How Will Economic Fairness Issues Play Out In The Midterm Elections

I found the above quote this morning on the Facebook page of Jason Thigpen, the North Carolina Republican-turned-progressive Democrat running for the House seat occupied by Walter Jones. What a contrast to the talk among House Republicans this morning-- the ones who have slashed the food stamps program so that every child and every vet who is struggling to survive on food stamps gets 20 fewer meals per month-- for starters; they have even more drastic more cuts to the program they want to pass this month. The Republicans in the House aren't talking about extending unemployment insurance for workers thrown out of their jobs because of wrong-headed conservative economic policies; they're talking about extending their heartless war against the poor. James Lankford, a Boehner lackey from Oklahoma and junior member of the House leadership team, who likes to loudly and incessantly proclaim he's a "man of God," whined to Politico that unemployment benefits to keep destitute families alive through rough time doesn't really help them. “Five-and-a-half years of emergency, temporary extensions stacks up at some point and I hear and understand all the statements about it stimulating the economy and all those things. The challenge is we continue to borrow another $6.5 billion from the future,” said Lankford. “The impression that I get is times are tough now, so we’ll make it tougher on our kids to make it easier on us. I just think that’s a problem.” What a pious, phony-baloney sack of shit! House Republicans, who claim there are millions of unfilled jobs that these lazy bums could take, say they don't see this as something worthy of their time or effort and are certain the whole thing will just disappear if they do nothing (their specialty). Boehner, on the verge of crocodile tears said on Wednesday that “We’re all concerned about those who have had a difficult time trying to find a job."

This morning, Lankford's Democratic opponent, Tom Guild, told us he finds Lankford’s comments and position "despicable. It seems with him, Christian charity stops with his family, and his wealthy donors. He complains about his own salary, and that the cost of his taxpayer-paid health insurance went up this year, but he refuses to help those who are desperate and down on their luck. It seems that $285,000+ in salary and benefits, many times more than he’s ever made in his life, is just not enough for someone of his regal bearing. He talks about the deficit, while refusing to acknowledge that it has been cut in half under Democrats since 2009. He never misses a chance to miss a chance to extend charity to Americans in need. His radical let them eat cake philosophy hurts 90%+ of the folks in the fifth congressional district of Oklahoma every day. He talks about hurting children. What about the children of those who won’t eat or have a permanent place to live because their parents can’t provide for them, because of his unreasonable position on virtually every issue affecting our fellow Americans?  Whether it is cutting foods stamps, college loans, and Pell grants; or undermining Head Start for children, and programs for seniors, we can always count on Mr. Lankford’s calloused and hard hearted philosophy, that causes him to be always missing in action when ordinary Americans need a hand up." If you'd like, you can help Tom's campaign replace Lankford here.

Republicans are making a multifaceted political and policy calculation. They think unemployment insurance is a broken program, and that most voters won’t label them coldhearted for allowing the stimulus-era program to expire. Not to mention that the totality of jobless benefits won’t disappear-- just extended benefits, which originated during the depths of the economic recession.

Senior Republican aides and lawmakers also believe that attacks over failing to act on jobless benefits will pass, similar to what happened when they ignored Obama’s pleas for gun control. But there’s danger in this approach. First, the preponderance of public polling shows support for such benefits. Republicans are three weeks away from their legislative retreat in Cambridge, Md., and as of right now, they have no legislative agenda. So if the Senate clears its unemployment bill, the House-- operating in an environment bereft of other legislative issues-- could feel pressure to move one.

Obama’s timing for his jobless benefit push coincides with the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty speech. High-profile Capitol Hill Republicans like Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio are using the occasion to promote their alternative to current social safety net policies.

At this stage, House Republicans say they will not craft their own extension of jobless benefits but instead will wait to see if the Senate can pass its legislation. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he is willing to consider a package that is “paid for and if there were provisions that we could agree to that would get our economy moving again and put the American people back to work.” Boehner said Wednesday that Obama’s chief of staff Denis McDonough called him just one week before the December recess to request he pass an extension of the benefits… [M]ost Hill Republicans are content with turning this issue around on Obama, incessantly saying that his request for additional benefits highlights failed economic policies.

A new Quinnipiac poll released this morning indicates that the GOP decision to prosecute this war against the working poor may be a bad idea. Most Americans support increasing the minimum wage-- and by a landslide-- and also want to see unemployment benefits extended.

American voters support 71 - 27 percent raising the minimum wage. Republican support is 52 - 45 percent. Given several options:

• 33 percent of voters say increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour;
• 18 percent say increase it from the current $7.25 per hour to something less than $10.10;
• 18 percent say increase it to more than $10.10 per hour;
• 27 percent say don't increase the minimum wage.

Raising the minimum wage will lead businesses to cut jobs, voters say 50 - 45 percent, with Republicans seeing job cuts 68 - 29 percent and Democrats saying no 65 - 29 percent. Independent voters expect job cuts 51 - 45 percent.

Voters also support 58 - 37 percent extending unemployment benefits for three months. Support is 83 - 13 percent among Democrats and 54 - 41 percent among independent voters, with Republicans opposed 54 - 42 percent.

If a candidate for Congress supports extending jobless benefits, 33 percent are more likely to vote for that candidate, with 24 percent less likely and 40 percent who say it won't affect their vote. A candidate who supports raising the minimum wage wins 41 percent "more likely" support, with 18 percent "less likely" and 39 percent saying "no difference.

It's unclear how this will play out in the midterm elections. This morning, though, Rick Weiland, the independent populist Democrat running for the open Senate seat in South Dakota issued a statement that shows he's sure South Dakota voters will decide for whom to vote with these economic fairness issues in mind.

The Washington politicians who are demanding an end to unemployment compensation need a mirror and some serious moral counseling.

The idea that people who are actively seeking employment--but who remain unemployed in what remains the worst long-term job market since the Great Depression-- should be thrown under the bus to pay for continued tax breaks for multi-millionaires is, frankly, obscene. What you see in the mirror after saying that has got to be frightening, and it should be. It is the philosophy of power and privilege over right, a philosophy of unbridled greed that is opposed by every religion known to man, and it is absolutely wrong.

Mitch McConnell is demanding “spending cuts” to pay for unemployment compensation benefits and turning a blind eye to both off-shore tax havens, huge loopholes in the federal tax code and massive federal subsidies to corporations. McConnell and his big money allies claim with a straight face that we cannot afford a few dollars for the unemployed but that we can afford to let big money players escape taxation by parking their profits overseas or falsely calling them capital gains. Those tax dodges cost taxpayers, who have to make up for the money they let the rich not pay, billions and billions of dollars. If the Congress were not in the pocket of big money it would vote tomorrow to close those loopholes and use the funds raised to pay for unemployment compensation for Americans who cannot find work, and for lower taxes on everyday Americans who are lucky enough to have a job.

I am running against big money so I can be for the people on issues like this. I will vote in favor of Federal unemployment compensation so long as our unemployment rate remains at historically high levels, and I will vote to close tax loopholes for the very rich to pay for it. That is what hard working South Dakotans deserve and it is what I believe is the right thing to do as well.

Have you had enough of the tax and truth dodging coming from big money?

You can help Rick's campaign here.