This diary won't live more than a few microseconds I realize, but on Thursday night, because U.S. Senator Bunning held fast, and Democrats decided to give up and go home, this coming Sunday, unemployment benefits will run out for 1.2 million Americans.
Bunning said that he would not allow unemployment benefits to be extended because: they added to the deficit. What truly amazed me, but in a way it was telling, was that none of the major news services picked up the story. On the blogs, well, this one carried nothing of what had happened, which is one reason I'm writing this micro-diary. Today's New York Times web site (not the paper) had a story about this.
But here's my question to this blog, Daily Kos: is everyone here so happy with their circumstances that the small matter of 1.2 million Americans losing unemployment benefits starting TOMORROW, just not a big deal at all?
And another question: Democrats, upon having Senator Durban at first trying to argue the point with Bunning, but then giving up, with Senator Reid then essentially saying 'let's go home,' indicate how weak Democrats are, if they can't even push an unemployment benefits extension forward for Obama's signature, and decide that rather than fight, they'd just go home?
The implications are: on Sunday, states will close out benefit accounts for 1.2 million Americans. If the Senate later in the week, or the following week, approves an extension, it will not be retro-active, and thus those living week to week will have lost a week, or two or three or maybe more, unemployment checks, and this will push people even further toward the edge, if not over it. The story on the Times' web site said that senators 'delighted' in drawing Bunning out into the sunlight, to show what the GOP is doing to obstruct. But, I say: this delight is wrongfully placed, since Bunning effectively saw to it that next week, starting Sunday, will be a horror for those unemployed Americans who depend on those benefits to buy food, pay rent, keep their houses or apartments, etc. Why are Democrats in the Senate 'delighting' while Americans suffer?
Disclaimer: I'm employed, am a Democrat. But I'm tired of Democrats falling down on the job, no matter how tough it is. For ordinary Americans, it's tougher.