Sen. Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, continues to make news after a confrontation with television news reporters wanting to question him about his one-man crusade to stop federal funding for folks who have lost their jobs in the recession. See video.A week ago, I had never heard of this man. Now he's the face of everything that is wrong with politics in this country. He's stopping transit projects and hurting unemployed people. He's more concerned about basketball games than answering questions.
If you're still not convinced this dude is off his rocker, here are a few paragraphs from a recent huffingtonpost.com story about this ongoing fiasco:
... when Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) begged him to drop his objection, Bunning replied (according to Politico): "Tough shit."
Bunning says he doesn't oppose extending benefits -- he just doesn't want the money that's required added to the deficit. He proposes paying for the 30-day extension with stimulus funds. The Senate's GOP leadership did not support him in his objections.
And at one point during the debate, which dragged on till nearly midnight, Bunning complained of missing a basketball game.
"I have missed the Kentucky-South Carolina game that started at 9:00," he said,
"and it's the only redeeming chance we had to beat South Carolina since they're the only team that has beat Kentucky this year.
So far, neither party has been able to talk sense into Bunning. He is eroding whatever momentum the Republicans recently gained and infuriating Democrats. He is showing a level of coldness that has some questioning his mental health. This is not the time or issue to try to score political points on. Plus, who is he scoring points with? It appears most Republicans aren't backing him. I emphasize the word appears. More about that later.
Where was Mr. Bunning's principled objections during the previous administration's spending sprees? This isn't about the deficit reduction or fiscal conservatism. This is just a mean, old politician who has announced his intentions to retire, and is going out in the ugliest way possible -- his chance to earn 15 minutes of fame and a pat on the back from some country club buddies back in the bluegrass state who think all unemployed people are scum.
Some, however, believe the GOP is using Bunning, knowing he's leaving office soon, to create greater conflict with the Democrats without appearing like they are against ordinary middle class folks who are down on their luck. If this conspiracy theory is true, the Republicans will have shown a level of stupidity that you have to go back to Watergate to rival. If I were advising Republicans, I would tell them to speak out against Mr. Bunning loudly and often. Distance themselves from this lunatic. I don't buy the conspiracy theory yet, but if there is even a hint of it that is true, it needs to be extinguished now.
As this insane game of political grandstanding continues, millions of Americans are about to take another hit that they weren't prepared for because of the ugly behavior from one mad senator. Unemployment payments could dry up prematurely, adding insult to injury, causing thousands more foreclosures, which bring down the value of other homes. Also note that some of the money Bunning is holding up was targeted for small businesses and much-needed projects.
I have read some of the blogs about this. Most of the commentators are as appalled by Bunning as I am. But every now and then, a hater makes a hit-and-run remark about unemployed people not trying hard enough to find work. For anyone in that camp, I hope you never lose your job. And if you do, I hope it's in a field that hasn't been decimated by the recession. If you think 26 weeks (the normal unemployment payment period) is enough time for most people to find work in this economy, you simply aren't paying attention or are as heartless as Sen. Bunning. If you think 26 weeks is enough time for folks in their 50s or 60s to reinvent themselves after certain professions have gone extinct, think again. I am all for deficit reduction, but not on the backs of people who worked hard all their lives and have fallen victim to a force that was beyond their control.
Americans bailed out the banks. We can certainly help individual citizens weather this storm. It will do society no good to let millions of people lose their homes, live in shelters, eat at soup kitchens, take their kids out of schools, etc. Unemployment payments are usually a fraction of what people earned in their jobs, but they are often what keeps folks from falling off the cliff when those jobs are lost. If Mr. Bunning can't see that, then I question his patriotism as well as his intelligence. This is one senator who can't retire fast enough.
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