Crossposted from Hillbilly Report.
When Jim Bunning blocked unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs due to the economy he helped crashed I would have to say that most Republicans were pretty torn. I mean, Kentucky's Repubican Senate candidates were all for it, and stated so publicly but in the Republican leadership there seems to be a little angst. See, Republicans simply cannot afford to let the American people hear how they really feel, but deep inside they are all Jim Bunning.
So Jon Kyl is moving to distance himself as quickly as possible from the crazy uncle of Kentucky politics and make America believe it is just one looney-tune retiring Senator from Kentucky that is so blatantly hypocritical and heartless:
Congress will pass legislation aimed at keeping certain jobless benefits, highway and transit money and other government programs funded, Sen. Jon Kyl, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, said Sunday.
But the approval is highly unlikely to come before Monday morning. Several programs expire at midnight, and Congress has failed to extend them because of an objection by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky. Bunning wants the $10 billion price offset by budget reductions.
Kyl, though, told "Fox News Sunday," flatly, "it will pass."
http://www.kentucky.com/...
But of course, Kyl is just stabbing Bunning in the back to try and save face for his own sorry hide. Actually he, like Bunning would like nothing more than to leave the workers displaced because of the economy their rubber-stamping of failed policies and doling out of Corporate Welfare eventually crashed:
The Arizona senator also sympathized with Bunning. Recently, Congress adopted "pay as you go" rules mandating in many cases, new programs must be paid for. So why, Bunning asked, if these extensions are so popular, can't Congress find the money to fund them?
"Congress just passed the so-called pay-go legislation, which is supposed to require we find offsets or other savings if we're going to spend money," Kyl said. "And what's the first thing we do? We exempt this bill from it."
But he said it will pass, since it only extends the programs about a month. The Senate plans to begin work this week on a longer-term extension, which is expected to be controversial, or as Kyl put it, "a different issue."
Exactly where were these "pay as you go" rules when Kyl rubber-stamped a costly failed "War on Terror"?? Where where they when the Bush tax cuts only benefitting the very rich were enacted. Where were they when these men gave billions in Corporate tax cuts and welfare?? Only now when unemployed people who lost their livelihoods over the irresponsible greed of folks like Bunning and Kyl do they want to "pay as they go".
The consequnces of Bunning's action and Kyl and the Republican leadership's actions are going to be swift and felt by many in Michigan alone:
"Because of one senator's irresponsible actions, over 61,000 Michigan workers will begin losing their unemployment benefits on Monday," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. "These workers and their families cannot afford to wait for help."
Most people already getting extra jobless benefits are unlikely to be affected. Those who will feel the impact could include people who've exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefits and qualify for more aid under federal guidelines.
Anyone laid off after March 1 no longer would be able to get federal help to pay health insurance premiums; the program now pays 65 percent of the cost for certain workers.
As if the people of Michigan needed anything else to hate Bunning for.
Now, I hope America will listen because the Republican Party will try it's best to distance itself from Bunning on this issue. However, the real story is between the lines and as Kyl himself has stated he agrees with Bunning and plans to fight for any more extensions of unemployment to those workers whose jobs were cost by the greed of the Bush/Republican Congress years.
I think we should vote not to extend the salary to Kyl, Bunning or any Republican in the Senate until unemployment benefits are extended.