Poverty and destitution are much more noble and dignified than bare-minimum income, don't you think?

This is all both sides know how to do: theatrics.

A measure to extend unemployment benefits, even for a few weeks, is anything but mere "theatrics," my cynical friend.

So, sit with the GOP, trade something or at least try. But this is theatrics. There is ZERO chances it will pass.

bring up the discharge(s) every week between now and the 2014 general elections putting republicans in the position of having to defend their actions on the campaign trail.

Will this get U/C reinstated? ... Probably not. But it will give us a chance at flipping the House; giving us a chance at a more sympathetic body.

But that said,

repubs would vote for it or they don't want to be on record voting against it. By forcing this on the record, there's a much improved chance of getting it passed. If nothing else, it will help people vote out these selfish jerks.

The Democrats in Congress can't deal with these Republicans, they never stick to a deal even when one is reached. Only the voters can make these Republicans recognize the rights of working Americans, by voting them out of office.

Her husband is a musician whose income varies seasonally. We are all trying to help her out.

Voting for force a vote on something which both the Senate and President would approve, one time, on a measure Democrats passed in 2009 is not in the same realm.

There are a lot of Republicans on unemployment as well. House members facing reelection know that alienating even 5% of their base support may cost them their job. It may be a small chance there is enough Republican support to pass this, but if they do get it, this will be the law.

But this bill has no chance of passing, and sometimes I question whether some of the Democratic leadership wants it to pass or whether they propose things that will look good in 2014.

Right now, I see no effort of either side to sit with the other side and negotiate something. It is all theatrics.

some of those are GOP and will keep voting for them, whether it passes or not. It's simply the right thing to do and a return to a long-standing policy to not screw the UE so the GOP can claim they are keeping down the deficit. The GOP will have an excuse, as they always do, to convince their voters, no matter what. It won't convince anyone to vote Dem, either. Just save lives.

and bank. I hope this works, I have been on long term unemployment twice in my life, that little bit of money fed us, put gas in my car so I could go to school and job interviews. I know that fear well.
I also want to say, if the Dems were half as good at political theater as the Rs& Tea Party are, these last 5 years would have been different.

Money is short. But when I hear the Dems make these types of theatrics, it makes me sick. This is to help remind people they should vote Democratic in elections.

Frankly, if we cannot make our case that Democrats are preferable to Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Boehner, or Issa, we have serious problems that a discharge petition will not help. We are just not talking to people's interests.

I believe that because we didn't do an effective job of educating voters in 2010, the slimy ooze of the Republican party...Paul, Cruz, Issa are now in Congress. Because I live a few miles over from Boehners' district, I know this for sure, those twits will keep reelecting him until he dies, the weeper of the house was/is locked into the state party tightly, those state representatives and state senators made damn sure his seat is safe for ever. The state Democratic party has massively failed to educate/inform/recruit talent, and bring voters out for at least 20 years. I'm really hoping that the theater in Washington puts money back into wallets and maybe educates a few million Americans. I agree with you that we are not talking to peoples interests, and the Democratic, Progressives, Liberals need to do a much better job.
We need this political theater to start some education.

to this issue. So have the Dems. The reason u keep hearing Repubs on TV saying ignorant things like "Unemployment insurance takes away a person's dignity" is because Democrats are pushing the issue and trying to get it passed. From WaPo:

With Obama set to discuss the plight of the long term unemployed in a high profile setting tonight, Republicans may soon be challenged to vote yet again on extending the unemployment benefits program after well over one million Americans got cut off after Christmas – and this time, the extension will be paid for.
Senate Democrats are eying a new proposal for a three month extension of unemployment insurance, to be paid for by a provision that Republicans previously supported, a Democratic aide tells me. Talks have started between Dem leaders and Republicans, the aide adds, but I could not determine which Republicans were in discussions or how many of them there are.

