Bunning is the next fall guy.... right after Lieberman.... few in the senate want to extend benefits

[TwixVoy]

Let's be real.... once again we are being told that ONE MAN is handily forcing the senates hand.

It's bull sh**. The dems just don't want to extend unemployment. They could easily get around this clown, but they are CHOOSING not to and using the convenient political excuse that the mean old Bunning is forcing their hand.

Same as Lieberman. It's just a damn excuse.

[cali]

1. bullshit

that's utterly without foundation. this is nothing but you making shit up, honey.

[alstephenson]

3. What do you mean bullshit???

So Senator Kyl isn't obstructing the extension??? Just because the MSM isn't talking about the other Repukes doesn't mean they AREN'T obstructing, honey.

[spanone]

5. read it again

[peggygirl]

17. I call bullshit too. But for a different reason.

Deficits are not the problem the GOP has been making it for the past 50 years. The cry about what will our children and grandchildren do with the huge deficits by government is bullshit. We have lived with deficits and debt for a long time and it wasn't either of them that got us into this economic mess that we are in. It was rank, capitalistic greed, mismanagement, and LACK of government control and enforcement. The debt and deficits are what the GOP and others throw out there when they want to divert attention from what is really going on. It's not that the GOP is against spending deficits...they just don't want to spend to help people here and now! And that's the point.

[hlthe2b]

2. They will be able to overturn his filibuster tomorrow, I believe

When a quorum is back--sufficient to vote.

[ipaint]

4. Groups that represent the unemployed have been begging Reid for 2 months

to address this before this kind of situation was created. He didn't.

Both sides are playing the disastrous consequences for political gain. I think they will eventually pass it but at some point the long term unemployed will be culled mercilessly. The jobs aren't coming back especially for the 45 to early 60's year old range.

[Arkana]

6. That's crap.

If you can't prove it then you're just talking out of your ass.

[Canuckistanian]

7. I s Bunning doing this as a "hold"?

If so, then Reid has the parliamentary tools to bypass it. Why in God's name doesn't he use it?

Hell, Dodd's hold on the FISA bill in 2007 was completely ignored by Reid.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/18/175712/83

[onenote]

11. technically distinct from a hold

As has become evident, the Senate often gets its business done through "UC" (unanimous consent) motions. UC motions and the schedule for such are typically worked out between the majority and minority leader. If a member informs his/her leader that they object to a UC motion -- that is considered a "hold" and by tradition, the majority leader agrees not to pursue the UC motion. In the Dodd situation, even though he indicated he wanted to place a hold on the bill, Reid ignored him, which meant that Dodd would have to come to the floor and publicly object to the bill moving. It was a bluff calling move.

The difference between that situation and the one with Bunning is that Reid and McConnell had worked on an agreement for a UC. Bunning apparently didn't inform McConnell that he wanted to place a hold on the bill (although that piece of the story is the subject of some dispute). So, Reid and company thought they had the go ahead to proceed via UC; but Bunning popped up and did what Dodd didn't -- publicly come to the floor and state his objection, thereby stopping the bill from being considered under the UC.

[Junkdrawer]

8. No, he's a lone gunman, I tell you....

It does have a theatrical feel. Oh well, tomorrow should tell the tale.

[Junkdrawer]

9. So, now it's maybe next week...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7825384

[onenote]

10. nonsense

since benefits ultimately will be extended with retroactivity, your point is utter nonsense.

[Junkdrawer]

12. On Friday it was "First thing Tuesday"...Now it's maybe next week.....

I'm sorry, but this is looking more like kabuki theater every day....

[onenote]

13. do you have a link to where Reid said it would be dealt with first thing Tuesday?

[Junkdrawer]

15. I never said Reid said "first thing Tuesday"...that's what the media was saying. n/t

[DevonRex]

21. Then you must have a link for that, at least. No?

And do you believe the MSM over the Dems now?

[dionysus]

23. you little conservadem you!!

:hi:

[DevonRex]

26. You've got latte foam on your upper lip. Get that at your local DLC meeting?

:hi:

[dionysus]

29. LATTE ON MY FACE?!?!?!!! AARGHHHHh *boom*

:D

[DevonRex]

31. It's our biggest mistake, doncha know? Not wiping off the latte.

;)

[dionysus]

32. "you can always spot them with their 'latte lip' and cruise missle dust on their hands"

:P

[DevonRex]

34. We need those cruise missiles to militarize Chile, our next conquest.

Oh, wait. It's the Chilean President who's sending 14,000 troops to quell violence. Damn. But they might NEED our cruise missiles, right? :nuke:

[dionysus]

35. SSHHH!

rahm's already working on that!!111

[DevonRex]

36. Can't say the R-word anymore.

From now on he's called Honey Lips. Nobody will EVER figure out THAT code name.

