Today in Washington, D.C. - Dec 3, 2010 - Dems Prioritize Political Show Votes Over Preventing Tax Hikes

Last night, the Senate agreed by unanimous consent to pass H.J. Res. 101, a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 18th.  Also, last night the House voted (333-79) to censure  Rep. Charles Rangel for breaking tax laws and House rules.  His liberal colleagues then applauded Rangel.  It is obvious, they do not get the seriousness of Rangel's actions or the reasons why the majority of America voted to change the make of the House in the 2010 elections. 

This morning, eleven of the 18 members of President Obama’s fiscal commission voted to support a controversial blueprint to slash deficits by nearly $4 trillion over the next decade -- too few to command a quick vote in Congress.  It would have taken 14 votes to move the blueprint forward.  The panel has proposed dramatic cuts in military spending, raising the future retirement age and eliminating popular tax breaks.  It will now be up to the next Congress to determine which items will be adopted.

Yesterday, House democrats in an effort to divide the country past continuance of the present tax cuts for those earning under $250,000. Unfortuantely, it is people and businesses earning over $250,000 that create and employ people. Today, we learned that November's job growth was far lower than expected and the unemployment rate rose to 9.8%; 15.1 million unemployed.  Obama's Big Government plans are failing. It is hoped that the Senate will reject this House bill and vote to extend the existing tax cuts for all taxpayers.  House Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement:

“The fiscal commission’s report provides a sobering look at the tough choices that lie ahead, and I thank Chairmen Bowles and Simpson, and the members of the commission, for advancing our national dialogue on this critical issue. As I have said before, we need to have an adult conversation with the American people about the scope of our fiscal challenges, and I believe the commission’s work will help do that.

“I’m especially appreciative of the work of the three House Republicans who served on the panel.  Paul Ryan, Dave Camp, and Jeb Hensarling will play leading roles in our new majority’s efforts to keep our pledge to America to cut spending and reduce the size of government.

“Washington’s spending spree threatens our children’s chase for the American Dream. At a time when the federal government is borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spends, the need for immediate and decisive action to stem the tide of red ink could not be clearer. Democrats and Republicans don’t have to wait until January to start cutting spending.  We can get started right now, and we should.”

However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has yet to get the message and scheduled two political show votes on Democrat tax proposals for Saturday: one on the House Democrats’ plan to raise taxes on those making over $250,000 per year, and Sen. Chuck Schumer’s “focus-group and polling data” generated plan to raise taxes on those making over $1 million per year.

In an op-ed for the Louisville Courier-Journal today, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell writes, “Job number one for Congress is to prevent a tax increase for any American. As the country continues to struggle out of a recession, economists agree that preventing tax increases is one of the most important things we can do to reassure middle-class families and small businesses, and boost the economy. Voters ratified that view one month ago by sending candidates from both parties to Washington who vowed not to raise taxes.”

Today’s disappointing unemployment news—unemployment rose to 9.8% (the 19^th straight month of unemployment exceeding 9%) and only 39,000 jobs were created in November—only underscores the importance of preventing tax hikes on any Americans. But as House Republican Leader John Boehner lamented this morning, “Unfortunately, Democratic leaders continue to insist on wasting time with meaningless votes as they try to make it as difficult as possible to stop their job-killing tax hike.  Families and small businesses have had enough of politicians in Washington talking about creating jobs while doing everything in their power to kill more jobs.  This is exactly the kind of Washington game-playing the American people voted against on Election Day.”

Yet Democrats still don’t seem to have gotten the message. House Democrat leaders held a vote on a bill raising taxes on those making over $250,000 per year yesterday, even though, as The Wall Street Journal reports today, “[t]he legislation is doomed in the Senate.” And Senate Democrats have decided to have Saturday show votes on two of their tax hike plans, the House bill and Sen. Chuck Schumer’s “focus-group and polling data” generated plan to raise taxes on those making over $1 million per year. Of course, neither of these proposals can get 60 votes in the Senate. Reuters’ headline from last night says it all: “Senate to take symbolic votes on taxes Saturday.”

Sen. McConnell expressed his frustration with Democrats’ game-playing last night, telling the AP Democrats need to “stop wasting time on political show-votes and focus on our priorities. It's time to get serious. It's time to extend the current tax rates and fund the government while cutting spending. Every day spent on a political show-vote is another day that Democrats won't be able to debate items that should actually pass.”

Even a growing chorus of Democrats has indicated they’re not interested in raising taxes on anyone in a recession. Still, Democrat leaders persist in a political show, egged on by their liberal base. As Kimberley Strassel writes in The Wall Street Journal today, “The antitax bipartisan majority is hoping these nonsense votes are a means for liberal Democrats to work through their issues, provide themselves a little political cover, and then join the rest of the grownups at the temporary-tax-extension-for-all table. But with these folks, you never know.”

It’s time for Democrats to stop playing political games and seriously address the priorities of the American people. Wasting time on meaningless show votes only serves to demonstrate that Democrats are more concerned about the desire of their liberal base to do harm to their political adversaries than the need to do good for all Americans by stopping their taxes from going up.

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