Folks Senator Jim Bunning, (Asshole, KY), really showed his fanny a few minutes ago to ABC news reporters Jonathan Karl and Z. Byron Wolf. ABC news has the story:
Senator Bunning was even more expressive before the cameras arrived, using a little sign language.
When Senate producer Z. Byron Wolf spotted Bunning exiting his office, Bunning said, “I’m not talking to anybody.” When Wolf asked him to stay and talk to our cameras, Bunning walked toward the elevator and shot the middle finger over his head.
Now for the embed of the asshole’s on camera tirade:
This is so rich because I emailed my Congressman’s office just minutes before inquiring on the status of the NFIP authorization and I received a very courteous reply from Brian Martin:
The House passed H.R. 4691, the Temporary Extension Act, by voice vote, on Thursday, Feb. 25.
This emergency legislation will extend a range of programs (including unemployment benefits, NFIP, the highway bill, COBRA, satellite TV, and small business loan guarantees) and blocks the cut in Medicare physician payments for one month.
The House has waited for the Senate to act on these items for several months. In December, they were temporarily extended from December 31, 2009 to February 28, 2010, and now will be extended for another month in hopes that the Senate will take action.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to a one-month extension of these programs so the Senate could consider a longer-term bill, but when Reid asked for unanimous consent to approve the temporary extension bill, Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky blocked the request. The latest I heard is that the Senate will keep trying for unanimous consent for the one-month bill, but will file for a cloture vote on the longer-term package. The cloture vote would be later this week (maybe Thursday) and the vote on the bill could happen by Friday. Then the House would have to pass the Senate bill sometime next week. Not sure how long the Senate bill would extend NFIP, but I suspect they will want to go to the end of this year so they don’t have to go through this again.
The programs being extended by H.R. 4691:
Unemployment Insurance: Extends unemployment benefits, including the increased payouts and longer duration of benefits from the Recovery Act through April 5.
Help with Health Insurance for Unemployed Workers (COBRA): Extends the COBRA health insurance subsidy for people who have lost their jobs through March 31.
Medicare Physician Payments: Delays a scheduled 21.2% cut in Medicare physician payments to protect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to physicians through March 31.
Surface Transportation Authorization: Authorizes the highway, highway safety, transit and motor carrier safety programs of the Department of Transportation through March 28.
Flood Insurance: Extends the National Flood Insurance Program authorization through March 28.
Small Business Loans: Extends two temporary improvements to the Small Business Administration’s loan guarantee program, raising the percentage of loan amounts that the SBA can guarantee and allowing SBA to waive or reduce loan fees through March 28.
Satellite Television: Extends the compulsory copyright license used by satellite television providers through March 28.
The National Underwriter has the practical impact of this impasse per Arthur Postal:
Under a directive issue by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Oct. 27 and reiterated on Feb. 25, the effect of the lapse is that the NFIP will not be able to issue new policies, increase coverage on existing policies or renew expiring policies.
Insurance industry representatives said without NFIP in place, real estate closings could be held up.
All this brings to mind again how special interests control the U$ $enate which does not represent ordinary Americans in any way shape or fashion. $en Bunning is owned, like most in the GOP by Team Insurance and more than a few Senate Democrats like $en Chri$ Dodd and $en Max Baucus also call Team Insurance home so it is natural that Mr Bunning would tell everyone on Main Street “tough $hit” while the gang does not spare a dab of vaseline for the common people as they use it all up themselves in service to their corporate masters. Why do the Teabaggers want to cuddle up with this bunch??? I submit we need to replace all 100 of these self-serving asswipes regardless of political affiliation.
IMHO the Dems should schedule votes on these issues to reveal who is a wholly owned subsidiary of Team Insurance as per Rep Weiner:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOQ2GEGm3v0]
And here is $enator Bunning complaining that he had to work late and thus had missed a basketball game for trivialities like unemployment benefits:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9noyufiMS0]
Did you know that Jim Bunning, on his website, states that he is an active member of a Christian church? Anyway… I just posted what I did to start applying pressure to this jerk from all ends. Don’t know if it will work but if you can help out, that would be great! Here’s the direct link to my blog post:
http://whatupgod.info/post/420598390/did-bunning-go-to-church-on-sunday-i-think-not
Thanks so much!
Bob
Sop, let’s back up and look at what the reason for Sen. Bunning’s position is. It is not about the NFIP program. That will be taken care of. It is about following the law.
Sen. Bunning is making the point this is about a $10 billion bill. The President made a big deal about “Pay Go”. Well DUH? How are we going to pay for it? Now the democrats want to exclude this bill from “Pay Go”.
You are a CPA and understand financial responsibility. For us to get our (USA) financial house in order we have to start saying no. Let’s start cutting programs. For starters I would say all Federal employees take a 10% pay cut. Is that tough? Absolutely, but if the government was a private enterprise it would no longer be in business with the debt it has run up. A 10% pay cut is minor to those folks that don’t have a paycheck at all.
As you know, I am in the business. we are approaching this as “Washington as usual” and it will be resolved. It is time for the adolescents in our Congress to grow up.
Yep Sup I’m a CPA who knows the score. You see if we cut every government employee’s pay to zero we’re still headed to BK. Why? Simple, the entitlement programs that make up over 2 thirds of the federal budget. Programs like that Medicare prescription drug benefit passed in 2004 without any way to pay for it. Or the granddaddy of them all Social security. To talk about PAYGO and ignore that fact is nothing but blowing hot air.
Do we need to operate within our means? Absolutely. But if you think cuts in lieu of taxes is the only way then everyone including seniors will have to step up to the chopping block.
As long as ppl buy into the fluff instead of substance it will never change. And we’ll be bankrupt in another decade or so.
Finally where the hell were all these deficit hawks like Bunning when Bushie was spending money like a crack whore on a binge?
I’m spot on here Sup.
Sop
No disagreement from me that George W sat by and watched Congress get totally out of control. He could have vetoed some of that crazy spending. What is even crazier is our Congress continues tp pass bills to add more government employees with no way to pay for them.
George W was an active participant Sup. Fighting 2 wars, one unnecessary in Irag, one necessary in Afghanistan after cutting taxes was a big blow. Then Bushies medicare prescription drug benefit without any way to pay for it was the deal sealer. The GOP controlled congress almost the entire time from 2000-2006.
And then there is the bailout which he instigated in his last months that put our children’s chidren on the hook for the related debt. They won’t have to worry about social security though because this generation has insured it won’t be there for them. We have failed them.
Obama plays the political game too – taxes needed to go up this year but he’ll wait for the 2001 cuts to expire next year. Taxes are going up and there will not be a vote to trigger it.
In a way Bunning is giving a great gift to the democrats picking this hill to die on. His stance is toxic to his own party which is why the pressure is showing on him as illustrated in the above videos where he made an ass of himself. And then the poor baby had to miss that basketball game. What an arrogant asshole he is, espcially when ordinary american suffer greatly as a result of the GOP being in bed with Wall Street, big insurance and banking all those years.
Sadly Chris Dodd, Max Baucus, Harry Reid and a few others give Bunning all the cover he needs politically because they too are money whores like the 40 GOP senators currently in the minority. Them teabaggers sure do have a curious choce of friends. A weak mind is more dangerous than a pol with malevolent intent IMHO.
sop
Bunning’s opposition principled? Check this out from today’s WaPo:
Like I said. He is money whore and an asshole.
Let them eat cake
sop
This illustration of Bunning is so spot on. Check out the 01 Mar 10 post at 2MILLIONTH WEB LOG:
http://2millionthweblog.blogspot.com/