Katrina vanden Heuvel: The GOP: Gobbling up our blessings

[flpoljunkie]

The GOP: Gobbling up our blessings
By Katrina vanden Heuvel
Tuesday, November 23, 2010;

Thanksgiving may be a time to give thanks for our blessings, but in Washington, the resurgent Republican conservatives want needy Americans to have fewer of them. The new Republicans have the same old leaders - and their passion hasn't changed. It isn't about offering a hand up to the afflicted - it's about handouts to the connected.

In the lame-duck session now convened until the end of the year, Republicans have continued their strategy of obstruction - opposing the New START treaty, opposing repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," opposing consideration of immigration reform, opposing even passage of appropriations for the current year. Their passion is focused on getting one thing done. They will run through the wall to extend the extra tax cuts enjoyed by those, largely millionaires, earning more than $250,000 a year.

Forget about deficit reduction. According to Republicans, these tax cuts - costing an estimated $700 billion over the next decade - need not be balanced by spending cuts, or "paid for" in the Washington parlance.

At the same time, Republicans are willing to filibuster to block extension of unemployment benefits to the long-term unemployed. They won't sign on, they say, unless there are cuts in domestic spending to offset the extension. The basic support of the families of more than 3 million workers will begin to expire at the end of this month. So much for holiday cheer.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/23/AR2010112303873.html