John Kerry is so compassionate

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Sava
The bill passed 59-40... his vote was irrelevant. Perhaps if his vote was the sole deciding vote, then I could see where this would be a legitimate issue.

A push by Senate Democrats to extend jobless benefits lost by a single vote yesterday - as their nominee-to-be, John Kerry (search), missed the vote while campaigning

[JohnT]

Did you look at the senate.gov cite that I provided earlier?

[Sava]

oh well **** me then

[JohnT]

Naw, you don't want that. Nor I, for that matter.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by GePap
He turns a political plus into a political negative..worst thing a politican can squander.

He's very good at that.. every chance I seen Kerry has had to capitalize against Bush, he hasn't or has screwed it up terribly.

Some candidate you democrats have.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Sava
oh well **** me then

With pleasure...

[David Floyd]

My main problem with unemployment is not the existence of the program - well, it is, but that's a separate issue. My main issue is that the state transfers the cost, in many cases, to the former employer.

Now, if the state wants to hand money out, fine - I disagree, obviously, but I'm being taxed either way. But that's the state's problem, not the business's problem. If a business fires someone for, for example, refusing to work on Sunday because of religious beliefs, the State cannot refuse to pay out unemployment (Supreme Court decision, can't recall case citation). If the State pays unemployment, then most likely the employer will pay as well.

But wait a minute. If it didn't fit the employer's business needs to employ a person who couldn't work on Sunday, why should they have to pay to fire that person? Doesn't quite seem fair that business needs can be subordinated to personal religious beliefs, now does it?

In any case, I have a final exam to take so I've gotta run, but I'd be (marginally) satisfied if employers were not forced to pay out unemployment compensation. If the state wants to, that's the states business, but don't raise taxes or get money from the employer in order to do so.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by GePap
The action of other senators are irrelevant=-here he goes, having the posibility of making such a big deal about how he is the vote to get this passed, and then hit the republicans for voting against. nOw he can;t do that, and he lookd the fool.

He turns a political plus into a political negative..worst thing a politican can squander.

Actually, I think its worse than that. As another poster earlier said, he allowed the Republicans to vote in such a way as to make it appear that Kerry was the deciding vote. I doubt that the bill would've passed if he had been there (some Repub from a safe seat would've changed their "Yea" to "Nay"), but his absence gave them the opportunity to play him for a fool. And when you're allowing Dubya to play you for a fool, well... that's not good.

[Sava]

My main problem with unemployment is not the existence of the program - well, it is, but that's a separate issue. My main issue is that the state transfers the cost, in many cases, to the former employer.

So what's your alternative David? The unemployed getting nothing? People being evicted from their homes, not being able to feed their children?

Do you want another Great Depression? What is your solution?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Good point, John. You never know if some Republicans actually voted 'Yes' so that Kerry looks like the big doofus, when otherwise they may have voted no.

And when you're allowing Dubya to play you for a fool, well... that's not good.

Karl Rove, John... and he's a political genius on these things.

[JohnT]

I would not at all be surprised if that was the case. A lot of these vote outcomes are known prior to the actual vote and Kerry probably walked away certain that there was a (for example) dead-solid 44 votes against the bill. When the Repubs made sure he was in KY (and after all the Dems had voted), well...

[GePap]

The icing on the cake is that he was wasting his time campaigning in Kentucky....KENTUCKY!

Come on, he's rich-fly to washington of the private jet, vote, take photo-op, attack republicans for not voting for this, then go back to campaign.

[JohnT]

Karl Rove, John... and he's a political genius on these things.

Yeah, but Kerry is running against Bush and that's who he'll be compared to. I can hear it now...

"Bush can push through unpopular tax cuts for his rich buddies while Kerry can't even be bothered to cast the deciding vote on a bill extending unemployment benefits."

... stuff like that.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yes, but like you said, then it becomes known that it was Bush's Republicans which ultimately prevented extending unemployment.

[Sava]

John McCain voted "Yay"