GOP’s “sense of disdain”: Senator behind unemployment benefits bill sounds off

[DonViejo]

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., whose bill gets a vote today, slams those like Rand Paul who call benefits "a disservice"

JOSH EIDELSON


Days after 1.3 million Americans lost their unemployment benefits, the U.S. Senate is set to vote this morning on moving forward with a three-month extension bill. Cloture on the bill, which would need five Republicans to make it across a 60-vote filibuster-proof threshold, last night had public backing from only three.

Citing the claim (made by Tea Party favorite Rand Paul) that benefits are a “disservice” to the unemployed, Sen. Jack Reed told Salon Monday afternoon that some of his colleagues bear “disdain” toward the unemployed, are holding unemployment benefits to a “double standard,” and shield their opposition with an “excuse.” Reed, the bill’s lead sponsor, emphasized his willingness to “work on offsets” once a three-month extension is secured; declined to criticize the exclusion of unemployment benefits extension from last month’s budget deal; and considered what he and his peers would do if unemployed themselves: “Frankly I don’t think many of us, if we were looking for a job, would say, ‘OK I’ll just go ahead and be a counter person at a fast food place.’” A condensed version of our conversation follows.

If the Senate defeats this proposed extension, what happens next?

We will bring it up again and try to build more pressure. Because this is a critical issue. It’s critical for not just the 1.3 million who lost their benefits a few days ago, but there’ll be another approximately 3 million Americans through the course of the year [who] will lose their benefits as their 23 weeks expire and there’s no extended federal benefits. And this will cost the economy 200,000 jobs going forward — that’s what CBO says — if we don’t do it.

So for both the individual issues — people who worked hard and lost their job through no fault of their own, and they’re competing, in most places, where there’s three people for every one job, it’s not fair — and for the economy, it doesn’t make sense. We want to be growing the economy. So we’ll keep trying.

more
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/07/gops_sense_of_disdain_senator_behind_unemployment_benefits_bill_sounds_off/

[Tom Rinaldo]

1. "OK I’ll just go ahead and be a counter person at a fast food place.’”

“Frankly I don’t think many of us, if we were looking for a job, would say, ‘OK I’ll just go ahead and be a counter person at a fast food place.’”

I love that Reed went there. Well off people tend to have zero understanding of what it is like to bust your ass at a shitty job, eat pasta and beans all week long, and still not be able to heat your home.

[justhanginon]

2. The best thing that could happen for the good of working people

in this country is for all these Senators and Representatives to work behind the counter of a fast food place with nothing more than that pay to sustain them. Lets say for three months so they could really get the flavor of what it's like to actually have to work for a living and then not have enough money to live on. We could call it an apprenticeship for living in the real world.