Unemployment bill dealt Senate defeat - AP

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

Waiting for the usual excuses from the "moderates" here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100616/ap_on_bi_ge/us_congress_spending

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.

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.

[Selatius]

1. With Democrats like this, it was all but guaranteed things like the Public Option would be destroyed

They simply had to jump across the aisle and vote with the Republicans.

[Missy Vixen]

3. The Democrats had no intention of any public option whatsoever

Oops. Did I say that?

Take a look at the lobbying and campaign contributions by members of the health care insurance industry. There's no way any member of Congress was turning their backs on that amount of money!

:woohoo:

In the meantime, I can hardly wait to see the names associated with this vote. The unemployed should know their names, too.

[Selatius]

7. A whole shit ton of us ordinary folks were being misled then.

Because Obama et al. kept repeatedly saying in speeches that they saw the Public Option as being the best vehicle to keep costs down by stoking competition. I knew they would fuck over the Public Option when it came time to move through the Senate; I knew it, but still, I was upset when they did strip it from the bill, as if I really got blind-sided by the move.

[Missy Vixen]

13. I was in the shit-ton, too

I was stupid enough to believe they'd keep their promises.

I guess I just didn't get my pony.

:mad:

[Lorien]

10. Many did fight for the Public Option, and fought hard

but the Blue dogs (GOP "Dems") and the White House wouldn't stand with those who fought for the people over corporate profits.

[dorkulon]

14. It's called point-shaving.

If we had 80 Senators, 21 of them would have voted against the PO.

[ProSense]

2. The good old deficit hawks strike again

Reid held instead a budget point of order vote this morning to try to go forward by waiving paygo. That vote lost 45-52, with Bayh, Begich, Feingold, Kohl, Landrieu, Lieberman, McCaskill, Menendez, both Nelsons, Pryor, and Webb voting with Republicans.

link

[lurky]

15. Why is Feingold on this list?

And some of these folks represent states with double-digit unemployment. Seems like this could bite back for Democrats looking for labor support.

[murdoch]

20. What deficit hawks?

The Senate just passed a $750 billion military bill this month.

There is money for massive new bases in Colombia, money for the Israelis so they can massacre people bringing food, medicine and cement to sieged Gaza, money so the US can keep a base in Cuba which the Cuban government has been asking us to leave for decades as we're there against their wishes.

Yet for people who have paid taxes all their life and are now going on their six month and first day of unemployment - nothing. They're not happy with terrorizing and starving the rest of the world, they want to starve Americans too.

This government and the rich parasites who control it are the mortal enemy of the working people of the world.

"The crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood" -- John Brown

[Coyote_Bandit]

4. What is never mentioned in these stories

is that there are a fairly large number of folks who have been unemployed so long that they don't qualify for these benefit extensions. We want to forget these folks are out there - and now more are joining their ranks. These are the folks who really are having to fend for themselves - often with little assistance, encouragement or support.

[TriMera]

5. +1...

and a rec for the OP.

[SoCalDem]

19. We have a son who finally fell off the rolls.. He's looking for a restaurant job now

He was in a protected group of workers in Washington state, but his extended benefits ran out June 1. Luckily he's single and has two roommates & a very cheap place to rent..but his unemployment cost him his beloved Audi, and now he takes the bus..

He went from making 75K a year to waiting tables:(.. His industry (steel) is the first to lay off, and the last to re-call.. and he's one of only 3 at his plant who does what he did.. (crane operator).. he was the last hired, so there's one other to come back before he's recalled.. he;s accepted the fact that he may never go back :(

[JonLP24]

6. Ah

That's not good news. :( K&R

[OhioChick]

8. K&R n/t

[inna]

9. Deficit spending is only for important things. Such as wars, bankster bailouts, and

tax breaks for the rich. Everybody else can go pull themselves by bootstraps, or better yet, jump in the lake. :crazy:

[laughingliberal]

12. +1000 nt

[laughingliberal]

11. It feels more hopeless every day. The march of Democrats to the far right continues.

I was happy to see the President advocate for passing this bill. I hope he will call out the obstructionists for their screwing of the people.

[Arkana]

16. Son of a BITCH!

Who the fuck were the defectors????????

[amborin]

17. K&R

get ready for a revolution

[lib2DaBone]

18. Nancy Pelosi says no more help for the unemployed.. they need to get a job...

Pelosi's new office is House's costliest by far

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/15/BABD1DV3H5.DTL#ixzz0r2jgD7TG



House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has more than quadrupled the rent on her San Francisco district office, making the $18,736-a-month cost of her new South of Market space the highest in the House, according to a new report.


The rent - part of Pelosi's budget, which is funded by taxpayers - is nearly double the next-highest rent in the House: Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., pays $10,600 a month for his Manhattan office, while representatives from Sacramento, Boston and Los Angeles pay nearly that much, the report said.

[bvar22]

21. In all fairness, Pelosi is ...

Speaker of the House, and is not responsible for what The Senate does.

[hippywife]

22. Here's what I've been thinking for some time now.

The Blue Dogs have defected from the Democratic Party and effectively formed a third-party while in Congress.