16. Bullshit

"Today, for the seventh time, Bunning objected to a request for unanimous consent to temporarily extend benefits. In addition to cutting doctor's fees, his exploitation of the Senate's filibuster rules has cost thousands of out-of-work Americans their benefits and has even put thousands of federal employees out of work."

If you think a single Repub will vote for cloture you have not being paying attention. At all.

[Hannah Bell]

17. bunning's actions have nothing to do with what i just said. bunning is not the entire republican

party.

the democrats didn't try for cloture. they could have. if they'd been willing to stay over the weekend, they could have at least forced a cloture vote.

[Beetwasher]

19. Wrong

Don't blame the Dems for the Repubs obstruction. It's bullshit. You know damn well not a single Repub would vote for cloture.

[Hannah Bell]

20. i know no such thing.

[Beetwasher]

21. LOL! Yeah, Sure You Don't

But you know this is the Dems fault, huh? :rofl:

[Hannah Bell]

22. i know they didn't attempt cloture.

[Beetwasher]

23. Tell Me Which Repub Will Vote For It, Go Ahead

I'll Wait.

[Hannah Bell]

24. I don't know. why don't we try it & see?

He promised Bunning he'd bring up his amendment for a vote. Not good enough, Bunning replied. Why not? "I was not ready to risk voting on a bill," he explained. "I knew it would not get the amount of votes necessary to pay for it.”

In other words, Bunning would lose the vote. Even with the filibuster, he'd lose the vote. But his play isn't to win the vote. His play is to win the clock. Breaking his hold would require a cloture vote, which would mean two days to let the cloture vote "ripen" and then 30 hours of post-cloture debate. That means benefits will run out.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/jim_bunnings_campaign_to_end_t.html

[Beetwasher]

25. Ha Ha!!!! (Do You Read What You Post?)

"Democrats in the Senate are obviously upset about this, but there's not, in practical terms, much that they can do. The Senate rules are making it possible for Bunning to push the package past the deadline, even though he doesn't have the votes to uphold his position. But don't worry. Bunning is suffering, too. In one of the finest "let them eat cake" moments in recent political history, Bunning whined that his obstructionism meant he had "missed the Kentucky-South Carolina game that started at 9, and it was the only redeeming chance we had to beat South Carolina this year."

Go argue w/ Ezra Klein. :rofl:

[Hannah Bell]

26. no, i read that. but klein is spinning too. they can invoke cloture.

klein conveniently ignores that fact, but he does tell us bunning doesn't have the votes for his position.


but let's be honest. we know what's going on. bunning = the scapegoat set up to take the heat by interests on both sides of the aisle -- interests who don't want to go on record with a vote.

thus, no move to cloture.

[Beetwasher]

27. Sure, You Know More About It Than All The Experts

Got it. How do you know they didn't already file for cloture??? It's not automatic you know. Even after you file, it takes some time.

[Hannah Bell]

28. no, they'd have to stay over the weekend. a small price to pay in the interest of democracy & unem-

ployed families.

Now republicans are using the non-cloture to tar dems as ineffective. Political theater, i'm sure, but why didn't the dems do just that?

you say because no pubs would have signed on. fine, then, let them be obstructionists in a ROLL-CALL VOTE. instead, pubs get to wring their hands on the sidelines & play like they're the good guys: "Oh, we don't want to cut off your UE & medicare, but our hands are tied by the all-powerful bunning!!!"


Democrats have spent the day blasting the Kentucky Republican, whose personal filibuster against extending unemployment benefits past Monday's expiration date means about 400,000 Americans are in jeopardy of not getting checks they're entitled to. But the GOP is trying pretty hard to make sure they don't get stuck with the blame for Bunning's antics, either.

A senior Senate GOP source tells Salon Bunning gave Republicans no advance warning before he launched his stunt last week. McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had already agreed on how to move forward with temporary legislation extending unemployment benefits (and other federal spending), but Bunning -- taking advantage of the Senate's sometimes preposterous rules -- objected, blocking the whole thing. The GOP, though, says Reid should have been able to avert the problem in the first place. Instead of passing a tourism bill last week, Republicans say Reid should have filed for cloture on the unemployment extension; that way, Bunning's delay wouldn't have pushed the bill past Monday, and no deadlines would have been missed."


http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/03/01/bunning_blame_game

[Beetwasher]

29. Nope, You Didn't Even Read Your Own Link

"Breaking his hold would require a cloture vote, which would mean two days to let the cloture vote "ripen" and then 30 hours of post-cloture debate. That means benefits will run out."

Cloture is not immediate.

[Hannah Bell]

30. "over the weekend" = two days. & bunning's been running his scam for a week or more.

[Beetwasher]

33. So?

"Breaking his hold would require a cloture vote, which would mean two days to let the cloture vote "ripen" and then 30 hours of post-cloture debate. That means benefits will run out."

[onenote]

41. do you have a link for the claim that bunning has been blocking the bill for a week?

From what I've read and been told (and I have been following this for clients with an interest in the satellite home viewer act extension piece of the legislation) the Democratic leadership thought a deal had been worked out with the repub leadership to get the extenders bill through via uc on thursday and bunning went rogue.

