JEFFERSONVILLE —  

Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning’s recent filibuster was a gleaming example how my party, the Republican Party, has become the voice of “no.”

Regardless of the pain caused, Republicans have decided to throw up roadblock after roadblock throwing Congress into gridlock. In the last year alone, Republicans forced more than 100 filibusters. On average, that’s more than two per week.

As a result of Bunning’s filibuster, nearly 1.2 million unemployed Americans could have lost their benefits. Of these 1.2 million people, 14,000 were Senator Bunning’s constituents. Medicare payments were delayed and federal transportation workers were forced into taking unpaid furloughs because of this as well. The Lexington Herald-Leader called this nothing more than “callous grandstanding,” and I have to agree. 

What’s worse yet was the silence from the Republican leadership. Where were Sen. McConnell and Sen. Lugar while this was going on? Who among Republicans spoke out against this?

None that I saw. Not only did the two Republican hopefuls for his seat, Trey Grayson and Rand Paul, not criticize Bunning’s actions, they actually endorsed them. They endorsed cutting off benefits to 14,000 unemployed constituents.

And, as any economist will tell you, as a stimulus for the economy, nothing works better than unemployment benefits, as this money is spent immediately. Why would Republicans be so slow to criticize a senator who is blocking such legislation?

Only a month after being crowned the darling of national conservatives, Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts was branded “Benedict Brown” for siding with Democrats in favor of a jobs bill endorsed by the Obama administration. Brown said his vote was about jobs, not party politics.

The four other GOP senators who voted for that bill were also criticized. These five Republican senators voted “yes” to a bill that would create jobs and they were demonized for it. Why? 

It was a bill endorsed by the White House. It didn’t matter that it created jobs. It didn’t matter that it would help the constituents of these senators. It didn’t matter that it was the right thing to do.

It was President Obama’s bill and that meant that every Republican was to say “no” and any Republican voting “yes” was taken to the wood shed. It seems that the only way to prevent being called a traitor is to say no, lest ye feel the wrath of the right-wing media and the Republican leadership.

I am embarrassed by the partisan politics being played by the party that I have been a member of my entire life. I am tired of the leadership of my party caring more about the opinions of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity — who appear to be the true Republican leadership — than the well-being of their constituents. And I am tired of the Republican leadership sitting on their hands while the American people suffer. 

We need people of action. We need people who reject being the voice of no to the detriment of us all, saying instead “where is the common ground” and “how can we make this work.”

We need people who are willing to do their jobs rather than preventing others from doing theirs.

— Jeffrey Knoebel, Charlestown