On the 27th of last month, I proclaimed Jim Bunning a GOP sweetheart. The GOP continues to use him to sow havoc in the most despicable way!
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) is already infamous for blocking a temporary extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits for out of work Americans. But included in that package is legislation to prevent a mandatory pay cut for doctors–and by standing in its way, he’s triggered a 21 percent fee reduction to doctors seeing Medicare patients starting today.
Republicans say they support a temporary measure to avoid the cuts, but they have been unable [unwilling] to rein in Bunning, and, as such, the Senate has failed to act on a House bill that staves them off.
The American Medical Association warned of this last week: "A Medicare meltdown now seems certain, as the U.S. Senate has left early for the weekend, abandoning seniors, military families and baby boomers," reads an AMA statement from Friday. "The Senate failed to repeal the Medicare physician payment formula that will cause a drastic 21 percent payment cut to physicians who care for Medicare and TRICARE patients. On Monday, the 21 percent cut goes into effect, forcing many physicians to limit the number of Medicare and TRICARE patients they see in order to keep their practice doors open."
On a conference call with reporters this afternoon Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) put it this way: "By his actions, Bunning has prevented people from receiving Unemployment, health care access, transportation projects from going forward, and Doctors who provide Medicare services from getting paid."
Today, for the seventh time, Bunning objected to a request for unanimous consent to temporarily extend benefits. In addition to cutting doctor’s fees, his exploitation of the Senate’s filibuster rules has cost thousands of out-of-work Americans their benefits and has even put thousands of federal employees out of work.
Democrats hope to resolve the issues in a longer-term way by passing jobs bill (which includes benefits extensions and a so-called "doc-fix" for Medicare reimbursement rates) next week. In the mean time they’re bracing for Bunning and the GOP to take as many steps as possible to delay legislative progress… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <TPM>
Lawrence O’Donnell and Chris Hayes discussed the ripple effects.
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The GOP strategy here is to create public dissatisfaction in the hope that they can blame Democrats for their perfidy. Rachel Maddow covers who this hurts and ties it in with GOP obstruction.
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Personally I think that Bunning is getting tired of his roll as target to cover for the GOP leaders orchestrating this outrage. He’s clearly getting quite testy!
Since last week, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has been obstructing legislation to extend unemployment benefits, telling Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) “tough sh*t” when Merkley pleaded with Bunning to drop the hold on the Senate floor. Bunning blocked the measure because of “a dispute over how [the bill] should be funded,” leaving 400,000 Americans in limbo after the benefits expired at midnight on Sunday. Today, an “angry” Bunning refused to answer questions about his hold, running away from an ABC reporter and taking refuge in a senator’s only elevator. Shouting “Excuse me!,” Bunning would not say whether he was concerned about people losing their benefits…
…Off camera, when ABC producer Z. Byron Wolf tried to engage Bunning, he said, “I’m not talking to anybody” and gave Wolf the middle finger…
Inserted from <Think Progress>
In a Politics Plus exclusive, Bunning was photographed in the act of giving the finger, as seen above. 😉
8 Responses to “GOP Hide Behind Bunning to Sow More Havoc”
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If this doesn’t come back to bit the right in the ass then I think we should pare back all defense spending and put it into education. What the party of dissent and obstruction does not know or care about is that this type of cut off translates directly into street crime and hopelessness of them already discouraged by the non prospect of jobs. Desperate people will take desperate measures.
Mark, you make an excellent point here. Bunning’s atrocity is a desperate act by a desperate party.
Bunning’s an ass, but isn’t he an ass that isn’t running for re-election? Maybe he’s getting paid off. Either way I don’t think the GOP is going to get the benefit of blaming Dems that they’re expecting.
Why not be a saboteur when the public will automatically believe that every problem has been caused by the “Liberals?”
I’m waiting for the capitol building to burn down so they can blame it on “soft on terrorism” Obama
The Orang, saying, no, no legislattion to pass today.
Bunning is so concerned about increasing the nation’s debt and wants to “pay as you go”….but its never stopped him….or many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle…for voting to continue spending on two wars in the Middle East with no clear cut way to fund them other than let that debt accrue for future generations.
When you look up the definition of “hypocrite” in Webster’s, there should be a picture of Jim “Not So Perfect Game” Bunning.
Bunning is senile, and he has been for years. He was clearly senile in 2004, when the genius league known as the “Kentucky Voters” chose to send him back to DC in spite of the fact that he couldn’t even debate his opponent face to face and had to have the questions sent to him in his secure, undisclosed location.
Kvatch, I would hope they wouldn’t, but it’s desperation move.
Capt., that’s the way it will be reported on Faux Noise.
Ivan, I wish that ape had been President from 2000-2008.
Hugh, Bunning actually voted against PAYGO.
JR, that makes him a perfect scapegoat to throw under the GOP bus.