Imagery

Apparently, once wasn't enough. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is back in Las Vegas today. This time, he's doing a fancy Strip fundraiser. And once again, he's refusing to do any media.

Hmmm... We wonder why. Could it be the troubling optics of doing a glitzy Wynn fundraiser while our Republican Senator, Dean Heller, & four other Senate Republicans demand he allow a floor vote in his chamber on the unemployment insurance (UI) extension bill that's about to pass the Senate? Perhaps that wouldn't be the best image to present to the media?

And oh, yes. That's right. It's finally about to pass the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) just filed for cloture. And he should now have at least 60 Senate votes for it.

So far, House Republican "leaders" have said they're "not worried" about UI extension. Are they that unaware of the over 2 million Americans (including over 26,000 Nevadans) who are suffering due to their intransigence? Are they that unwilling to end the unnecessary hardship of these people, many of whom live in their districts?

Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) should know better. He represents a wide swath of one of states hit hardest by the Great Recession. He must realize the economic impact of leaving over 26,000 Nevadans unable to pay their bills, buy groceries, and keep roofs over their heads. And he must realize how even more Nevadans will feel about the 113th Congress he's serving in should Congress go to recess without a House #RenewUI vote.

Lately, we've seen Republican "leaders" feign concern over their public image. We've seen them deliver flowery speeches on "fighting poverty". Yet when we compare their language to their votes, we find a huge disconnect. While they claim they want to alleviate poverty, they're promoting policies that worsen it. And their resistance to #RenewUI only further cuts down that "rebranded" image they're trying to present to us.

We really don't want to sound like a broken GIF. And we're sure you're doing this now. But really, this is the reaction we have when Republican "leaders" talk about cosmetic political imagery while failing to do something to alleviate the unnecessary hardship of way too many Americans.

And really, we couldn't stay silent on this when Speaker Boehner came into town to headline another swanky fundraiser while even our Republican US Senator is begging him (& Rep. Heck) to schedule a #RenewUI vote already. No really, that's some f**ked up imagery right there.