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Republicans just killed unemployment benefit extensions for Americans out of pettiness and with an eye toward political gain. They know that if the Democrats can’t help the economy by this fall, the Democrats will suffer at the polls.

The AP reports:

“Republicans in the Senate have defeated an election-year bill to continue weekly jobless benefits for millions of long-term unemployed workers. The 57-41 loss was a major blow for President Barack Obama and Democrats. They needed three more votes — for a total of 60 — to stop a GOP filibuster.

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The rejected bill would also have provided billions of dollars in new aid, protecting the jobs of tens of thousands of state and local government workers as the country begins to emerge from the worst recession in seven decades.

Democrats have been trying to advance the measure for months as an insurance policy against a double-dip recession.

Despite another round of cuts to the measure aimed at pacifying GOP deficit concerns, not a single Republican broke with party leaders determined to kill the measure for adding more than $30 billion to the deficit.”

Not only do they not care about out of work Americans, but they don’t care if America slides into a depression. In fact, they are doing everything they can to ensure that happens so that they can use it to regain power.

“The latest version of the measure contains a variety of provisions sought by lawmakers in both parties, blending jobless aid averaging about $300 a week with the renewal of dozens of tax cuts sought by business groups and a host of other legislation. It is considerably smaller than a version that passed with GOP help just three months ago.”

When the GOP won’t even vote yes on their own ideas, it’s clear that they have a political agenda and that agenda has nothing to do with helping America right now.

Republicans who are oozing with sympathy for poor BP can’t muster one iota of concern or sympathy for Americans who are suffering right now. This is truly disgraceful.

There is a time and place for partisan politics, and this isn’t it. This isn’t about the deficit, it’s about November. Once again, the Republican Party shows where its true loyalty lay – and that’s to its own power.

It looks like the Democrats will have to use reconciliation to govern around the Party of No once again. Expect to hear squeals about a tyrannical government coming soon from your local Fox outlet.