The Unemployment Blues

By Jeff Simpson

Recently the Senate failed to pass unemployment insurance for our friends and neighbors who are out of work.  

Fifty-nine senators, including four Republicans, voted to advance the legislation, falling one vote short of the 60 needed to break a Republican filibuster effort.

Republicans and Democrats, many from the nation’s most economically depressed states, had been trying to reach a solution that would allow people who have exhausted their unemployment insurance to continue receiving benefits as long as the government offset the $6 billion cost.

Ultimately, how to pay for the program proved too big a hurdle for senators to overcome.

“We’ve given them everything they wanted. Paid for,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, flashing his irritation at Republicans who blocked the bill.

Republicans holding our recovery hostage......Who knew?  Will someone tell Russ Holton that his buddy Ron Johnson let him down. Again:

"Imagine that, a 44-year-old man crying while watching TV," he said. He had watched the vote on C-SPAN 2. A day later, his cable provider cut him off because he hadn't paid the bill.
Holton is one of the 1.7 million long-term unemployed people missing out on federal benefits because Congress stopped providing them in December. Six years ago, he was making $85,000 per year at his job in tech sales. Today, the seams of his life are fraying.
He applied for food stamps and broke his contract with Verizon to get a cheaper, pay-as-you-go phone. His electrical company nearly cut him off before a friend helped him make the minimum payment. His Internet remains connected, but that's the next to go. Filling up his gas tank would be impossible if not for the gift certificates he's gotten from friends. He's borrowed money from his parents to stay afloat, but he shudders at how dire his financial situation may eventually get.
"It is probably an inevitability that I will have to file for bankruptcy just to get out of it all," he said.

 Wisconsin's own Ron Johnson is THE vote that is keeping extending unemployment to 1.7 million Americans!

Notably, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson did not join other Republican senators such as Indiana's Dan Coats and Ohio's Rob Portman in voting to open up a debate about addressing an issue that shouldn't even be an issue.
Instead of listening to the calls from Wisconsinites of all political backgrounds for action on the jobless issue, Johnson was busy promoting a gimmicky lawsuit objecting to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
There are at least some Republicans who recognize what is at stake for working Americans — and for those who are out of work.

Heck even our very own Paul Ryan (R-Wall St.) joined in the act:

 "hammock that lulls able-bodied people to lives of dependency and complacency, that drains them of their will and their incentive to make the most of their lives." That's what Paul Ryan says, at least, and as the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, he's supposed to know these things, right?

Not that they care what you think, but I highly recommend contacting Paul Ryan and Ron Johnson and tell them to extend unemployment benefits immediately:

Janesville office - Paul Ryan
20 South Main Street, Suite 10
Janesville, WI 53545
Toll-Free: 1-888-909-RYAN (7926)
Phone: (608) 752-4050
Fax: (608) 752-4711
@reppaulryan

• Milwaukee Office - Ron Johnson
  517 East Wisconsin Avenue
  Suite 408
  Milwaukee, WI 53202
  Phone: (414) 276-7282
  Fax: (414) 276-7284 
  @Senronjohnson
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Luckily for the American People, we have Senator Elizabeth Warren on our side!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  

I Will Not Give You Healthcare Sam I Am...

By Jeff Simpson

 "This is like taking a history class from Abbott and Costello." - Charlie Pierce on Cruz's "filibuster".

Tonight, Ted Cruz is taking part in an historic fake filibuster.  It is as fake as the grassroots portion of "tea" party.  The Canadian Cowboy is so adamanat that you do not have healthcare, that he has labeled anyone who thinks that Obamacare should not be defunded(most of the nation) as "nazi appeasers".

This is the guy that the really far right wing of the republican party holds up as some sort of Canadian super hero:

 


Check out what minor league right wing talk show host Tony Katz had to say about Mr. Canada:

Tony Katz

We are witnessing our Republic in action. Thoughtful questions, honest answers, total transparency. No wonder @joanwalsh hates it. #DefundIt

I know your curious as to the wonder, that Northstar was giving the nation:

 Yes the hero to the right, is reading a story written by a true progressive about the idiocy of someone who is so stubborn all he can do is say no.

"Every time Ted Cruz talks about Christianity an angel coughs up blood."  John Fugelsang

 John Stewart couldn't pass up a shot at Cruz either:

At least John McCain likes him!  So does Peter King.

THIS is What Democracy Looks Like!

 

By Jeff Simpson

There have been a bunch of neanderthal anti women bills rushed through the Texas Legislature recently that would make Andre Jacque proud.  

Texas Democratic Senator Wendy Davis has had enough and is filibustering this ridiculous extremist Anti- abortion bill. 

Watch it here live! 

Call this amazing woman and voice your support - (512) 463-0110 

Tell Ms. Davis your story here! 

Tweet her your support #standwithwendy @wendydavistexas

And call your local rep and tell them that THIS is what a true representative looks like and that you would support this kind of courage coming from OUR own legislature!  

*this is the line to get into the Senate Gallery....winds around four floors.  Wendy Davis is NOT alone.  Its time to change our politicians all over the country!  

Sex Sells!

By Jeff Simpson


Alcohol added to the mix doesn't hurt either!  

The Senate republicans, including our own Ron Johnson, threatened to filibuster the gun bill and not even allow it to be debated!  The threat of filibuster, turned out to be an empty threat, as the gun bill passed the cloture motion and will now go before the full senate for debate. 

Illinois republican Senator Mark Kirk explained to us how the party of family values and defenders of the Christian Right were persuaded to not filibuster the bill and allow it to come to the floor. 

Sen. Mark Kirk says the real driving force behind the gun deal that was hatched by bipartisan work was booze and boat retreats.

“You guys really ought to go out to National Harbor and see the Black Tie, which has been much of the reason for much of the bipartisan cooperation around here,” he said, as quoted in Roll Call.

Frequent visitors to the luxury vessel: Democrat Sen. Kay Hagan and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Mr. Kirk said.

“Sometimes alcoholic beverages might be served and ties might … get loosened,” he said, in Roll Call.

Nothing like Bikinis and Booze to get the defenders of America to put their beliefs on hold!  

Here is a list of the Republicans who voted against the filibuster!

Senator Mitch McConnell (R - Dumb Ass)

H/T Raw Story:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced legislation to raise the debt ceiling on Thursday, apparently with the intent of showing that even Democrats would not support such a bill.

However, McConnell’s plan backfired after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called for a vote on the legislation, which would have given the president the authority to raise the federal debt ceiling on his own.

The top Senate Republican was forced to filibuster his own bill.

“What we have here is a case of Republicans here in the Senate once again not taking ‘yes’ for an answer,” Reid said, after McConnell announced his filibuster. “This morning the Republican leader asked consent to have a vote on this proposal, just now I told everyone we were willing to have that vote — up or down vote. Now the Republican leader objects to his own idea. So I guess we have a filibuster of his own bill, so I object.”

Apparently aware the incident would bring media attention, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) expressed astonishment at McConnell’s legislative antics.

“What just transpired deserves a word,” he remarked. “Sen. McConnell came to the floor this morning and offered a change in law that would help us avoid the kind of obstruction and the kind of show downs we’ve had in the past over the debt ceiling.”

Durbin explained “to those who don’t follow the Senate” that by calling for the legislation to be passed by a 60-vote majority, McConnell had filibustered the bill. He said this was probably the first time in history that a senator had filibuster his own proposal.

Reid and other Democrats have called for the Senate’s filibuster rules to be reformed, claiming that Republicans have abused the parliamentary procedure and obstructed lawmaking.