We can STILL STOP the Bush tax cuts in the House...

[Joanne98]

Getting the votes to extend Bush tax policy isn't a sure thing

by Jed Lewison
Mon Dec 06, 2010 at 10:17:20 AM PST

Howard Fineman:

WASHINGTON -- While the public focus of the Great Tax Battle remains riveted on the U.S. Senate, top Democratic insiders are privately worried about the real lame-duck end game: a last-minute, potentially deal-breaking revolt by Democrats in the House.

That's why Vice-President Joe Biden and White House Interim Chief of Staff Pete Rouse invited House Democratic Leaders to the VP's mansion Saturday night for what turned out to be a two-hour meeting.

The existence of the meeting has been reported, but not the contents.

The topic, according to a source close to outgoing (but still in charge) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was how to cajole liberal Democrats in the lower chamber into accepting the results of the deal President Barack Obama and Senate Republicans are trying to cut.

As Fineman points out, the House has already passed a tax cut plan by a 234-188 margin. The Senate voted to support the House plan by a 53-36 margin, but thanks to the filibuster rule's 60-vote requirement, Republicans were able to block it.

But while Republicans may have succeeded in blocking a permanent extension of tax cuts for the middle-class, that doesn't mean they have the votes to continue Bush tax policy -- even if they reach a deal with the White House.

In the Senate, where Chuck Schumer has argued Democrats should consider refusing to support any deal, Republicans would need to pick up 18 Democratic votes to overcome a filibuster -- and that assumes every Republican is willing to support the deal. Given that all but five Democrats voted to support the House-passed plan, the GOP and the White House would need to flip 13 Democrats.

Meanwhile, in the House, there were 188 votes against a permanent extension of tax cuts for just the middle-class. Even if Republicans and the White House held onto all 188 votes and won back the three Republicans who voted for the middle-class tax cuts and the eight who didn't vote, they'd still need to get 19 Democrats to flip sides. Keep in mind that 20 Democrats were among the 188 who voted against the tax cuts -- Republicans and the White House would need 19 more Democrats to get a deal done.

The bottom-line is this: it's a mistake to assume that the votes are there to continue Bush tax policy. We know that there's majority support for a permanent extension of middle-class tax cuts, but any deal that forces Democrats to abandon that permanent extension AND agree to continue Bush tax cuts for the wealthy is going to be a very, very tough sell. If enough Democrats stand their ground, it will be an impossible one.

:: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/12/6/926060/-Getting-the-votes-to-extend-Bush-tax-policy-isnt-a-sure-thing

[LaPera]

1. The TEN YEAR deficit raising tax cuts for the wealthiest have produced NO jobs

for Americans - (But those same 10 year tax cuts that have made the rich so much richer, just as those same tax cuts for the rich have made our country poorer and deeper in debt).

Yet these same greedy republicans want to give hundreds of billions of our tax dollars to the greediest 2% who always want more and more and more......

These same greedy who don't want their billions of dollars tax cuts that have produced NO jobs in the 10 years since the Clinton administration taxed the wealthiest more fairly giving us peace and prosperity....

These ten he TEN YEAR deficit raising tax cuts for the wealthiest have produced NO jobs

for Americans - (But those same 10 year tax cuts that have made the rich so much richer, just as those same tax cuts for the rich have made our country poorer and deeper in debt).

Yet these same greedy republicans want to give hundreds of billions of our tax dollars to the greediest 2% who always want more and more and more......

These same greedy who don't want their billions of dollars tax cuts that have produced NO jobs in the 10 years since the Clinton administration taxed the wealthiest more fairly giving us peace and prosperity....

The ten-year tax cuts were meant to and should be allowed tot EXPIRE on Dec 31st 2010.

Good riddance!!

President Obama don't cave in to the republican demands....again!

[rfranklin]

4. I don't even think it is about the money from the tax breaks at this point...

It is about destroying the Dems and the New Deal. And even more just about crushing the Dems.

I have seen rich folks go to court and spend tens of thousands to win a dispute over a few thousand dollars billed (justifiably) by a supplier. The point was not the money, the point was to win.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. BINGO! McConnell came right out and said it..

[bluestateguy]

2. Washington Establishmentarian Howard Fineman can't even get people to go on the record

Anonymous sources are cowards.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. This sounds very promising...but I have a couple of questions:

I would LOVE to see the House shove this whole "compromise" where the sun don't shine...but

What if it is tied to the extension of unemployment? Will that be enough to change minds into supporting it?
It is not enough for me, but I do not have a seat in the House of Reps.

AND

After January 1, can the repukes just turn around and create their own bill to extend the tax cuts.
They will rule the House by then..and the Dems have not done much with their majority in the Senate...so I would not want to count on them blocking anything.....especially with the "Great Compromiser" in the White House.

[Vincardog]

5. After January 1, can the repukes just turn around and create their own bill to extend the tax cuts.

YES they can but The DEMOCRATIC Senate can kill it.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. ...but...but...WILL THEY????

:scared: :shrug: :shrug:

[Waiting For Everyman]

8. What I'd do if I were the House Dems

Let it be known that if the Senate compromise includes extending the tax cuts for the rich, that the House Dems will ABSTAIN. That way, they neither vote for the rich tax cuts, nor vote against UE extension.

Then, come up with a new 'Obama' tax cut in January for only the middle class. Keep having the same battle over and over again if necessary, until it's really clear for voters what it's about and why. Make the Repigs keep trying to get the rich tax cuts back, just like the Dems had to keep doing the extended battle over HCR.

This is war, and it's ugly without any good choices, but that's what I'd do (as a strategy).

[badtoworse]

9. That will be a disaster

In January, there will be higher withholding taxes for everyone and no extension of UI. The reason? President Obama negotiated a deal with the Repub's that would have fixed those problems, but his own party wouldn't go along. The Repub's won't get blamed - they were willing to play ball. Congressional Democrats will be blamed, Obama will look stupid and the public will be furious. McConnell will be on the sideline laughing his ass off.

[howaboutme]

11. Let's call their bluff on unemployment and cancel all tax cuts

The Republicans put the expiration on the tax cuts when they passed the bills in 2001 and 2003. Let them expire. If not they will become permanent under the Republicans in 2012 and they will use that to end everything that benefits most Americans.

I called my officials today and asked them to allow the tax cuts to end. I said it is time we all started to pay down our debt, and it is time for this generation to pay for the endless wars and time for those who have done the best to pay even more. Those on Wall Street should pay a punitive tax on their gains and on their income and on assets because the gains were ill gotten.

The gutless Ds need to take a stand or there will be nothing to differentiate them from the irresponsible greed and war mongers that call themselves Republicans.

[Hannah Bell]

10. kr