Alison Grimes Pressures Mitch McConnell to Extend Unemployment Benefits

Kentucky Democratic Senatorial candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes pressured her Republican opponent Mitch McConnell ahead of today’s Senate vote on extending unemployment benefits by demanding that he do his job for the people by voting to extend them.

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Ms. Grimes issued a statement saying, “What I recognize, and what Mitch McConnell lost sight of long ago, is that the long-term unemployed are not a set of numbers – they are real people, tens of thousands of our fellow Kentuckians, good people, hard-working people, unable to support themselves and their families because of devastating circumstances beyond their control. I strongly urge Mitch McConnell to support the bipartisan effort in the Senate to extend unemployment benefits. Doing so will restore the only source of income for many in Kentucky, including the 1,200 coal miners in Pike County who recently lost their jobs.”

Under pressure. That’s Mitch McConnell. With the two tied in the last ten polls — and Mitch trailing in some, it might behoove McConnell to betray his party and do something for the people on jobs finally.

But McConnell is stuck between a tea bag and a fierce champion for the people. He has to appease the tea first and then pivot in the general to pretend he cares about the people. If only Alison Grimes would stop bringing jobs up now, in the primary…

Meanwhile, McConnell spent the morning trying to revive the Republican IRS fable as a Big Bad Guy distraction. McConnell’s message to the people of Kentucky is “Hate the IRS more than you hate me, and vote for me because you always do, not because I’m going to do anything for you. IRS! IRS! Benghazi! ObamaCare!”

All Grimes has to do is keep hammering home the message that this is about policy, not fear. This is about jobs. Real jobs. This is about having a representative who actually wants to work for the people. It’s a choice, really, between listening to Mitch McConnell endlessly decry GOP Boogie Men like the IRS or someone who doesn’t have to make excuses for why they aren’t doing anything. Someone who isn’t afraid to discuss the real issues of the people.

Like jobs and long term unemployment benefits. Something Mitch McConnell might see differently one day, if he keeps this up.

Sarah Jones

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