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Rep. Senator Single-Handedly Blocks Unemployment Benefits

post #1 of 26
2/27/10 at 9:01am
Thread Starter 
Jim Bunning, come on down!

Quote:
As Democratic senators asked again and again for unanimous consent for a vote on a 30-day extension Thursday night, Bunning refused to go along.

And when Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) begged him to drop his objection, Politico reports, Bunning replied: "Tough shit."

Bunning says he doesn't oppose extending benefits -- he just doesn't want the money that's required added to the deficit. He proposes paying for the 30-day extension with stimulus funds. The Senate's GOP leadership did not support him in his objections.

And at one point during the debate, which dragged on till nearly midnight, Bunning complained of missing a basketball game.

"I have missed the Kentucky-South Carolina game that started at 9:00," he said, "and it's the only redeeming chance we had to beat South Carolina since they're the only team that has beat Kentucky this year."
Well, I'm sure someone who's not getting that check they expected next week will feel really bad about you missing a fucking basketball game.
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post #2 of 26
2/27/10 at 9:38am
"Vote for me! I despise you!"
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post #3 of 26
2/27/10 at 10:06am
And yet they do.
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post #4 of 26
2/27/10 at 2:14pm
This is his last year. It's either going to be Ron Paul's kid or a former UK player that replaces him.
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post #5 of 26
2/27/10 at 2:37pm
Is this guy nuts or senile?
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post #6 of 26
2/27/10 at 2:46pm
No, he's just a prick that hates anyone poor. He's just on his way out and he's showing his contempt for most people.

Not to say that Grayson or Paul would be that much better. It's just that Bunning does have a history of being this much of an asshole.
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post #7 of 26
2/27/10 at 7:00pm
That's not all Bunning did while he was missing basketball.

WHAT A CUNT!
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post #8 of 26
2/27/10 at 7:06pm
Someone should shove a basketball up this fucker's ass.
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post #9 of 26
2/28/10 at 12:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
Is this guy nuts or senile?
Yes. The republican leadership has wanted him out for a long time.
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post #10 of 26
2/28/10 at 3:56am
Anderson's correct about Bunning (and he's definitely senile) but Congress really should have let him watch the UK-South Carolina game. Have you seen John Wall? You know how we could get a real Health Care Bill? DeMarcus Cousins that's how. Give him 5 minutes in a confined space with Congress and we'd all have our own personal medical team on 24 hour standby.
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post #11 of 26
2/28/10 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jvc View Post
The republican leadership has wanted him out for a long time.
And yet...


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post #12 of 26
3/2/10 at 11:34pm
Well, he caved.
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post #13 of 26
3/3/10 at 12:29am
Yep, he caved, oddly enough after it was widely pointed out today that he completely supported a similar bill in 2003, and that the unemployed people of Kentucky (at that time, at least) deserved the extension.
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post #14 of 26
3/3/10 at 7:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacob Singer View Post
Yep, he caved, oddly enough after it was widely pointed out today that he completely supported a similar bill in 2003, and that the unemployed people of Kentucky (at that time, at least) deserved the extension.
That differs from what these articles say... where are you getting your info? link please.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/...l?hpid=topnews

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/new...less_bill.html

Quote:
Bunning had held up the Senate's consideration of the package of 30-day extensions since Thursday, arguing that the measures were not paid for. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said they were, but Bunning stood firm until reaching accord on a deal Tuesday.

That agreement allowed a vote on the package and also gave Bunning a vote on his amendment forcing the $10 billion bill to be offset with the closing of a tax loophole that has benefited the paper industry. The amendment failed, with 43 senators voting for it.
That was apparently his reasoning, Democrats needed to find a way to pay for it instead of just running up more deficits. You know.. sorta like what PAYGO is all about.. looks like the vote failed? maybe? (to close the loophole) I don't know.. too tired to read the whole thing and I just don't care all that much.
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post #15 of 26
3/3/10 at 7:31am
Dems are just running up a deficit in order to win all those Reagan loving Republicans. What would Ronnie do? Run up the deficit!
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post #16 of 26
3/3/10 at 4:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaieke View Post
That was apparently his reasoning, Democrats needed to find a way to pay for it instead of just running up more deficits. You know.. sorta like what PAYGO is all about.. looks like the vote failed? maybe? (to close the loophole) I don't know.. too tired to read the whole thing and I just don't care all that much.
Funny that he didn't have that fiscal responsibility a few years ago...

From Bunning's Own Senatorial website.

