Portman Rises To Top Of Mythiness List

Well, we knew the moment would arrive when Sen. Rob Portman would vault to the top of the Ohio Republican mythiness list. He earned the title by voting against a 90-day extension of unemployment benefits. It dashed the notion (carelessly distributed in the media) that he is a “moderate” which, in GOP circles, is slightly to the right of socialism.

The measure lost by one vote in the Senate – O-N-E – which could have been avoided if Portman had voted for it after the Dems, on hands-and -knees, excluded banning unemployed millionaires (!!!) from the bill. I’m not sure how the one per centers got into the bill, but they would be the last people that the GOP would want to annoy.

Portman said he liked that part of it, but still couldn’t bring himself to vote to save the benefits of 48,000 Ohioans as well as 1.7 million unemployed Americans. Bottom line: The aginners, as has been the trademark of the Republican class, said America couldn’t afford the cost.

Speaking of the jobless: Wouldn’t you think that somebody in the Republican caucus would have called the New York Yankees front office to chip in the pay of Alex Rodriguez, who is currently suspended and out of work himself. It would have nicely covered the cost of the extension.

But where would that that leave our Sen. Portman as he obediently defends the faith of his conservative colleagues? Folks, you can see how tough it is these days to be a moderate Republican senator.