In the race for governor, the issue of unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania is not just about this state. It is as much a proxy for a national debate playing out in Washington, D.C.

When Attorney General Tom Corbett, the Republican nominee, recently made some hard-nosed comments about the unemployed, his comments echoed observations made earlier by Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl and other GOP members.

After meeting with some business owners, Mr. Corbett told a Harrisburg public radio station on July 9 that "the jobs are there," but he said some people are intentionally staying unemployed to collect benefits. "People don't want to come back to work while they still have unemployment" benefits, he said. "They're literally telling [employers] 'I'll come back to work when the employment runs out.' That's becoming a problem ... If we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there."

When his opponent, Dan Onorato, swiftly counter-attacked, the Allegheny County executive's comments reflected the Democratic Party line in Washington. He blamed Mr. Corbett for "blaming the victims" and wondered what world he was living in.

A political world. Mr. Onorato, who is trailing in the polls, has almost gleefully been exploiting a political opening, but he has the better of this argument. The state has a 9.1 percent unemployment rate and tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians are trying to find employment. Not only does putting money into their pockets help the economy, but helping struggling families to survive is also the decent thing to do.

Mr. Corbett's anecdotal stories may be true for some, but it is far from the whole reality. There's any number of other people who tell of desperate and unsuccessful struggles to find a job.

In advance of the U.S. Senate trying again today to extend unemployment benefits, President Barack Obama on Monday blasted the "partisan minority" who have thwarted previous efforts. Maybe what happens on Capitol Hill will be the last word on the argument between Mr. Onorato and Mr. Corbett.

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