House Passes Middle Class Tax Cuts; Senate to Vote Saturday

Image from JackTimes

Earlier in the day, when news came down that extending the middle-class tax cuts passed the House, I couldn't resist taking a peek at a right-wing site to see what they were saying.  Mostly it was a bunch of snark that the vote was meaningless, since it will never pass the Senate.  Now, roll that around in your head a little bit: right-wingers are supporting Republicans voting against tax cuts. Only three House Republicans voted for them.  The Republicans in the House essentially voted for taxes to go up on every American.  Sure, it's all a ploy to try and make Democrats look bad, but still.

Developments in just the last hour may change the way that Republicans and conservatives look at the math, though. Harry Reid has scheduled two votes on Saturday: 1) A vote to extend tax cuts to people making $250,000 per year or less, and 2) A vote to extend tax cuts to people making more than a quarter million dollars.  How exactly are Republican Senators going to play that one? Vote no on both bills, and be held responsible for everyone's taxes going up? Vote yes on both bills, and watch a likely Democratic defeat of the bonuses for billionaires? Or will they pull some stalling tactic out of their asses, and just let the tax breaks expire for everybody?  Any way you slice it, the Repubicans' use of the party of no behavior probably won't work here. I don't say this often, but I'm proud of my Senator, Harry Reid right now.

[Excerpt]

Reid Says Senate Will Vote Saturday on Two Democratic Tax Plans



The U.S. Senate plans to vote Dec. 4 on two Democratic proposals to extend Bush-era income-tax cuts, Majority Leader Harry Reid said tonight. . .


Read more at: Bloomberg Businessweek