The Real War On Christmas
Via Think Progress:
Today, “thousands of Americans are set to begin losing unemployment benefits” after conservatives in Congress successfully prevented an extension from being passed. 8,400 Americans will lose their benefits by the end of this week, and the Labor Department estimates that “by the end of the third week of December, aid to 1.36 million Americans will be interrupted.”
This video will break your heart and make you count your blessings. These are the people Republicans call lazy.
Following the Senate’s failure to extend unemployment benefits, it is possible that Congress will reach some sort of agreement on an extension within the month. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) “told reporters Monday it could take several weeks for a compromise.” Some political observers believe that Republicans may only agree to extending benefits if Democrats agree to extending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
Hmmm… wonder what Jesus would have voted for?
Tags: Republicans, Unemployment Benefits
This is getting down to the last straw for me with President Obama. If he cant stand up to the repukes on this and the Bush tax cuts, i will no longer be a supporter.
There is a lot he doesn’t have power over. He cant force congressmen to vote a certain way. He cant override congress.
What he can do is call them out and stand up for the people they are hurting. There is no political downside to going on national TV and saying “the republicans are ruining Christmas for millions of Americans because they want to make me look bad”
Ive stuck with the president while many have jumped ship because i understand you cant have everything you want. I understand the republicans don’t care about America and only care about putting another fat white asshole back in the oval office.
The media is agendaless… non-fox anyway. They only care about ratings and headlines. Bad-news is better than good news and someone falling apart is more entertaining than someone doing well. and fox? well, they are the same as the republican party.
All that has led me to defend Obama against left wing attacks. There is exponentially more standing against him and his agenda than anyone could have predicted 2 years ago. This however is where we will see if they won. Is there any fight left in Obama? Will I have to become a cynic who removes himself from the process because it is a hopeless fight? Do i join all my “youth” friends who see nothing for me in participating and concentrate on doing the best i can and hope i die old and peacefully before the Right wing ends the world?
the choice is yours mr president.
Congress needs to do the people’s work and make a deal on the tax-cut extension and unemployment insurance! It is blatantly disgraceful for Congress to wait until the 11th hour on such important issues.
Even if a compromise is met, the IRS says it will be extroardinarily disruptive AND costly to implement the tax tables for employers and payroll experts come Jan 1, 2011.
In other words, no matter how Congress decides, millions of dollars in administrative costs will be wasted because of inaction of Congress. This is a non partisan decision. Whether one is a Rep, Dem, Conservative, liberal or Blue Dog, it does not matter. Do your job Congress!
Under Senate rules, the bill required unanimous consent.
WTF??
The Senate is beyond broken.
Anon – unless a bill has unanimous consent, it has to wait a number of days before coming up for debate. And then if it’s fillibustered, they have to take a cloture vote and if cloture is invoked, there is a 100-hour debate period. Yeah, the Senate is beyond broken.
Polemical, it is ALL republicans.
every single “man” who has held up a deal on tax-cuts or unemployment help is a member of the GOP.
the republicans stand for letting poor and sick people die, and rewarding the scum than profits off of the death and pain of others.
but why are we only hearing from republicans.
this country is too dumb to figure it out on our own. someone has to explain what is going on in terms Trig Palin can understand.
im sick of waiting for candidate Obama to start governing.
Merry F…ing Christmas! Democrats, grow some balls!
20 years ago the top 1% of the population controlled 7% of the wealth. Now they control 22%. Merry Christmas bitches!
Jason, I could live with them having all that money except they have clearly used it to buy our government, including our president. Sheesh.
Some of that 22% is your missing wage growth. And some of it is money you willingly hand over. Check your monthly budget and look how much money you give to corporations who are working against you.
Here’s a handy list of the top canned cat food:
http://cats.about.com/od/catfoo1/tp/tpcannedadult.htm
Friskies “Turkey and Giblets for Seniors” might be just the perfect meow for your holiday meal.
Abonone. Sittin here laughing our ass off! Too, Too funny.
a.price,
Pelosi still has a majority in this lame duck session. Why not put up unemployment for a vote? Of course the 37 of so Blue Dogs are against extending UI unless it’s paid for, just like the Reps.
It’s easy. Trade extending Bush-era tax cuts for ALL Americans temporarily for say, 2 years, for extending UI benefits extension for 3 – 6 months. How to pay for it? Take the $12.5 billion for UI from unspent STIMULUS money. Also, the Reps can throw in passage of the NEW START Treaty too.
Deal Done!
Now there is a legitimate policy question here, and one that I think must be answered — how long is the federal government responsible for providing support to American citizens? If two years is an insufficient length of time, then what period of time ought the federal government be supporting people? Three years? Four years? Indefinitely?
here is my read on the whole issue:
Mr Prez (yes I like and support you) However:
you have one foot in yesterday
one foot in tomorrow
and you are PISSING all over today
please – put your legs together and pee in front so we can move this country forward
PS – Sussex County DE wants to seceed from the Union – I vote we let them – everything west of RT 113 – cut off the farm subsidies and aid
packages and let them have at it!!
Sincerely
Dirty Girl
I agree with A.Price. Obama needs to Man Up. He still seems to be in shock over the election. He’d better snap out of it soon. The stakes are too high.
he was like this long before the election. What i once thought to be his greatest strength…. the ability to not engage in petty political attacks and the willingness to “rise above it all” has become a weakness.
It isnt that America wasnt ready for a Black president… we weren’t ready for a rational president.
Not enough people are interested in working together… especially not those whos job depends on everyone being at odds with each other (politicians, cable news) It’s very disheartening.
Obama can however become what he campaigned against. He needs to realize he isnt going to “change how things get done” We will never see that happen. The government has always been a rat-hole and always will be. Want proof? check out a session of British Parliament. There is at times even less civility than a TeaParty.
The only thing that matters is what Obama does and not how he does it. And if he hasn’t figured out by now that the media will only report whatever they think will get more viewers.. or try to undermine his presidency entirely, then he only deserves 1 term for being a clueless flake.
Ordinary joe, i’ll answer your heartless, “screw me neigbor” question with anoter question.
How long is the government responsible for protecting the citizenry from foreign military threats? until we can take care of ourselves? until conservatives are safe?
Do you realize that if we just cut off the support there still would be no jobs for these people?
How can you blame Obama fr there not being any jobs and at the same time blame the victims of the Bush administration for being lazy and not going out any getting a job?
I dont know about you, Joe…. but some conservatives take this “well they should be on their own” stance then have the gaul to cll themselves moral and even Christian.
People are in trouble. CEOS who gave lots of money to the GOP are getting richer and all the conservative movement wants to do (as usual) is let suffering people suffer.
*”screw MY neighbor”
Thanks, Ben, for clarifying your answer — “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
After all, it has worked so well wherever it has been implemented — and done so much for the prosperity of those nations and the rights of their citizens.