Quote:
Bunning Touts Extended Benefits For Kentucky's Unemployed


Washington, DC
Friday, February 14, 2003


U.S. Senator Jim Bunning today announced that legislation to extend temporary unemployment benefits for an additional five months has passed the United States Congress. The legislation, which was unanimously approved yesterday by the Senate and by a vote of 416-4 today in the House, would also provide a temporary 13-week extension of unemployment benefits for all individuals who exhaust their traditional benefits before June 1, 2003. “The 108th Congress is off to a solid start,” said Bunning. “This is hopeful news for our most needy families in Kentucky. By approving this legislation we will help those folks who are currently without work continue to make ends meet until they can find new employment.”
The CBO estimated that that bill would have a $6.6 billion impact over the 2003-2007 period. So yeah, he didn't give a shit if it was paid for then, and he was just being an obstructionist now.
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post #17 of 26
3/3/10 at 7:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacob Singer View Post
Funny that he didn't have that fiscal responsibility a few years ago...

From Bunning's Own Senatorial website.



The CBO estimated that that bill would have a $6.6 billion impact over the 2003-2007 period. So yeah, he didn't give a shit if it was paid for then, and he was just being an obstructionist now.
So wait, the bill in 2003 that he voted for was going to be $6.6 Billion over 5 years, yet this is $10 billion for 30 days? and you don't see what the difference is? or am I missing somethin because I don't see the CBO link.

The projected deficit for FY 2010 (this year) is $1.55 TRILLION dollars... I say obstruct away. Hold congress to the task of fiscal responsbility, it has to start somewhere..
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post #18 of 26
3/3/10 at 7:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaieke View Post
Hold congress to the task of fiscal responsbility, it has to start somewhere..
Not on the backs of people missing out on unemployment checks.
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post #19 of 26
3/3/10 at 7:36pm
But if THEY were fiscally responsible THEY WOULDN'T EVEN NEED THOSE CHECKS. It's the Trickle-Down Personal Responsibility effect in all its glory, and if you didn't have on your dirty goddamn libtarded rose-colored glasses you'd see it plain as day!
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post #20 of 26
3/3/10 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaieke View Post
The projected deficit for FY 2010 (this year) is $1.55 TRILLION dollars... I say obstruct away. Hold congress to the task of fiscal responsbility, it has to start somewhere..
Sure. Let's have it start at the DOD ... the largest recipient of discretionary spending in the budget.
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post #21 of 26
3/3/10 at 9:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
Not on the backs of people missing out on unemployment checks.
Firstly, they're not missing out on it. This is an extension, they've already recieved full benefits and I'm not entirely clear which extention this is but I know there has been multiple extensions.

Secondly, see below.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Devildoubt View Post
Sure. Let's have it start at the DOD ... the largest recipient of discretionary spending in the budget.
I'm all for it. Show me a post where I haven't said cut military spending (with regard to trimming budget). I also said we should pull the funding for the contractors in Iraq which is where the bulk of our "war" spending is going. You can free up $10 billion real easy there. The problem you have is, you're not going to come up with 700 billion or 1.5 trillion in military cuts.. you gotta cut elsewhere too.
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post #22 of 26
3/3/10 at 10:05pm
Glad to see Bunning finally got religion on PAYGO - he voted against it in 2006, and again in January of this year. So, yeah, he's just another hypocritical, obstructionist asshole. Under the current rules, the benefit extension would have had to have been payed for, and Sen. Reid insists that it is.

Let's not forget that he also has holds on EVERY Obama nominee that the Senate is currently trying to confirm - there's nothing ideological here, he was just picked by the Republican leadership to take the bullet on this stuff because he's not running again.
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post #23 of 26
3/4/10 at 3:43pm
Deadspin has a good article up on Jim Bunning in an interview with Marvin Miller.

http://deadspin.com/5484027/marvin-m...-revolutionary

Funny how quickly things chance when you go from one side of an issue to the other.
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post #24 of 26
3/4/10 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaieke View Post
I'm all for it. Show me a post where I haven't said cut military spending (with regard to trimming budget). I also said we should pull the funding for the contractors in Iraq which is where the bulk of our "war" spending is going. You can free up $10 billion real easy there. The problem you have is, you're not going to come up with 700 billion or 1.5 trillion in military cuts.. you gotta cut elsewhere too.
The point is there are many areas in the budget that could use fiscal discipline. Cutting unemployment benefits just to be a cock is not a good place to start. I assumed you knew that.
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post #25 of 26
3/7/10 at 5:07pm
Thread Starter 
Tom Delay calls Bunning "brave" and says people are unemployed because they want to be.

Quote:
"You know," Delay said, "there is an argument to be made that these extensions, the unemployment benefits keeps people from going and finding jobs. In fact there are some studies that have been done that show people stay on unemployment compensation and they don't look for a job until two or three weeks before they know the benefits are going to run out."
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post #26 of 26
3/8/10 at 6:37pm
Not a surprise there. Delay is Lord Asshole.
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