Deficit Eclipses Jobs In Congress: 'Nickel-And-Diming The Most Fragile People'

Late on Thursday evening, Democrats were arguing on the House floor over the size of a jobs bill that was two days overdue for a vote when word started to filter through the chamber that the Senate had adjourned and was leaving for the Memorial Day break. With no Senate, there could be no bill.

"People were astounded. I mean stunned," said freshman Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). "We're in the midst of this debate and trying to find a path to doing the right thing and they went out on recess? Without addressing these issues? Some of which have deadlines? I mean, there are going to be unemployed Americans who will not have their unemployment extended."

On June 1, several programs, including extended unemployment benefits, will expire. By the end of the week, 19,400 people will prematurely stop receiving checks, according to data from the Department of Labor. How long will it take the Senate to finish the bill? With Republicans promising to stand in the way, leadership will need to file at least one time-consuming "cloture" motion to break the filibuster and to set up a vote by the end of the week in the best-case scenario. By the end of the following week, the number of premature unemployment exhaustions will climb to 323,400. The week after that, 903,000. By the end of the month, 1.2 million. <snip>

<snip> But this is the first time the Democratic Party can't even half-plausibly blame the Republicans for the lapse. "This isn't being done because of Republicans, believe me. This is done because there's a group of us, we don't have a majority, but they listen," said Rep. Dutch Ruppersburger (D-Md.), who fought to shrink the size of the bill. "I think it's really symbolic. We have a very diverse party and the party has come together... This is a real victory for the moderates and the Blue Dogs and the freshmen, that our party leadership is working with us to let this happen."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/28/deficit-eclipses-jobs-in_n_593914.html

Frightening to think these are the people who will be voting on the Cat Food Commission's recommendations.

These are not Democratic values. I have been a reliable Dem voter all my life, but I have to say that I am getting really fed up. The Democratic Party doesn't seem to represent me anymore.

Some of the Blue Dogs were practically gloating over their ability to stop this.

Just too many signs that the Democratic party is determined to destroy itself from within.

There's such a huge deficit of political savvy (or even a cynical sense of self-preservation, even that would be SOMETHING!) let alone commitment to liberal values... I just can't even wrap my head around it anymore.

is what corporatist governments do. :P