Assholes Redux

That's really the only way to characterize Tom Coburn and Jim Bunning, aka the Sphincter Brothers. After all, as Think Progress notes,

Last week, Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), blocked an extension of unemployment benefits, claiming that they objected to granting the extension without offsetting it with a spending cut elsewhere. Last month, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) and a handful of his Republican allies did the same thing, with Bunning telling Democrats who wanted to pass an extension by unanimous consent “tough sh*t.”

Ergo, how big of an asshole do you have to be to oppose extending flood coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program after the worst flooding some states have seen in over a century (such as in Rhode Island, in which the Warwick Mall was submerged in two to three feet of water)? Other states got hit hard such as New Jersey, Connecticut and my state of Massachusetts.

But the Republicans, as always, have a method to their madness: Roll Call avers that when Congress comes back on April 12th, they plan on blaming the lapsed extensions on Democrats. Even if it was true that Democrats are to blame for this, I'm sure that won't come as more than cold comfort for the 5.5 million policy holders who will in all likelihood be adversely affected by this latest round of Republican obstructionism and oneupmanship.

Not all Republicans are on board. Even Massachusetts junior Senator Scott Brown, the newest member of the higher chamber, said on his website,

I am pleased the Obama Administration has recognized this urgent need and declared the Commonwealth a federal disaster area. With so many individuals, communities, families and businesses impacted by the record rainfall, together with the delegation, I will work to ensure that much-needed federal aid reaches those areas that need it as quickly as possible.

Note that neither Coburn (R-OK) nor Bunning (R-KY) represent states affected by the flooding, so it's real easy to be courageous when you don't have to face enraged homeowners without insurance in your home state and especially, as in the case of Bunning, you're retiring from public service.