Jim Bunning Blocks Unemployment Extensions, Embarrasses Kentucky Again

Although he will be retiring from the Senate at the end of his term, Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning is still working to achieve the high standards set for him in a 2006 Time Magazine article that called him one of the worst senators in the United States. As extensions of unemployment benefits were set to expire for an estimated 1.2 million workers at the end of February, Bunning was the lone holdout in approving an extension for them. Time and time again when asked to reconsider, Bunning stood his ground. Bunning says he isn't opposed to paying for it. His concern, according to CNN, is that Congress is approving the extension without a method of paying it. As the New York Times notes, Bunning's opposition not only caused unemployment benefits to expire for thousands, it also resulted in the furlough of 2,000 workers for the Department of Transportation, and could result in drastic Medicare reimbursement cuts. It isn't as though Bunning didn't have to pay the price for his opposition. As he noted, "I have missed the Kentucky-South Carolina game that started at 9:00, and it's the only redeeming chance we had to beat South Carolina since they're the only team that has beat Kentucky this year."

Having been one of Jim Bunning's constituents since he was first elected to Congress back in 1987, I can say that Bunning latest obstruction is one in a long line of embarrassments from Kentucky's junior senator. Time Magazine's noted in its 2006 article that Bunning has a reputation of being surly with staffers and fellow members of Congress and that he seems to show little interest in legislation, unless it deals with the Major League Hall of Famer's favorite sport, baseball. Bunning often seems out of touch with his state and reality. A March 7, 2009 article by Time Magazine, points out Bunning's many gaffes, from not knowing what was happening during a flood in Kentucky's biggest city, Louisville, to his claiming a staffer had been attacked, to stating one of his opponents looked like Saddam Hussein's son. In fact, only weeks before his one man blockage of the extension of unemployment benefits, Jim Bunning was the only senator to miss a key vote on health reform.

As a Kentucky resident of 35 years, it has been tough to see someone who has done so little for the state continue to get elected. While I am not a fan of his fellow senator, Mitch McConnell, Mitch's office is responsive to his constituents, and Mitch at least seems to usually understand the interests of the state. Bunning has done little for Kentucky except get us noticed for all the wrong reasons. Indeed, it seems as though Bunning's ineffectiveness and gaffes were too much for even his own party, with Mitch McConnell refusing to offer much support for a Bunning reelection bid in the upcoming election. This resulted in Bunning deciding to retire. But apparently not without trying to make a few waves.

Kentucky has been mired for years in the bottom of the state statistics that matter most from literacy to teenage pregnancy rates. These factors and others ensure that Kentucky will have difficulty positioning itself against other states in attracting high paying jobs and decent employers. The depressed economy has hit the state hard, with unemployment at 10.6% in December. If Sen. Bunning wanted to make a stand on the deficit, it should not have been in a manner that threatened the financial welfare of thousands in a state that has never been rich with decent paying jobs.

Sadly, it appears as though the GOP candidates who are now competing for Jim Bunning's Senate seat both support the actions of the ineffective outgoing senator. According to the Lexington Herald Leader, both Dr. Rand Paul and Trey Grayson have come out in support of Bunning's political grandstanding. Dr. Rand Paul, son of Texas Representative Ron Paul, is even going so far as to hold a rally on behalf of Bunning on March 2, 2010.

As a Kentuckian, I'm embarrassed at the actions of Jim Bunning. Hopefully Kentuckians will realize the ineffectiveness of Bunning and select someone with more character, integrity and concern for the people of this state than our outgoing senator.