Unemployment Bill Dealt Senate Defeat

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans and a dozen Democratic defectors in the Senate dealt a defeat to President Barack Obama Wednesday, just days after he pressed Congress to renew pieces of last year's economic stimulus bill.

A catchall measure combining jobless aid for the long-term unemployed, aid to cash-strapped state governments and the renewal of dozens of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals failed to muster even a majority in a test vote, much less the 60 votes that would be required to defeat a GOP filibuster.

Now, Obama's Democratic allies have been forced back to the drawing board in their efforts to pass the measure, which also would protect doctors from a looming cut in Medicare payments and raise taxes on investment fund managers. A new, scaled back version of the measure is likely to be revealed Wednesday afternoon.

Just on Saturday, Obama made a plea for the measure, including $24 billion in aid to cash-strapped state governments to help avoid tens of thousands of layoffs and ensure the economy doesn't slip back into a recession.

To try to revive the bill, top Democrats are expected to roll back last year's $25 a week increase in unemployment checks and give doctors just a short reprieve from scheduled cuts in their Medicare payments instead of relief until the end of next year. Democratic leaders promise to restore the $24 billion in state aid that was struck by Wednesday's vote.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_SPENDING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-06-16-11-56-28

[Deep13]

1. I guess they have no money for war or corporate subsidies either, then. nt

[murdoch]

28. They have $750 billion for our foreign empire

This month $750 billion went to the military. The US is building massive new bases in Colombia to dominate all of South and Central America. The US is continuing its base in Cuba, despite the government telling us we are there against their will for decades.

The government and the rich parasites who control it are making war on the world, and now war even on the American working people.

The answer to the blood they are shedding and the starvation they are imposing worldwide is not lame little attempts to push the Democratic party into a slightly more social democratic orientation (which will of course result in election losses and calls for that to be ended).

[mvd]

2. Unbelievable!

The American people care more about jobs than the stupid deficit. This would be a drop in the bucket to the deficit anyway. Plus, states are hurting badly! The people who voted against it are out of touch.

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. States? We care about states?

I thought our top priority was "nation building", not "state building". We need to take care of the Middle-eastern unemployed, infrastructure and governments - not our own, right?

:eyes:

[lib2DaBone]

12. We need to re-build the tribal leaders buildings in Afghanistan....

.. and another $9 Billion for the Afghan police force.

(They apparently took the last batch of guns and uniforms we gave them and sold them and kept the money). Probably bought goats or something.

[Grinchie]

37. Hey!, At least Goats producing something worthwhile!

I'll take a few goats over an Ar-16 any day.

[Donnachaidh]

3. how many of those pigf*ckers are up for re-election in November?

Unbelievable! :wow:

[karynnj]

20. Of the Democrats, only Feingold (who I absolutely would not characterize as you did.)

Burr, DeMint, Grassley, McCain, Murkowsk

(I may have missed some - I just scanned the list to find Senators who are running this year)

[Donnachaidh]

24. Feingold voted AGAINST unemployment benefit extensions?

WTF -- WHY?

[karynnj]

25. Here's the list -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4429335&mesg_id=4429355

[katandmoon]

4. People on unemployment can't afford campaign contributions.

[Ignis]

36. Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

[karynnj]

5. Here are the nos - including Menendez?????? and Feingold?????

NAYs ---52
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brown (R-MA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Webb (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)

[aquart]

9. WHY?

[mvd]

10. Maybe it doesn't go far enough for Feingold?

If so, I disagree with him in this case. The unemployed and states need help now.

You'd think Menendez, from a state with a wingnut governor, would welcome the aid!

[karynnj]

11. Actually Feingold is a defict hawk

He voted against both the omnibus budget and the supplemental last year - both the cloture votes and the actual votes.

I can't imagine why Menendez is against it - and will be looking for a statement. Unemployment is a national problem and NJ is not exempt.

[mvd]

16. This isn't "wasteful spending," though

which is what Feingold's deficit reduction strategy is about.

[karynnj]

18. Neither were many of the other things he voted against

I think the problem for him was that it was not "paid for" - thus the vote to waive pay/go. This is just speculation on my part, but it does follow the pattern.

[mvd]

19. Either way, I just don't understand why Feingold can't support this

I know he's better on civil liberties, but you'd thing emergency spending would be an exception.

[karynnj]

21. Can't disagree with you

[mvd]

26. Let's hope we try again

Even a compromise bill would be better than nothing. I'm glad we had this discussion, because I didn't know about some of those Feingold votes. Reminds me of his philosophy of letting Presidents choose who they appoint. Still, he wouldn't allow just anyone to be nominated, so emergency spending should be an exception.

Take care, karynnj. :hi:

[closeupready]

17. McCaskill, too? Very disappointing.

:mad:

[peacefreak]

7. Want to put a face on it?

I'm one of the ones who lost benefits. I spent yesterday in the ER with chest pains & stroke level blood pressure. Why? Because I have no idea how I am going to pay July's rent let alone buy food or pay my bills. That is my reality of the Senate's "fiscal responsibility" Needless to say I have no health insurance either.

