With Congress on yet another 6 week vacation, their second such in as many months, the long term unemployed 99ers continue to fight on for their very survival.
The fact that Congress nor President Obama is willing to address this humanitarian crisis prior to the election, may indeed be what costs the Democrats their majorities in the House and Senate this November.
The 99ers have been calling for Obama to hold a virtual town hall meeting addressing them and this issue specifically, but Washington does not appear to be listening. So much for Healthcare being the President’s “Waterloo.”
The economy in it’s current state has many voters feeling apathetic at best and there is little time left for the Democrats to ‘rally the troops.’ The one Nation rally held last Saturday was a good start, but will those who attended really make more of a difference at the polls than millions of 99ers who are decidedly too angry to help the Democrats at all?
Consider for a moment what is at stake: a return to the failed Bush policies, 2 more wasted years of no help for those fallen on hard times, Social Security & Medicare at great risk, the undoing of nearly everything accomplished in the past 2 Congressional sessions and the possible wasted time and effort in impeaching a President that has committed no impeachable offense. What a waste and doesn’t Congress waste enough time already?
Even if one must hold their nose in order to vote for a Democrat this year, it may well be preferable to the other alternative. Republicans will likely not vote in any unemployment relief whatsoever. Do you really want to risk the only chance there is to get the help millions of Americans desperately need? This is a question everyone needs to ask themselves and the answer is deeply personal to every voter.
With the anger over the failed Tier 5 bill last month and the untenable situation many unemployed Americans find themselves in, this election could very well be about the failures of the present, rather than the hope for the future. Only not voting at all may well result in no future at all for a multitude of Americans, hurting so bad in this economic crisis.
It took President Bush and the failed policies of the last administration 8 years to create the huge mess we are in today. Is it really asking too much to allow the new administration at least 4 years to make a dent in pulling America out of the ditch?
The NOVO movement has been erroneously reported as consisting of less than a few hundred people. The San Diego Unemployment Examiner knows this not to be true. When the NOVO movement was announced, it was as a result of months of NOVO commentary observed on the blogs, Facebook and other social media. It would seem that a great many Americans, not just the 99ers, are quite vocal about punishing the party in power for failing to pass a Tier 5 after 8 months of fighting for such. Never underestimate the power of anger in the American electorate.
It certainly does not help the Democrats that the President and Vice President seem to discount the troubles of millions of hurting Americans with their statements to “buck up and stop whining.” Talk about rubbing salt in an open wound. Really Mr. President? Really Mr. Biden? Whining is basically the term used for those who complain with little or nothing to complain about. Desperate cries for help are a different story entirely.
What really needs to be done is for the Democrats to stop whining and actually get some work done for those Americans who need it most, those who cannot wait until after the election.
The 99er Nation for the most part has been without any UI lifeline for 8 months and that is after trying to survive 99 weeks on what little UI pays. They have nothing left to sell to avoid becoming homeless. 99ers cannot wait to see if Democrats keep their majorities in Congress before getting help. They need HELP NOW!
It would take some real leadership for Stabenow (now on vacation) to amend S3706 to first include ALL STATES and be paid for with unused stimulus money, to avoid Republican arguments over adding to the deficit. Then Obama should openly demand (as much as any President can) the Congress reconvene for passage of the Tier 5 bill, as amended before the election.
Two possible scenarios could come from this plan:
1) The bill is passed and signed into law, thus saving millions from hunger, homelessness and suicide - preserving a Democratic win in November
2) The bill, with funding no party could say adds to the deficit, is defeated by the Republicans, thus blowing their cover and resulting in a Republican bloodbath at the polls in November.
Without this pre-election intervention, a Democrat victory in November becomes a crapshoot at best.
