Posted on 01/05/2014 3:50:43 PM PST by SeekAndFind
We’re expecting a vote in the Senate tomorrow on extending federal emergency longer-term unemployment benefits, though at the moment, Harry Reid still seems to be a few votes short of even getting the measure out of his own chamber.
The Senate is due to vote tomorrow to advance a bill sponsored by Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Republican Dean Heller of Nevada, though it’s unclear the legislation has the votes to pass. In addition to Heller, Reid would need four more Republican votes for the bill to get Senate approval.
“Never with unemployment like this have we even considered not extending them,” Reid, of Nevada, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. Benefits for the long-term unemployed expired on Dec. 28. The program was intended to help jobless people after they exhausted state benefits, typically lasting six months.
The President was still pushing for the extension in his weekly remarks, and Democrats such as Chuck Schumer have wasted no time in using this issue to bludgeon Republicans from the populist podium. Of course, even if the bill makes it out of the Senate, it still has to pass in the House, where it was previously unclear if it would even be brought up for a vote at all. But now, the Speaker is sounding like a deal just may be in the offing.
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) remains open to an extension of emergency unemployment benefits even in the face of growing conservative opposition to such a move.
The Ohio Republican maintains the position he expressed last month that Republicans would “clearly consider” an extension of federal help for the long-term unemployed “as long as it’s paid for and as long as there are other efforts that will help get our economy moving once again,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said Friday.
At the same time, a number of Republicans – including leaders on the House Ways and Means Committee – continue to question the need to extend the unemployment insurance (UI) benefits at all.
“Despite a dozen extensions, academic research suggests the program has actually hurt, rather than helped, the job creation that the unemployed need most,” Michelle Dimarob, spokesperson for Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), said Friday in a statement.
It’s impossible to get a clear read on the Speaker at this point. This could well be the usual media tactic of essentially saying, “well consider anything if the deal is beneficial.” That’s almost a requirement of the job these days, rather than throwing more red meat to his critics over being “an obstructionist” yet again. But it’s also possible that he’s seeing some sliver of daylight where the Democrats offer up some cuts to pay for this and he can get it off of his plate.
Unfortunately, this looks like it’s shaping up to be the next chapter in the “GOP Civil War” meme that the media loves to talk about. (Along with anything else that doesn’t involve Obamacare, obviously.) Plenty of conservatives are running up the black flag and ready to go to the mat on this, arguing against another extension of benefits. It’s also yet another case of Politics 101 where you can have the science – math, in this case – on your side and still wind up losing the larger battle. Coming into the mid-terms, the Democrats would love nothing more than to litter the airwaves with one advertisement after another listing the number of families who have lost their benefits with so few job opportunities out there, thanks to the heartless Republicans.
With things otherwise shaping up to be an election with excellent opportunities, Boehner would clearly like to make this problem go away for at least the next year. But if the Democrats won’t pony up the cuts needed to offset the cost of this extension, the stage is set for precisely the type of media narrative which serves them best.
From that perspective, it’s almost better for the liberals to offer Boehner nothing and let the chips fall where they may. That way they wind up being equally responsible for the benefits not being paid but they get the media to blame the GOP entirely. Suffering no damage themselves, they also shift the narrative away from Obamacare yet again and breath new life into their hopes to hang on to the Senate majority. So will they play it that way? We’ll know soon enough.
I don’t have a problem extending unemployment benefits.
It should have been in the original deal, and the fact that it was left out guaranteed that the original deal was going to cost us a lot more than face value.
I do have a problem that we continue to let in cheap imports from communist countries that are challenging us militarily. We don’t even charge them import tariffs equal to what are own domestic employers have to pay.
Why vote for Republicans? I won’t vote for Democrats. Why vote any more? And add to the mix John Roberts in the Court...is it over?
Payoff of Boehner not necessary. Barry’s NSA has probably dug up some goodies on Boehner which makes for great blackmail material. Probably photos of illegal activity from inside a tanning salon, and probably not a single female present. An older male OBSESSED about being tan? This is suspect even for young males, let alone older ones.
Here’s the first thing to do. There needs to be a top-to-bottom review of every rule, regulation, law and government agency. Every rule, regulation and law then requires government employees to administer and enforce them. This means that the government requires more tax money. In order to get more tax money the governments take money from businesses and individuals. This money that is taken reduces the money available for the private sector. Private sector employees PRODUCE tax money while government employees CONSUME tax money. Less money in the private sector means less money for research and development and makes our nation less competitive. I would like to see at least 50% of all government employees go to the private sector for better jobs than they have. The Democrats have a vested interest in increasing government employees. Government employees vote Democrat. The Education/Democrat Party/Government Employee Complex is bankrupting this nation.
Interesting how they keep telling the American people how great the job market is and then put on their doom and gloom hat to extend unemployment.
BOHICA vets, you're going to be the ones to pay for this one, too.
Well they have already hit the military so it can't be them, and there is no way Obama will allow aid to terrorists to be cut, NASA is already funding muslim outreach, we can't stop building mosques in foreign countries (that would be racist or sacrilegious, or something), not the Obama's vacation fund. I know lets slam the seniors again!
Ya know Boehner, you just don’t want to upset the Democrats, do you?
Which is why Paul Ryan was such a bonehead for ditching the sequestration that was working so well without any political cost. Idiot. And to think the douche was our VP nominee.
It will get extended. Everyone in D.C. knows what the real unemployment is (around 17.9%). The seasonal jobs are done as of next week. They know the unemployment numbers are going to have another 1.5 million jobless added on the low end to the current numbers.
Snap benefit increases will happen as well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the stock market go down as well come March or April with a big correction coming and then that little gift called Obamacare. Yep...they either hand over the cash now and prevent the riots and crime rates from sky rocketing and save their jobs and bad press a little bit longer or they will face hell on Earth come November from all directions.
GOP always take the lazy route out. Instead of trying to argue and educate American public about why something is bad policy
I’m OPEN to something for Boner, but the police tend to arrest you for that……………..
again, boner must lose his seat and speakership.
Kinko's.
Maybe each member of Congress should sponsor an unemployed person for us.
So, the GOP gets to back down again.
Let's send them all to California, too. Nice weather, lots of other perks. (Freepers who live in CA, sorry, you'll have to move to make room for them.)
With the NSA running completely out of control, I'm sure nobama has enough info on everybody in Congress (pubbies & RATS both) to blackmail them several times over if needed.
Next time you hear a pubbie make an outrageous statement or vote on something that smells bad, remember this post.
Unemployment like what? I thought it was improving? Oh - maybe he means those people who don't get counted anymore?
If Boner and McConnell had any balls - they would agree to the extension provided that those unemployed people who are no longer counted - get added to the next official unemployment rate.
But we know these eunuchs would never consider such a strategy.
Correct. You work with the Dems and they stab you right in the back!
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