Can I Get An Oh My! – HOUSE PASSES MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT!
This afternoon, House Democrats will hold an up or down vote on vote on President Obama’s plan to extend tax cuts to income below $250,000, and they’ve figured out a way to prevent the Republicans from pulling procedural tricks that might sink it — a straight vote on whether or not wealthy people deserve an additional tax break.
[…]
The first was to hold an up-or-down vote under the normal rules. But that would give Republicans the opportunity to introduce what’s known as a motion to recommit — a procedural right of the minority that would have allowed them to tack an extension of tax cuts for high-income earners on to the legislation.
The second option — suspending the rules — would have foreclosed on that right, but would have required a two-thirds majority of the House for passage: 290 votes, an impossible hurdle.
How are they going to stop the procedural tricks?
But Democrats figured out a way to avoid this. They’re attaching their tax cut plan as an amendment to a separate bill [the Airport and Airway Extension Act, to wit]. That legislation already passed the House, and has just been returned from the Senate. The rules say it can’t be recommitted. So the GOP’s hands are tied.
Go Nancy! Make the Republicans vote against middleclass tax cuts!
UPDATE: Via TPM
The vote is still going and it’s not a final tally, but there are enough yes votes for it now — 228 — to pass.
HOUSE PASSES MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT
Final vote: 234-188
Sorry to burst your bubble Pandora BUT, in the end, a deal will be made where the Bush-era tax cuts will remain, at least temporarily, to ALL Americans for at least two years.
This Stunt (vote) is only to appease progressives like yourself and has no real bearing on reality save for to make you feel all gooey inside.
By this evening or tonight, a deal will be made: extension for ALL Americans in exchange for UI benefit extension for 6 – 12 months.
Besides, ole’ Nancy has to have something to lift her spirits since her military flight privileges are up in a week or so.
Done!
The “stunt” vote will accomplish one thing – making Republicans vote against the middle class. (And, yes, I realize the problem in the Senate)
But this “stunt” puts Republicans in a bad position. So, yeah, I’m loving it.
odds are 10:1 that even if this works, the news report will be that Obama raised taxes on small businesses. and since people believe headlines and beckian rumors, once again a tax cut from the Obama administration will go un noticed, unappreciated and will be remembered as a tax on christians.
Good one. Now prove that it isn’t just Kabuki theater – Nancy, block any new bill to extend the tax cuts for the rich.
Remember back in 2006-2007 when you kept blocking Democratic Social Security bills, even good ones to raise the cap – because you knew they would get mischevious amendments added on that would be hard to kill?
We need some of that mojo again now, Nancy.
And needless to say, now is the time for Obama to make an address to the nation explaining the importance of letting the tax cuts for the rich expire. Claim the high ground against the deficit. Promise to veto any bill that contains tax cuts for the rich. Promise to veto any and all Republican business until a clean middle class tax cut is on your desk.
My the air is thin up here…
LOL, anon!
The vote should happen soon. Can’t wait for the list of names.
Once again, the only Democratic leader showing proverbial balls is Nancy Pelosi.
We’re halfway there. Now just block the inevitable “full extension” bill in the House and 100 Senators’ heads will explode.
Remember the House also passed a public option.
why is this a big deal?
it’s like me saying you can have a $1,000,000 if my wife OK’s it.
And me knowing full well she ain’t gonna approve it.
And what is the point of making people stand up and have to vote against it? As Maddow pointed out last night, they have been saying no to tons of shit for 4 years. How is this going to change anything.
Especially when we have a President offering up negotiating chips before he begins to negotiate.
Christ I give up.
Here…you can have my millions. Go ahead and start spending it while I check with the wife…
So… since it’s all useless, because of the Senate, we should do nothing? I thought doing nothing – not even trying – was one of your complaints?
I give up.
The original Bush Tax cuts were passed via reconciliation. Can’t the Senate pass this with 50 Senators plus Biden?
BTW, win or lose, at least Pelosi tries, which is something Obomba and Reid rarely do.
Yes, it’s usesless. It’s political theatre so people like yourself cheer and say that doing something that we ALL know will result in nothing is better than doing nothing and getting the same result.
Pandora, I’m all for doing something that has the the chance of achieving something.
Like say…actually making the GOP FIllibuster instead of NOT VOTING B/C they say they are going to fillibuster.
I’d like to think you are smarter than falling for this.
Yeah, it passed the house, but it won’t pass the Senate, where the Republicans are currently blocking too many items of Obama’s agenda (notably START treaty, DREAM, and unemployment compensation).
So Obama will likely give tax cuts for the wealthy(or successful as some would put it) in exchange for two of the three mentioned above. Obama values unemployment compensation or the START treaty more than the blocking tax cuts for the wealthy.
I’m sorry, but it’s not just the GOP blocking the agenda.
The Dem’s can’t even get all 58 people in their own party to vote Yea on O’s agenda.
When will people learn that this isn’t just the Democrats?
can someone tell me how many times the Democrats actually forced the GOP to actually Filibuster?
The Democrats can’t force the Republicans to do the “Mr. Smith” type filibuster. The rules don’t work that way – under current rules the burden is on the majority. Yes, this is why I say the Senate is ridiculous. Luckily the Senate will get to vote on new rules in January. Ther’s lots of different proposals but most of them will end the worst abuses.
BTW, the Senate hasn’t voted on these tax cuts yet. They may as early as Saturday but it’s doubtful it will get to the floor because Republicans will filibuster. The tax cuts can’t be made permanent by reconciliation because bills passed through reconciliation must be budget-neutral. That’s why they sunset in the first place.
thanks for the explanation…I missed it on Maddow last night 🙂
Any notice Castle voted against, as a big final “fuck you” to the middle class? I won’t miss that fucking guy at all.
Yeah, it passed the house, but it won’t pass the Senate
Fine with me! Smells like victory!
Is this true? Coons wants to support Republican framing and extend ALL the glorious “Bush tax cuts” that ushered in our current golden age of prosperity.
I’ve only seen it on a wingnut blog so far, so…? Anyway, if true, no pretend bellyaching about the deficit.
Yes. Coons and Carney are on record as pre-capitulating. Not sure about Carper.
Coons flipped two weeks before the election (via Stephanopoulos):
Coons then walked it part-way back on his swearing-in day with the “permanently” weasel word:
What you really ought to be asking yourselves is why the Democrats didn’t do this before the elections!
I’ve got to tell you: the Democrats are stupid! The Democrats’ class warfare bill was the wrong thing to do, but there’s no denying that it would have been popular to extend the tax cuts for everybody but the highest producers. If they had voted on a bill to do just that before the election, the Republicans would have found themselves in the uncomfortable position of voting for higher taxes on the poor and middle class right before an election, and if they stuck to that, some of the Republicans who won last month might have lost. More probable would have been a Republican cave in to the Democrats’ plans.
Unless the Democrats really wanted to just let all of the tax cuts expire — which a few admit publicly but I think many more wish privately — then not offering up that kind of bill in September or October was about as dumb a move as I can imagine from them. We were spared having to agree to the Democrats’ version of the bill, can now push the one we want, and it let the GOP paint the Democrats as tax-raisers in the November elections. Could the Democrats have done it any worse than they did? 🙂
You know, we Republicans really ought to thank the Democrats! After kicking our butts with the porkulus plan and ObaminableCare, things which really helped us politically, they then set about not doing their primary jobs (the appropriations bills) and handed us the opening we needed on the tax cut extension.