That certainly is the impression one gets reading the Congressional Record transcript of the debate on thursday night.

[Beetwasher]

43. That Poster Just Makes Shit Up

Look at the original post. At first the poster was arguing that Dems VOTED to cut benefits.

Don't hold your breath for proof of that claim. It's easier to just make shit up.

[babylonsister]

31. Dupe/delete. nt

[babylonsister]

32. This thread is funny. All I see is

IGNORED
Beetwasher
IGNORED
Beetwasher
IGNORED
Beetwasher
IGNORED
Beetwasher
IGNORED
Beetwasher

:rofl:

[Beetwasher]

34. LOL

Just missing some egregious Dem bashing. For a change. To get you up to speed. It's all the Dems fault that Bunning is obstructing.

[Hannah Bell]

35. all i see is people pretending cloture doesn't exist, & has never been used by democrats when they

chose to.

like for instance the last session of congress.

[Beetwasher]

36. Sure You Do, It's Been Used More This Congress Than At Any Time In History

So, WTF are you talking about?

No one is saying it doesn't exist, just that it's not the magic wand you like to pretend it is.

[Hannah Bell]

37. i didn't say it was a magic wand. i said try it & get the bastards on record; oh, & you might just

win.


"oh, no, it's not possible. we don't have the votes. it takes too long. blah blah blah"


meanwhile, cut-off letters went out sunday night.

[Beetwasher]

38. Yeah, Just POOF! Use Cloture! See! Problem Solved!

Gee, it's so easy, why didn't anyone else think of it? :eyes:

You sure do think it's some sort of magical panacea. "get 'em on record!!" :rofl:

[Hannah Bell]

39. because current strategy is working so well, right?

anyway, i've said my piece. no sense arguing with one who has an interest in not seeing your point.

[Beetwasher]

40. And Invoking Cloture Has Solved Everything Already!! They've Done It How Many Times This Year???

:rofl:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Can Senators be impeached?

He needs to be unemployed NOW.

Unbelievable that one man can hold up the entire Senate.

Damn him to hell.

:grr:

[aquart]

3. Unbelievable that the entire Senate LET him.

One medium to small meteor could wipe out the Senate. But I'm not even sure that would help.

[onenote]

5. not clear

But the House isn't going to jump in and try to impeach a Senator for doing something, unconscionable as it may be, that is within the rules of the Senate. ANd he's retiring at the end of the year.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. He needs to retire now.

With zero benefits.....not going to happen, I know.

I feel so much outrage at this fool.

[Hannah Bell]

18. so is this within the rules:

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Majority Whip Richard Durbin repeatedly called the bill up for a vote. Each time it was blocked by Bunning’s voiced objection. But the Democratic Senate leaders declined to declare his action a filibuster and invoke cloture, although the required 60-vote majority would have been easily attainable.

Under Senate rules, cloture would have led to 30 hours of debate on the bill, followed by a vote. This process would have avoided the cutoff of benefits, but would have caused senators to miss their flights home for the weekend.

The Democratic leadership calculated that by allowing Bunning to block the extension they would be able to put the Republican minority in a bad light. Reid, Durbin and Vice President Joseph Biden issued hypocritical statements denouncing Bunning, but there was no move to invoke cloture."


http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/pers-m01.shtml



Bunning is holding up the unanimous consent needed to move the process forward. His objection is that he wants the package funded through unused stimulus funds (which means the projects those funds are meant to pay for will go dark). Harry Reid allowed that this was a reasonable argument: He promised Bunning he'd bring up his amendment for a vote. Not good enough, Bunning replied. Why not? "I was not ready to risk voting on a bill," he explained. "I knew it would not get the amount of votes necessary to pay for it.”

In other words, Bunning would lose the vote. Even with the filibuster, he'd lose the vote. But his play isn't to win the vote. His play is to win the clock. Breaking his hold would require a cloture vote, which would mean two days to let the cloture vote "ripen" and then 30 hours of post-cloture debate. THAT MEANS BENEFITS WILL RUN OUT.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/jim_bunnings_campaign_to_end_t.html

excpt, of course, dems could have started cloture before friday. thus not getting into the situation where benefits would run out.

termination letters started out sunday.

[Bryn]

9. That's what I thought

One man? Just ONE man? Wow...that must makes him feel so good about himself that he's "powerful" enough to do that.

:mad:

[Flaneur]

4. Unemployed Kentuckians should be taking over his local offices.

And giving him the warm welcome back he deserves.

[Mike 03]

8. I almost replied by saying "Unbelievable", but with Bunning it is believable.

He is a loose cannon. He is like the Oliver North of the Senate.

This is surreal. And now I am watching Jon Kyl, a horrible senator from my state, I am ashamed to say, making apologies for this jackass.

[pwb]

10. He may be angry about the investigation of toyota.

They do make them in his state.

[Selatius]

42. Yeah, but Toyota has auto plants across the Deep South because they're "right-to-work" states.

They don't have to deal with labor unions. They never liked labor unions.