Stewart Schools Jim Bunning For Repeated Objections To Unemployment Benefits (VIDEO)

While Jon Stewart seemed optimistic about the progress made by last week's health care summit, the media's overall consensus was that nothing had been accomplished. But as he pointed out last night, it wasn't the only issue bogged down by Republican opposition. Stewart took on Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning, mocking his repeated objections to a bill that would extend unemployment benefits for 30 days.

Making Bunning out to be a villain who'll obstruct anything from legislation to birthday pizza, Stewart noted that in the Senate it often takes 60 votes to get anything done, but "sometimes in the Senate it only takes one person to cock the whole thing up." How draining were Bunning's nine objections? Toward the end, Al Franken began to look like a broken down old man.

Stewart acknowledged that despite the Democrats' hopes that he'd get sleepy, Bunning was willing to stay up as long as necessary -- even if it meant missing the basketball game he'd planned on watching. Stewart summed up his ridiculousness: "You see that's the difference between Jim Bunning's pain and the pain of the unemployed. Jim Bunning's pain can be fixed by a Tivo."


WATCH:

Comments

[RevBookburn]

01:47 AM on 03/04/2010

Thank you Jon Stewart. Somebody needs to school that man.

[Dialogue]

09:15 AM on 03/03/2010

Let's assume that one of Senator Bunning's "free market" CEO buddies earned a Billion Dollars last year, which translates into $160,256 dollars per hour, based-on 17 hour days, seven days a week. Now if the CEO had been restricted to the same 40 hour work week as employees, the CEO would have been paid $333,332,480 last year. Another words, the CEO's company could have taken the remaining $666,667,520 and hired 19,000 additional employees, with a $35,000 annual salary, thus, reducing the number of people on unemployment. Let's face it - How many CEO's actually work 17 hour days, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Simply wearing a suite and tie does not imply nor suggest that a CEO is actually producing billable work.

[jjgg5]

08:26 AM on 03/03/2010

Bunning should have a mental status examination.

[Kiranitisme]

06:00 AM on 03/03/2010

What is being called as "troubled government" is exactly that. It is more of "Republican Obstructionism" to anything that comes up in Congress. Where were these hacks when they themselves (1) invaded Iraq without funds (2) voted Medicare Parr D without funds both of which is costing over $trillion?

[Harrier]

05:06 AM on 03/03/2010

It was clear Democrats were riding this for every mile they could get out of this and Republicans understood this was a battle the party should not have waged. There were just too many people involved and it hurt so many and was considered cruel. For so many, it is the only life line they have. When you are unemployed for a year or more, it would have been so demoralizing and such a disaster of epic porportions.

[ilse]

01:50 AM on 03/03/2010

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[DubiousVoter]

12:13 AM on 03/03/2010

I'm curious to know how Sen. Bunning voted on the Wall Street Bailout?

It would be interesting to know if he had the same conviction of principle when Congress gave away $4 Trillion to the richest and most irresponsible (if not criminal) CEO's. I won't be surprised if he was on the floor of the Senate defending their right to grant themselves $billions in bonuses after driving our country into near financial collapse and swelling the rolls of the unemployed that will now go without basic necessities like food and fuel.

[Madbunny]

12:55 AM on 03/03/2010

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00213

He voted no on TARP.
He might be heartless when it comes to the unemployed, but at least he's consistent.

[Madbunny]

12:58 AM on 03/03/2010

Side note: it must be nice when you make over 150k a year to make decisions like this.

[want2run527]

07:07 AM on 03/03/2010

He's consistent so long as it is the left who is requesting help for the people. Not so much when the right is requesting favors for the rich.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00170

[DoctorWhoDat]

12:03 AM on 03/03/2010

Send Bunning to the showers

[Blitzschnell]

11:18 PM on 03/02/2010

In the face of national ridicule, U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning has fallen off the wagon--again. He sits alone in the corner of a smokey bar near Capital Hill, nursing his fourth double shot of whiskey. Finally, the liquor takes hold, and Bunning begins to feel self satisfied. Strains of "Take Me Out to Ball Game" waft through his alcohol-muddled head, reminding him of his glory days as a big league pitcher. But the words have changed and now reflect his attitude toward the unemployed.

Take them out of the ball game
Make the unemployed pay
I don't care if they can't fight back
Let them live in rundown shacks
We should spend the money for defense
To be unemployed is a shame
For it's 10, 11, 12 times "No"
To those jobless claims

[OswegoKayaker]

12:13 AM on 03/03/2010

Oh, masterful! That was GREAT! Thank you.

[SJeffH]

11:04 PM on 03/02/2010

I hope that Sen. Bunning's actions draw as much attention as possible to the fact that these benefits, and much of the rest of the government is being paid for by adding to our debt. I hate the hypocrisy of the Republican party as much as anybody here and I know we do need to deal with the severe joblessness in this country but everybody needs to know and understand that we do not have the money to pay these programs.

