Why Did Scott Brown Filibuster The Payroll Tax Cut?

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R-putz


Why Did Scott Brown Filibuster The Payroll Tax Cut?
By Pat Garofalo on Dec 2, 2011 at 10:01 am

Senate Republicans yesterday filibustered the Democrats’ legislation for extending the soon-to-expire payroll tax break, with the plan going down by a vote of 51-49 (shy of the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture). The GOP leadership’s alternative plan for extending the tax break went down by an overwhelming vote of 20-78.

The reason that the GOP voted down the Democrats’ plan is that it would have been paid for by a small surtax on income above $1 million. Just one Republican — Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) — broke with her colleagues, who have consistently protected tax breaks for the wealthy while showing little more than indifference about a tax increase on the middle class.

One of the most mystifying actors in this particular debate has been Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA). While he has been trying to play the populist recently, Brown voted with the GOP to protect tax breaks for the wealthy rather than tax millionaires. But earlier this week, Brown explained that he was fine with extending the payroll tax break without paying for it at all:

Brown declared Tuesday that he favors extending a payroll tax cut without finding a way to make up for the lost revenue, while last year he opposed extending unemployment benefits unless Congress offset the $56 billion cost. <...>

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1. I can't wait for the debates!

I just might have to get cable hooked back up for that!