Image by Gage Skidmore via FlickrDid you ever think that one lone Senator could stop government in its tracks? Well, where were you when, for five days, retiring Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) held his fellow Republicans hostage. He stood his ground, angry and alone, a one-man blockade against unemployment benefits, Medicare payments to doctors, satellite TV. He had forced about 2,000 federal employees into furloughs and imperiled jobless benefits for millions. Now it's Sen. DeMint's turn to play Emperor and end legislative activity.(South Carolina Senator) Jim DeMint is blocking almost all legislation until the election, reports Manu Raju of Politico: "Bret Bernhardt, DeMint's chief of staff, said in an e-mail to GOP aides that his boss would place a hold on all legislation that has not been cleared by both parties by the end of the day Tuesday... With the Senate slated to adjourn Thursday until after the elections, DeMint's stance could mean trouble for Democrats if the two parties don't quickly agree on a stopgap spending measure to keep the government operating past Sept. 30. And that could mean the demise of a slew of other stalled and largely non-controversial bills that both parties are looking to clear before Election Day."
Will fellow Republicans play partisian politics orchestrated by Chancellor DeMint? Let's see how this one plays out.
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