[Junkdrawer]

24. NY Times last Friday....

...

Democrats intend to try to force a vote by midweek to cut off debate on the legislation if they cannot reach an agreement to approve the measure before then.

...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/us/27cong.html

I read stories that said that this would be over as soon as the full Senate convened Tuesday, but I can't find a link just now as I'm at work....

[AllentownJake]

14. Fine by me

I'm on unemployment, and I can't find full-time work right now.

If they think that their is this giant pool of 7.50 an hour jobs for everyone to run to, they might want to take a look at the statistics.

The lowest paid workers have the highest unemployment rate, which means, there isn't this gigantic pool of work for the unemployed to go to.

Like I said, fine by me, if they want to crash this car, good luck controlling 10,000,000 hungry people with the military in Afghanistan.

[dionysus]

19. "if i cant find a job, fuck everybody else too"

jake, you forgot your meds today.

:rofl:

[AllentownJake]

22. That isn't what I said

I said, if they want to make people desperate...be prepared for the societal consequences.

[dionysus]

16. says the resident rabid anti-education person. ever heard of thorazine?

:rofl:

[laughingliberal]

18. I have to disagree. I see no upside for Democrats not extending UI.

And I certainly do not see Jim Bunning doing the bidding of Democrats. If he thought they really did not want to extend UI, he'd be out there screaming how we're hurting the American people.

[Raineyb]

33. I don't think the assertion is that Bunning is doing the bidding of the Democrats.

I think it is that the Democrats don't really want to do anything about UI and instead of saying so straight out they're pretending to have problems with Bunning as an excuse as to why they didn't do shit. It's not entirely unbelievable as scenarios go. The Democrats track record certainly wouldn't make such an assertion completely off base.

Not unlike how the public option got scuttled.

Quite frankly there's no bloody excuse as to why UI was allowed to expire at all. The economy has been in the shitter for over a year, the unemployment numbers are not that good, haven't been improving, there are stories of how difficult it is to get a job why the fuck did they wait until the last minute and open up the opportunity for something like this to happen in the first place?

I can't imagine why anyone would think the Dems weren't all that serious about doing something about UI to begin with. :sarcasm:

[laughingliberal]

37. I agree it should not have been allowed to expire but...

I do believe what will come out of this is a more permanent fix than continuing to have to deal with this over and over. I guarantee you it is the wish of Reid to get something permanent done. He represents a state that is #2 in unemployment. This will provide the opportunity to get it fixed once and for all.

[DevonRex]

20. That's silly. These benefits make them all look GOOD. That's why even Collins

is trying to make Bunning stop his nonsense. He's making the republicans look terrible and that's bad for reelection.

I'd say the Dems actually want to extend the benefits. The republicans know they HAVE to extend the benefits so they can get reelected, even if they don't actually want to do it.

[cliffordu]

25. And this makes sense.....Why, again??

[DevonRex]

27. It makes sense if you're trying to get people to hate the Dems

as much as the pukes on Democratic Underground.

[tallahasseedem]

28. Fail.

Epic fail at that.

[babylonsister]

30. Is that so... Dems’ Latest Unemployment Extension Unveiled

Dems’ Latest Unemployment Extension Unveiled

http://washingtonindependent.com/77965/dems-latest-unemployment-extension-unveiled


Dems’ Latest Unemployment Extension Unveiled
By Mike Lillis 3/1/10 5:16 PM


From the offices of Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Harry Reid (D-Nev.) comes this description of the latest unemployment benefits extension being put forth by the Democrats:

Unemployment Insurance Extension. Certain unemployment insurance benefits expired on February 28, 2010. Prior to expiration, an unemployed worker could receive up to 26 weeks of unemployment benefits provided by the state in which they were employed. After the state-provided benefits were exhausted, the worker could qualify for 34 more weeks of benefits provided by the federal government. If that person was unemployed in a state with an unemployment rate above 6 percent, they qualified for an additional 13 weeks of benefits also provided by the federal government. Unemployed workers in states with an unemployment level over 8.5 percent qualified for an additional six weeks of benefits also provided by the federal government. In addition, the federal government paid 100 percent of the cost of state Extended Benefits programs which provided up to 13 additional weeks of benefits for unemployed workers who had exhausted regular state benefits or Emergency Unemployment Compensation. Last year’s economic recovery bill increased weekly unemployment benefits by an additional $25 per week.

This proposal extends these provisions, including increased unemployment benefits, retroactively to March 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010. This proposal is estimated to cost $70 billion over ten years.


Democrats are hoping to vote this week on the measure, which is part of a much larger package of tax break extension, transportation funding and aid to states.