[Julian Cicone]

11:27 PM on 03/02/2010

Dude shut up, I'm not even going to argue with you

[BeACalmThinker]

11:36 AM on 03/03/2010

Was his comment really that ridiculous? Does the issue not even belong on the table for rational discussion? Or do we just pay millions of people for years and if you question the logic you are a bad person?

This isnt like other recession. This one is because there are no jobs left in this country because we don't produce anything. They are not coming back. So, where is the discussion about what to do to actually solve this problem?? Or should we just pay unemployment forever? Or perhaps we should be clueless and think the "cycle will naturally rebound" and soon all these people will be re-employed. Come on, thats not rational.

[Julian Cicone]

11:32 PM on 03/02/2010

We are spending 100s of billions of dollars on military spending, and other crappy corporations but we don't have the money for unemployment benefits? Are you kidding me, if our government spends even a penny on other things that are not unemployment benefits then they have the money to pay for unemployment benefits since they are paying for other crap that is meaningless.

We have gone through recessions since the beginning of America and every time we got out of recessions was because of policies like these, yet republicans and right wing tards still don't get that the recessions always seem to start with a right wing republican president and policies and then the liberals and democrat presidents or politicians have to come in and either clean it up and fix it with their policies or the republicans have to change their positions and policies like THEY ALWAYS DO to get out of recessions and bad economic times.

[DubiousVoter]

12:04 AM on 03/03/2010

Point well said...

[PorkChop59]

12:11 PM on 03/03/2010

No! That is not a point well said! That is a completely ignorant and simplistic view point. You see, that's the problem with the left (dems, libs, whatever..). You do not take even a second to see how all of these things are inter-related. Are you more concerned about unemployed people continuing to get benefits? OR are you concerned about those people actually getting a job??? If you answer correctly (which I'm not sure you will) you would say that getting a job is the most important.

Now, who do you think is going to provide these unemployed people with jobs?

Yep, probably one of those "crappy" evil corporations that provides thousands of jobs to American citizens ... and/or another company who relies on these "crappy" corps to stay in business so they can continue to operate their business (parts suppliers for auto industry, your local real estate agent and title company, etc).

I'm not a big fan of "bailouts", but you need to think it through a little before spewing.

[dolphy]

10:37 PM on 03/02/2010

bunning is worse than a piece of something that comes out of an animal that gives us milk

[Lairs]

11:19 PM on 03/02/2010

Bunnning is right. It is only going to add to our deficit.

[Julian Cicone]

11:35 PM on 03/02/2010

Oh yea it sure will, but of course spending money on corporations making sure abortions and gays don't exist, policing the drug laws and policies, spending 100s of billions on military, that is not a problem, that won't add to the deficit but oh unemployment benefits will.

You right wingers are the most despicable people on the planet, what is so funny is basically every policies you have majority of all economist, and places like the CBO and bureau labor statistics say your policies would add more to the deficit and the problems then the democrat policies.

[don]

06:38 AM on 03/03/2010

There's more to it than that. Did Bunning offer a source of the funds he demanded be available right here right now for the measure? Did he offer a solution such as rescinding the Bush tax cuts? Did he champion a cause other than obstructionism? The don't add to the deficit canard was an excuse, not an explaination. Look past your nose at the suffering he proposed to exacerbate and you'll see pretty much what he meant to do. He's a mean, bitter old man taking his frustration out on the defenseless.

[balilanai]

09:19 PM on 03/02/2010

Extended for 30 days.
and what happens after that? all these folks get jobs? well... keep extending.

[Amadahy]

06:26 PM on 03/22/2010

I would imagine some will get jobs yes, that others will follow leads in the hopes for an interview, and that others will keep looking despite the fact that blue collar jobs have majorly contracted due to the housing crisis for example.

For starters, I say we put the banks on the hook for the American people. After all, the American people were there for the banks. It's only right, in the spirit of reciprocation and accountability, that they assist the American people in their time of need, just as the American people helped them in their time of need.

[RevBookburn]

09:04 PM on 03/02/2010

Bunning is the below the bottom-feeders. Santa bless Jon Stewart!

[Ryerson]

08:39 PM on 03/02/2010

I think Bunning is a terrific guy! he supports corporate America like a good patriot citizen. i don't know why he gets so much slack after all. You actually want them to extend unemployment benefits to the unemployed? WTF??
They should just go get new jobs. There are so many great paying jobs out there. Why waste money on those who need it? This is America... and the only way things work here is when the haves keep it all, and when the have-nots have less.

Regards,
- Bill Sarcasmocelli

[marleysghost]

08:15 PM on 03/02/2010

If we can afford to fight two wars at the same time and suport all those troops and highly paid government contractor/security guys pretending to be soldiers of fortune, we can afford health care.

[jjgg5]

08:27 AM on 03/03/2010

Fanned.