The Whole Delivery

The Bill has passed finally with a 78-19. Mitch McConnell obviously still scared by his buddy buddy "Senate Elevator", voted against the bill. Why do Kentucky senators hate Kentucky (and everyone else downtrodden in the other 49 states?) But we know the answer to that. And adding more to the hilarious details is the fact that "Senator Elevator's BS Amendment" failed 53-43. I'll give you info on that real soon. Updated : On the failed Bunning Amendment, guess who joined the Republicans in voting for it? If you guessed Blanche lincoln, Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman, than you are right ! What a surprise. Updated 2 :And here are all the nutcases who hate the unemployed Alexander, Barasso, Bennett of Utah, Bunning, Burr, Coburn, Cornyn, Corker, DeMint, Ensign, Enzi, Gregg, Hatch, Johanns, Sessions, Thune, Risch, Crapo, And of course, last McConell, the minority leader, voted no to extend unemployed benefits. But hey, there will be no reports or ha...

Reporters are now allowed back on the Senate elevator ! Under increasing pressure from Democrats and members of his own party, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) Tuesday night abandoned his one-man filibuster of a one-month extension to unemployment benefits and other programs. In the end Bunning agreed to a deal allowing him one vote on an amendment to pay for the bill’s $10 billion cost. That proposal was offered by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) last Thursday at the start of his filibuster, but Bunning rejected it because he feared his amendment would not pass. And what about the nominations that he also pledge to block a few hours ago ? To ensure the deal is enforced, Bunning has placed a hold on all the items included in the nightly “wrap up,” which normally entails a unanimous consent agreement to pass noncontroversial nominations and bills, a GOP aide said. Once the votes have taken place that hold would be lifted, the aide explained...

What a hateful bastard : Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, is single-handedly blocking Senate action needed to prevent an estimated 1.2 million American workers from prematurely losing their unemployment benefits next month. 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. Oh, but it gets better 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 start...

As the "Jobs for Main Street Act" possibly gets a final vote tomorrow , lost in the discussion of the bill has been the absence of a needed extension for unemployment benefits. Now Harry Reid has already pledged an extension for COBRA (The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation ACT for those who wanted the know the technical meaning of COBRA like me). That piece of news seems like "problem solved, right?" Well, that's until you see that the Senate Majority Leader has pledged the extension for only 15 days . To say Reid's move is "beyond baffling" is being polite. And it's getting the deserved criticism that it merits: "Unemployment offices are really really going to have a huge problem," said Judy Conti, a lobbyist for the NELP. "They can't handle this two-weeks-at-a-time stuff. It keeps them in a constant state of flux. This is going to create more work for them when they can least afford it." Rich Hobbie...