U.S. Senate appointment and Alabama primary reveals vengeance voters in the GOP

[Joanne98]

If West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin appoints an interim U.S. Senator by 5 p.m. on Friday, what happens next? According to Donny Shaw of OpenCongress.org, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can keep the Senate in session over the weekend and swear in the late Senator Robert C. Byrd’s replacement. Senator Reid can call a cloture vote on Thursday which would make a vote on an unemployment insurance extension bill possible on a Friday, or, at 1 a.m. on Saturday. Donny Shaw says albeit Senator Reid has discretionary authority to proceed in this manner he will likely adjourn for the weekend and swear in West Virginia’s interim U.S. Senate appointment on Monday.

Ever since the unemployment insurance benefits bill (H.R. 4213) has been an issue in America, there have been two people posting videos on YouTube that have gained public attention for their courage and passion for the subject of senatorial passage of an unemployment extension bill. Both use a pseudonym to identify themselves and are recognized as solitaryfracture and TRK387. These men have good intentions and their message to the unemployed is expressed in somewhat terse language that would be offensive to some. However, the substance of what these men are saying represents the thinking of a large majority of unemployed Americans. Recently, solitaryfracture and TRK387 made an unusually calm and passionate call for the unemployed to unite for the passage of an unemployment benefits bill. These men have made videos that are both energizing and motivating to the unemployed. For example, when H.R. 4213 did not pass the Senate on May 30, 2010, solitaryfracture made a video that shows the frustration and emotional impact the Senate Republicans have on 15 million unemployed Americans. TRK387 usually videotapes himself in a sedentary position with a skit. In one video TRK387 mocks Senate Republicans for calling the unemployed drunks and drug addicts and he ends the video stating that he does not drink or abuse illicit drugs. Today, solitaryfracture has posted another video exposing the hypocrisy of Senator Mitchell McConnell where he voted for an $80 billion dollar war bill, he agreed to allocate $37 billion dollars to Afghanistan and allocate $47 billion dollars to Haiti and the Gulf of Mexico. In contrast, Senator McConnell has voted against an unemployment benefits bill. TRK 387 portrays a news reporter when he mentions "vengeance voters." These videos are appreciated and provide insight into what the unemployed are going through. Having kept Senate Republicans under radar since President Obama met with them on the Universal Health Care bill, experience has shown that when a piece of legislation benefits the poor, Senate Republicans revert to a let’s start over mentality. In fact, a recent article by David Dayden reveals that the Senate Republican blockade is really about taxes on those making more than $250,000.

One of the most telling stories involving the strength of the unemployed involves the Alabama primary elections. Recently, we heard stories of vengeance voters who have made a pact to never forget the blockade the Republicans put forth to harm their economic status and their ability to feed themselves and their families. In Alabama, the GOP and Tea Party favorites lost the primary yesterday. State Rep. Robert Bentley in a primary runoff for Governor of Alabama pulled off an upset against a GOP favored Bradley Byrne who was defeated by 12 points, 56 percent to 44 percent with nearly all precincts reporting. It’s worth noting that Robert Bentley pledged that he would refuse a salary until Alabama reached “’full employment.’” Anyone watching the current unemployment benefits extension debacle would know that these aren’t the words of a contemporary Republican. It has been reported that Robert Bentley is willing to work with Democrats. Montgomery City Councilwoman Martha Roby defeated Tea Party member Rick Barber by 40 percent in the unofficial count. Operating in the shadows, the results of vengeance voters are being interpreted to mean that Republican voters are serious about changing GOP and Tea Party favorites at the ballot. Also, the Tea Party movement has seemingly lost its momentum by embracing racists who make the entire movement appear to be a group of bigots. Yesterday, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) passed a resolution condemning rampant racism within the Tea Party.

http://www.examiner.com/x-48240-NY-Public-Policy-Examiner~y2010m7d14-US-Senate-appointment-and-Alabama-primary-reveals-vengeance-voters-in-the-GOP