SNIP

It’s unclear how advanced discussions are, but the Dem aide says the general goal is to offer a pay-for that Republicans have previously supported. “Will they take yes for an answer or will they try to hide behind procedural arguments because they just don’t want to allow any progress to help job seekers?” the aide asks.
Beyond this, the broader goal is to pass the three month extension to create space for negotiations over a longer extension, along the lines of the one Dems sought to extend the UI benefits program into November of 2014. That one was paid for through a continuation of sequester cuts outside the 10-year window, and no Republicans (aside from Senator Dean Heller) supported it, with some claiming procedural objections.
All this seems hopeless, but it comes as the SOTU speech will renew attention on the long term unemployed. One of Michelle Obama’s guests tonight is an Illinois mother of two whose unemployment benefits have expired. Meanwhile, 10 Democrats, led by Rep. Sander Levin, are also expected to host unemployed Americans tonight.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/01/28/dems-plan-another-push-on-unemployment-benefits/

using the discharge petition. If they have all the Democrats, they should see if there are around two times the remaining votes needed in districts where there are many people needing that unemployment. They should then AGGRESSIVELY target those areas to get constituents to push them to join. It would seem that local efforts led by local churches (or other religious organizations) and people affected, who are willing to be public.

Poll after poll has shown that extending the benefits is favored by more than 50%. I would suspect that even in some of the most affluent areas, most people at least know someone they liked or respected who worked for years - then lost their job. The number of long term unemployed suggest that the length of time to get a new job - let alone a comparable job - has risen far beyond what it was in past decades. It would seem if a strong, grassroots effort was tried in - even just in these districts, it could directly change the representatives' minds.

In areas heavily hit by unemployment, it might be possible to get people to see that the people needing these benefits are their friends and neighbors. It would be nice if they had been strongly for this abstractly or for people they did not see as "like them", but this could mobilize those who then see that this affects their community and potentially -- them.

Democrats have no real power in the house. They might as well get as many Republicans as possible on record as voting against populist legislations so that they have some fodder to use this year.

This is all both sides know how to do: theatrics.

Both parties will be on record--again--on the matter. Only one party will get the credit for bringing it up again.

This will show unemployed American voters that the Democratic Party has not forgotten them or given up on getting them the help they both need and deserve. It will also keep in working peoples' minds the fact that a mere handful of Republican votes in the House of Representatives is all that is holding back this entirely proper and responsible relief.

If they wanted to extend benefits they would have made it part of the budget deal.

Second, the budget was so controversial anyway, why put something in there that didn't need to be funded? that's a total waste of compromise, the budget negotiations were about funding. The Republicans don't want the world to know the current extension is paid for so it's not the money they object to it's the idea of unemployment insurance.

O that makes it much better. Gee, now I'm not disappointed in democrats anymore. I'll totally forget the reduced due to sequestration benefits and the complete cut and how no one in our party has done one thing to stop offshoring which is responsible for my job loss. I wouldn't want anyone to waste a compromise or lose face in their little political machinations.

funding bill. Extending benefits past the program guidelines requires congressional approval, and funding to cover the amendment. Dems found the money elsewhere because the Republicans were talking trash about the deficit and it costing too much money. They basically took away the Republicans argument. Of course, the Repubs switched arguments and then we heard about unemployment being a "disservice to the unemployed" and all that b.s.

to help me, but hope they pass something soon for others.

Really just wish our officials would agree to do something to stop offshoring. After a year we got our petition to receive retraining funds because our jobs were lost to offshoring. But most of the programs available to retrain people have been cut. Again republicans.

hopefully we'll see a turnaround soon. Also, I don't know if you saw but a recent survey of American executives rated the US higher for manufacturing than Mexico so the tide is turning. I hope your situation improves.

Some things have been done to stop offshoring. One thing Obama did was double the grant money available to businesses to make manufacturing more efficient here in the US. Also, he's worked hard (along with Congressional Dems) to remove any tax deductions from corporations that move their jobs offshore. That one is stalled, but it's still being addressed and was only introduced in the 2014 budget (in it's current form, they've tried before) There is more going on than I think most people realize and while it doesn't seem to matter when you don't have a job, all the little things are gradually reducing unemployment numbers.

Put every repugnut/tea bagger on unemployment.

Talk about lazy leeches sucking on the government's largesse! That would be a Republican.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

What? Grow a spine........

exposure, if not corporate media, social media, word by mouth! Although Boner will stop it before a vote cause the long term unemployed are just lazzzzyyyyyyyy, ummmm, sounds like the GOPers who don't work for their salary huh.

Anywho, Americans should know who is deny this as well as Veteran benefits.