Republicans Slam Democratic Proposal as 'Political Exercise'
Dec. 3, 2010
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he plans to hold two tax cut votes on Democratic proposals Saturday after a bipartisan deal to have four votes in the Senate collapsed.
The two Saturday votes will be on the House-passed bill to extend tax cuts for Americans earning under $250,000 a year and another from Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to raise the threshold to $1 million a year.
On Thursday, Reid, D-Nev., had been working with Republicans to gain the unanimous consent of all senators to bring four votes to the floor -- the two Democratic proposals as well as two Republican ones.
The GOP votes were to be on a proposal to permanently extend the tax cuts for all Americans, including the wealthy, and a proposal to temporarily extend all the tax cuts for five years. However, a Republican senator objected, so Reid instead filed cloture tonight on the two Democratic proposals.
"We think we can show the American people what the Democratic priorities are and we are free to talk about what the Republican priorities are because they showed us today," Reid told reporters after a night of closed-door meetings on the Hill.
"We are for tax cuts for the middle class and they will do everything they can to further their number-one goal: tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires," outlined Schumer.
No sooner had the upcoming flurry of Senate votes been announced by Democrats than Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, accused them of "pandering to their political base" with "pointless" votes that are "charades."
"With only 28 days until middle-class families, job creators and investors are hit with massive job-killing tax hikes, Senate Democrats are scheduling pointless tax votes that have no chance of becoming law," Hatch said. "Pandering to their political base with these votes isn't the responsible action the American people are demanding from their elected officials."
================================================
On Thursday, Reid, D-Nev., had been working with Republicans to gain the unanimous consent of all senators to bring four votes to the floor -- the two Democratic proposals as well as two Republican ones.
The GOP votes were to be on a proposal to permanently extend the tax cuts for all Americans, including the wealthy, and a proposal to temporarily extend all the tax cuts for five years. However, a Republican senator objected, so Reid instead filed cloture tonight on the two Democratic proposals.
"We think we can show the American people what the Democratic priorities are and we are free to talk about what the Republican priorities are because they showed us today," Reid told reporters after a night of closed-door meetings on the Hill.
"We are for tax cuts for the middle class and they will do everything they can to further their number-one goal: tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires," outlined Schumer.
No sooner had the upcoming flurry of Senate votes been announced by Democrats than Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, accused them of "pandering to their political base" with "pointless" votes that are "charades."
"With only 28 days until middle-class families, job creators and investors are hit with massive job-killing tax hikes, Senate Democrats are scheduling pointless tax votes that have no chance of becoming law," Hatch said. "Pandering to their political base with these votes isn't the responsible action the American people are demanding from their elected officials."
================================================
Where does common sense begin?
First the Republicans could have had their measures brought to a vote but they objected presumably knowing that those measures would not pass. Message to Americans, "If you want to vote on non Republican measures hit the rode. If we can't have our way go away." Common Sense says this is NOT governance, it's borderline totalitarian by a single party.
Second, Mr Hatch, R-Utah, accuses the Democrats of "pandering to their political base" with "pointless" votes." That makes so little sense as to be nonsense. All political parties pander to their base. That's what they are suppose to do. Beyond that, facts show that it is not the Democrats but rather Republicans that pandered by objecting to having their own measures voted on and allowing the Democratic measures to come to a vote. Common Sense says this is just another example of telling the lie often enough that someone believes it true.
Finally, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to raise the threshold to $1 million a year! Common Sense says that $1 million a rear is NOT middle class. Come on lets get real people making $1 million a year are NOT suffering like people making $250 a year, and certainly not like people out of work.
As a nation we are just beginning to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. That crisis occurred because our Congress passed laws that allowed it to occur; because government chose to be dogmatic and partisan, and not to govern for the common good. It's time that Congress grow a pair and deal with the real problems of real Americans.
Just a Common Sense point of view.
No comments:
Post a Comment