In yet another example of revisionist history, MSNBC.com’s Suzy Khimm conveniently blamed the GOP for Congress’s failure to extend unemployment benefits, leaving out how Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has repeatedly prevented votes on GOP amendments to offset unemployment benefit spending with cuts elsewhere.
Khimm lamented how "With a major snowstorm approaching the East Coast, Congress decided on Wednesday it had some urgent business to take care of before going home for recess…extending federal unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless didn’t make the list."
Khimm continued her piece by pulling at the heartstrings of her readers before taking aim at Republicans in Congress:
For Robert Beavers, 56, that means more weeks of worrying whether his heat and lights will get cut off again. His unemployment check helped him keep the lights on since he lost his job unloading trucks at a meat factory in central Ohio. When the checks stopped coming, “that kind of crippled me,” said Beavers, whose car was recently repossessed.
In typical MSNBC fashion, Khimm rewrote history and blamed the GOP for unemployment benefits not being extended:
By the smallest of margins, Republicans continue to block the renewal of federal jobless aid, and there’s nothing that Democrats can do until one GOP members moves over…The Republican-driven deadlock has been deeply infuriating for Donald Mohr, a 61-year-old manager who worked in manufacturing for more than 40 years before being laid off.
“It’s just a travesty-this is not what America is supposed to be about. They [Republicans] can rest assured when it comes time to vote, they’re not going to get mine again” groaned Mr. Mohr.
Khimm’s only evidence to support her argument were quotes from Mr. Mohr, who repeatedly slammed the GOP, and a poll from the liberal Public Policy Polling which suggested that “Republicans could indeed pay a political price for opposing the extension of jobless aid.”
The MSNBC reporter didn’t bother to mention that in reality it was Senate Majority Leader Harry Read (D-Nev.) who had objected to GOP attempts to extend unemployment benefits provided they were paid for. According to The Hill, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “wanted to offer at least two amendments that he said would help pay for the three-month extension: delaying ObamaCare's individual insurance mandate for one year and restoring a $6 billion cut in military retiree benefits.”
Instead, Khimm decided to ignore the true culprit in the unemployment benefits fight, and dishonestly blamed the GOP for its demise. The article ended with a complaint that “there’s no sign on Capitol Hill that Republicans are worried about feeling the heat. Even if the Senate passes an extension, there’s likely to be an even bigger fight in the House. And the political prospects for any action are dimming by the day.”
For good measure, Khimm had to throw in a quote from Judi Conti of the liberal National Unemployment Law Project to whine that “the longer this goes on, the harder it will be for sure, but no one is giving up.”
