Liberal Groups Push GOP on Jobless Benefits

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Economy ,; Domestic Issues ,; Congress

Gearing up for possibly another week of debate that pits extended unemployment benefits against concerns about the deficit, liberal groups are launching an ad campaign this week urging Maine's two moderate Republican senators to switch their vote on a bill that extends jobless benefits and provides state aid.

The union-backed liberal group Americans United for Change and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are spending at least $75,000 this week on broadcast and cable television air time in Maine to run an ad called "Kids."

"It's pretty simple, the more jobs we create now, the less Federal debt they'll have to carry later," a narrator says in the ad, which features pictures of young children. "More jobs equal less debt, even our kids can understand that."

The ad urges viewers to call Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who are perceived as two of the Republicans most likely to cross party lines to back the bill.

The Senate on Thursday failed to pass a package that would, in addition to extending jobless benefits and providing state aid, extend some expired tax breaks for businesses and individuals. It would also raise taxes on oil companies and multinational corporations.

The bill on Thursday failed to get the 60 votes needed largely because Republicans want to see the measure paid for, even though Democratic leaders trimmed down the cost of the bill from earlier versions. Republicans have proposed paying for extended benefits with unused stimulus funds, but a proposal from Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to do so was also shot down on Thursday.

Without congressional action, according to independent estimates, about 1.2 million people will stop receiving unemployment benefits by the end of the month, the Washington Post reports.

"The cuts to critical state aid that Republican leaders are demanding in the name of short-term deficit reduction would actually come at the expense of hundreds of thousands of jobs and long-term deficit reduction because fewer jobs means less tax revenue and more people seeking out public assistance," Tom McMahon, executive director of Americans United for Change, said in a statement.

However, it's not just Republicans complaining about the bill's impact on the deficit. Conservative Democrats up for re-election this year have been concerned about adding to the deficit, and Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut voted with Republicans against the measure on Thursday.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by midwestcatie June 21, 2010 9:07 PM EDT: There are not enough jobs for non-citizens. Why aren't the unions complaining about the work shortage fantasy?
BLS.Gov
? Both the number of foreign-born labor force participants (23.9 million) and their share of the
U.S. civilian labor force (15.5 percent) were little changed in 2009 for the second year in a row.

Why are all these items in the same bill?
If Republicans agree to give five years of welfare, but not five tiers of unemployment they won't get 30% of the votes in November.; Reply to this comment


by 88Maggie June 21, 2010 7:03 PM EDT: I'm aggravated with the whole darn lot of them. The Reps want the extenders bill paid for because of the deficit and the Dems won't use the stimulus package sitting out there with approx 5 billion unused funds. The stimulus was passed nearly 18 months ago so why wasn't it used to create jobs 18 months ago. So now Senators are playing tug of war with the American unemployed,. All they have to do is vote for some of the stimulus to be diverted to take care of the bill. Isn't it backwards to cut off unemployment and then start to create jobs. I'm also sick and tired of those working Americans who continue to find fault with the unemployed. Count your blessings you have a job. According to many economists approx 3/10s of 1% of the unemployed are sitting at home and not looking for jobs. You lump us all in one group. I would say that is no less discrimination than lumping those of color, sex, etc. into one unfavorable group. With the way things are going bit your tongue because you could be next.; Reply to this comment


by TooComplex June 21, 2010 4:59 PM EDT: Rupublican caring about the less fortunate? I hope no one is holding their breath. Unless the jobless are millionaires, they don't even register on the GOP's radar...; Reply to this comment


by designdc June 21, 2010 3:24 PM EDT: Palin_for_Presidentess needs to get a life. S/he/it must be unemployed, because it seems that this person has managed to comment on nearly every post here; must have a lot of free time to hang out on CBS and click the refresh button. It has a comment for everything without much of anything to say. Hm..typical liberal.; Reply to this comment


by mary-miami June 21, 2010 2:18 PM EDT: Increase the minimum wage to a livable wage...about $10 an hour. Open up more factories here in the US. Increase taxes on the US companies that have factories overseas and lower them if they bring them back to the US. Otherwise, continue to extend benefits because it could mean the difference for many families who might otherwise get eviction notices and end up in shelters that are funded by state government anyway. Most people are proud to pay their own way through life and dont want the humiliation that comes with asking for state aid. We need livable wages as well as blue collar jobs that most people can do.; Reply to this comment

by wfw3536 June 21, 2010 2:09 PM EDT

If they need to extend the benefits take it out of the 870 billion of stimulus money Obama is wasting anyway. Obama said a couple months ago he wanted to go on a pay as you go mode. What a joke that was, just anyother untrue by Obama.

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by Palin_for_Presidentess June 21, 2010 2:15 PM EDT: Yeah, that resolution exempted emergency spending. So the question is: Do you not know what you're talking about or are you just lying?

by leeb1951 June 21, 2010 1:35 PM EDT

Save money by not extending unemployment benefits but pay for food stamps, medicaid, federal housing and other benefits. Also, how many families will be on the streets or living in homeless shelters. It's not just Democrats and it's not just Republicans. This recession has been coming on for years and I have lost all faith in our political system. Hopefully, most of them will be on the unemployment line after the next election.

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by Palin_for_Presidentess June 21, 2010 1:44 PM EDT: "Democrats and it's not just Republicans"

Yeah, whatever, talibagger.

by jgg000101 June 21, 2010 1:11 PM EDT

Unemployment benefits are already 99 weeks. That's almost 2 years!
How long should we pay people to find jobs? This is nothing but a union ploy to keep members on the taxpayer's dime.

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by Palin_for_Presidentess June 21, 2010 1:47 PM EDT: You're a idiot. You want to turn families hurting from the economic crisis that is largely the fault of repuglitards out on the streets and then try to say that it has something to do with unions? You're a idiot.


by jgg000101 June 21, 2010 2:08 PM EDT: actually, you're the idiot. This is sponsored by unions and for unions.
Read the freaken article. How long do you think taxpayers should pay for people to be unemployed? it used to be 26 weeks, now it's 2 years.
Instead of working to get unemployment extensions these people should be working to create jobs. The stimulus plan was an abject failure. It's about time that was reported.

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by char75 June 21, 2010 12:53 PM EDT

GOP is not against benefits. they are against adding to the deficit they want to use the stiminlus money that failed to create jobs.
obama wants to use it to go toward his campaign instead to the unemployed!
If obama would have focused on jobs as much as he did on healthcare we wouldn't need another extension!

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by Palin_for_Presidentess June 21, 2010 1:32 PM EDT: Yeah right. Where was all your "fiscal disciple" when Bush and his cronies were free-wheeling with the national checkbook?

Repigletards, by definition, are always opposed to helping anyone but their corporate masters and the ?ber-wealthy.

by IndepTex22 June 21, 2010 10:52 AM EDT

"Liberal Groups Push GOP on Jobless Benefits"

More debt? Cut government jobs/programs instead!

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by Palin_for_Presidentess June 21, 2010 11:23 AM EDT: Uh huh. Here we go again with the "we just want Obama to fail", talibagger talking points. Where were you useful idiots when Bush and his cronies were free-wheeling with the national checkbook?