I grew up in Kentucky where every boy who ever played baseball knew the name of Jim Bunning. He is the Hall of Fame pitcher who threw a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies and knew how to play hardball long before the tingly-legged Chris Matthews co-opted the name for his decidedly softball show.
If you are anywhere near being a fiscal conservative you have to absolutely love what Senator Jim Bunning did this week. This week Senator Bunning showed Senator Harry Reid, and a few Senate Republicans how to throw one high and tight. His one man play at fiscal responsibility has the Washington “in” crowd crying foul and showing their hypocrisy.
In case you missed it here is a brief rundown. A few weeks ago the Congress passed a bill known as “Pay-Go,” a fluffy piece of nonsense posturing. On its surface Pay-Go seems to be fiscally responsibly, if you want to spend some money you need to show where it is going to come from. Senator Bunning knew the bill was hogwash because any spending could avoid being subject to Pay Go if it was “an emergency.” He didn’t vote for the bill for that reason. He also saw another flaw in the bill, a single Senator could hold up the whole Senate if they wanted to.
This week when Senator Reid tried to push through an extension to unemployment benefits Senator Bunning played a little chin music for the Majority leader and put the breaks on the additional 10 billion in spending. Senator Bunning invoked his right to stop the bill and call for the application of the Pay Go rule. When members of the media hounded Senator Bunning for a comment he showed them the door, of the elevator he was taking. Nice added touch!
What followed was supreme political theater and posing by the left. Senator Reid could have simply called for closure on the bill and gathered eighty votes, which were there for passage and the poor unemployed whom he, a parade of progressives senators and fellow traveler Bernie Saunders of Vermont cried crocodile tears for would have had their additional handout from Uncle Sugar. Oh my, oh my thousands would soon be starving and homeless due to this heartless conservative! Cue the beating of breasts and gnashing of teeth and much wailing! None of that could have been further than the truth but as conservative talk show host Larry Elder says, “Facts are like kryptonite to toe tag liberals.”
Senator Bunning gave up his stand after a few days and I think that’s too bad. After watching the parade of phonies decry Senator Bunning’s actions I was wondering what the average American who doesn’t live with an hour of LA, D.C. or New York thought of this tough guy making a stand. It’s my feeling that if a national poll were held on who they supported in this standoff, Senator Bunning or Reid, Senator Bunning would have another win on his record.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.