In power play, Senate Dems sneak middle class tax cuts past GOP
In a surprising power play by Harry Reid, Democrats just managed the unthinkable: They passed an initiative through the United States Senate by a simple majority vote. The plan, which extends the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, will never get through the GOP-controlled House, but Dems will be able to use it to cast Republicans as opponents of middle class tax relief.
The Senate voted just now by 51-48 to pass the Democratic plan to extend the Bush tax cuts on all income up to $250,000. That came just after the GOP plan to extend tax rates on all earners was defeated on a simple majority vote in the Senate.
To be clear: Republicans opposed the Dem plan on the grounds that it excluded only income above $250,000 earned by two percent of taxpayers.
This came after Mitch McConnell agreed this morning to majority votes on both plans, apparently because he didn’t think Harry Reid had enough votes to pass his. It’s a rare day that McConnell is outmaneuvered in the Senate. But this time, he was: Reid held on to even those vulnerable Dems in very tough races who held the line despite weeks of taunting from Republicans that supporting the Dem tax cut plan would allow GOPers to portray Dems as “tax hikers.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/in-power-play-senate-dems-sneak-middle-class-tax-cuts-past-gop/2012/07/25/gJQAlldm9W_blog.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
