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February 26, 2010

The Republican Rx For Working America: "Tough Luck*"

Our own Senator Jeff Merkley (at the HuffPo – now, ask yourself, would El Gordo have done as spiffily?) relates how it is in the Senate, up against dimwitted Republican Senators who are resentful of the poor, and in this case, we mean Kentucky's Jim Bunning:

Unfortunately in today's Senate, it only takes one objection to stall progress, and last night the Republican Senator from Kentucky blocked a bill to help working Americans, our seniors and our small businesses.

In attempting to justify his actions, Senator Bunning made the case that any program needs to be fully paid for. This explanation falls short in two ways: first, he was given the opportunity to put such an amendment before the Senate and declined to have a vote on his amendment. Second, when he repeatedly voted for the Bush tax cuts that benefitted the richest Americans, he never argued for any such similar hurdle.

This really symbolized the difference whether you're in the senate to fight for gains for the most powerful and wealthy among us or to fight to make America work for working families.
And, that point was driven home even further while I was in the middle of speaking to the challenges faced by our working families and our seniors, when the Senator from Kentucky exclaimed, "tough luck*".

I can't say I can read Senator Merkley's mind, but after working with ORGOPpers on the Legislative level, I'm willing to bet he wasn't too surprised by it. Still, it's dismaying.

That's the Republican party of today: so wistful for the days when they were the ones in charge, so hungry to return to power, they'll happily throw you (and by you, I mean us) in front of the train if it'll get them back into power (even, in some cases, while some of you apparently vote them in under the influence of free will).

Having trouble getting by because a Republican US Senator is playing petty, resentful power games with Democrats?

Well … tough luck*.

Just what you shouldn't be, by this example of Republican conduct, is surprised.

* The actual word used was considerably more salty, so to speak.

Posted by The Chinuk at February 26, 2010 07:57 PM