When Dubya was president, unemployment benefits were extended 5 times, 'no strings attached.'

[flpoljunkie]

Media, do your job! Not only is this cruel, it will hurt the economy, as extending unemployment benefits is very stimulative to the economy. The 'bang for the buck' is $1.64 for every dollar of benefits.

When George W. Bush was president, noted Labor Secretary Thomas Perez on Jim Lehrer’s PBS show last week, unemployment benefits were extended five times, “no strings attached any of those times.” So as long as it was a Republican president under whom their constituents were out of work, they were happy to vote to extend the benefits. The last extension under Bush, in late 2008, passed 368-28 in the House of Representatives. Remember, this was with no “pay-fors,” in the argot. This vote took place a month before Election Day, which may have partly motivated 142 Republicans to vote for it with only the real hard-shellers going against it.

Now let’s move forward to 2010. We have a new president from a different party. The economy is struggling. The Republicans of course haven’t exactly been supportive of Barack Obama’s agenda, but on this one, they’re ready to agree. All but one. Jim Bunning, then a GOP senator from Kentucky, insisted that he wasn’t against extending such benefits, but he was against increasing the deficit by a few billion bucks.

But even then, the Senate GOP leadership wasn’t with Bunning. I remember that time well. Bunning had a few defenders among his colleagues, but basically, his position was seen as extreme by Democrats and even many or possibly most Republicans. Bunning finally got the message after a couple of weeks of antics—which included him whining that his noble filibuster against helping the nation’s jobless was preventing him from watching an important Kentucky Wildcats basketball game—and relented.

But what was considered extreme and nutty then is standard operating procedure today. A key development here was Rand Paul saying a couple of weeks ago that benefits beyond 26 weeks just make people lazy. That unleashed the right-wing id. In addition to that, of course, there’s the standing GOP House opposition to anything with Obama’s name on it. And this is how radical becomes normal.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/13/the-fight-over-unemployment-benefits-underscores-the-right-s-extremism.html

[Blue Owl]

1. K&R

[Cha]

2. That's all these a$$holes in congress have now are strings.. attached.

[progressoid]

3. Rec!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Don't forget

the debt ceiling was extended multiple times- with no strings attached as well- but of course, now that we have a Democrat in office, suddenly we need to cut everything down to the bone to get a debt limit increase!

[flpoljunkie]

16. Great point! Too bad the media ignores these facts!

[blkmusclmachine]

5. ,

,

[riqster]

6. K & R

[lunasun]

7. dubya had better social benefit net too at this point with all the cuts since back then

but MSM would never say that
they are not propping for the people
the dem party should more

[Impedimentus]

8. So Republicans are hypocrites ...

what else is new? Do any of you really believe that pointing out one of the hundreds of examples of Republican hypocrisy will change them, or that the lemmings who are addicted to Faux New and Hate Radio 24/7 will believe a word of truth and vote differently?

The extreme right is as strongly addicted to Rush, Faux and Hate radio are drug addicts are to drugs, maybe more so.

[Wolf Frankula]

9. Because It Was a Rethuglican Preznit who Asked

If Bush had asked them to ban guns, cut off all aid to Israel or declare Pastafarianism the state religion they would have done it.


Wolf

[bigdarryl]

10. Bush was WHITE end of discussion h

[Ccarmona]

12. Exactly

The right has convicted Obama over and over again for being the President while being an African-American. It's disgusting and due to these racist red-necks this will be a Third World country in 10 years if not less.

[jenmito]

11. The Rs in congress would've voted for anything a R POTUS wanted them to vote for...

or even a white D president would get more of his/her agenda through than Obama.

[Stuart G]

13. k & r thanks for posting..... nt

[OnionPatch]

14. Of course.

They weren't trying to ruin the economy then.

[merrily]

15. Let's require payment for the billions the Fed has been pumping into banks monthly.

There's money for everything except human beings in need.