[alstephenson]

13. I'm so sorry you're going through this.

I hope better days are ahead for you.

[peacefreak]

15. thank you.

After trying to keep hope for so long, it feels like our elected officials don't give a shit about the people who put them there. It truly is about the corporation. Bank bailouts--how much do you want? Fight never ending wars--here's a blank check. Lose your job? Pee test please & oh, sorry no money.

[prolesunited]

29. I've lost mine as well.

Along with my health insurance. I really thought they would fund the unemployment extensions. I hope you can at least get on BP meds and/or anti-anxiety pills. They have generics on both and you can get them for $4. I guess I should be freaking out more, but I've become paralyzed by the slow-motion wreck my life has become.

[True_Blue]

38. UI benefits keep people from starving or becoming homeless

Maybe they should create jobs first before cutting any safety nets! We didn't choose this economic situation, it was forced upon by greedy Repubs and corporations. It's not like 12 million jobs are suddenly going to appear if they cut off our UI benefits.

[mbperrin]

8. Democrats are expected to roll back last year's $25 a week increase in unemployment checks.

That says it all, doesn't it?

Wonder how many more trillions we're going to guarantee for casino operators banks too big to fail in the coming year?

[True_Blue]

39. Or how much we'll spend cleaning up BP's mess in the Gulf?

[mbperrin]

41. Yep, that too.

blah

[lib2DaBone]

14. June 1931 Fiscal Deficit Hawks worried about re-election...

.. convinced President Hoover to cut domestic spending , especially Social Programs.

Within a month the fragile economy (which had been hanging on by a thread) tipped over into the worst economic depression in the history of the world.

[totodeinhere]

22. This is very disappointing. This trend even among some Democrats to try to solve the nation's

problems on the backs of the poor is deplorable. President Obama needs to kick some ass, to use his words. We are talking about survival here. Many people will be at the end of their rope if they cannot get these modest benefits. Hell, it's hard enough to get by on a small unemployment check. Now they want to even deny them that.

[closeupready]

35. Obama is not going to kick anyone's ass.

n/t

[florida08]

23. am so sick of this crap

money for corporate bailouts but not for people. Watch this on CSPAN earlier. I heard the conservadems names. It's issues like this why real democrats won't show up for the votes in November.

[xchrom]

27. recommend

[harkadog]

30. This is a direct result of the hundreds of billions we are throwing down

the twin rat holes of Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope the DU crowd who always are saying "we can't just leave immediately it would be too irresponsible" is happy about what they are getting.

[Joanne98]

31. Unemployment bill dealt Senate defeat

Source: AP

WASHINGTON — Republicans and a dozen Democratic defectors in the Senate dealt a defeat to President Barack Obama Wednesday, just days after he pressed Congress to renew pieces of last year's economic stimulus bill.

A catchall measure combining jobless aid for the long-term unemployed, aid to cash-strapped state governments and the renewal of dozens of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals failed to muster even a majority in a test vote, much less the 60 votes that would be required to defeat a GOP filibuster.

Now, Obama's Democratic allies have been forced back to the drawing board in their efforts to pass the measure, which also would protect doctors from a looming cut in Medicare payments and raise taxes on investment fund managers. A new, scaled back version of the measure is likely to be revealed Wednesday afternoon.

Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said after the vote that "Plan B" is to do some "shuffling, rearranging of some of the provisions" of the bill but not making wholesale changes.

Just on Saturday, Obama made a plea for the measure, including $24 billion in aid to cash-strapped state governments to help avoid tens of thousands of layoffs and ensure the economy doesn't slip back into a recession.

To try to revive the bill, top Democrats are expected to roll back last year's $25 a week increase in unemployment checks and give doctors just a short reprieve from scheduled cuts in their Medicare payments instead of relief until the end of next year. Democratic leaders promise to restore the $24 billion in state aid that was struck by Wednesday's vote.

Wednesday's defeat of the measure was unexpectedly lopsided as Democratic moderates — who almost uniformly voted for an earlier version just three months ago — joined with every Republican against the pending version on a 45-52 tally.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBPaHA8wyvhZsKWPW8Uxp30QpfqgD9GCGJ8G1

[True_Blue]

32. That's really going to hurt

Cutting that extra $25 per wk is really going to hurt the unemployed in AZ with the high summer utility bills. I can guarantee you that no one in AZ can live on $240 per wk ESPECIALLY in the summer with the high utility bills.

[prolesunited]

33. Well, they can just die

One way to fix the problem.

At what point are they going to realize people are facing insurmountable odds.

[indepat]

34. Unbefuckingly unbelievable, insanely and criminally corporatist for

lagniappe. :P

[FarLeftRage]

40. God damn these motherfuckers to hell!

The times are a coming and changes will be made...

[unkachuck]

42. K&R....n/t