While Republicans fiddle, the American economy is burning down

Original Link: http://www.americablog.com/2009/02/while-republicans-fiddle-american.html

by Joe Sudbay

While House Republicans are planning a Taliban-like insurgency (seriously, that's how Rep. Pete Sessions described it) and Senate Republicans continue their delusional and disturbing games (36 of the 41 them voted to remove all spending from the stimulus last night), the American people continue to suffer:
The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits hit a 26-year high last week, according to government data on Thursday that showed the economy remains on a deep downward track.

In addition, the number of people staying on the benefit rolls hit a record high in the week ended January 24, showing the weak labor market has yet to hit bottom.
It's all fun and games for the Republicans on Capitol Hill and their leader, Rush Limbaugh -- even as the economy continues to spiral down. Is there any possibility that political reporters will actually grasp that there are real world implications to what's not happening on Capitol Hill? Doesn't anyone at CNN look around and realize how many of their colleagues (i.e. Kelli Arena and Miles O'Brien) aren't there any more? Outside of the DC bubble, this economic crisis is real.