Democratic Underground - Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING me? This WAS possible, the WHOLE TIME??

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/11/liberals_to_dem_leaders_hold_a.html

On Friday I reported here that liberal groups and labor have hit on a legislative strategy to make the fight over the Bush tax cuts work in Dems' favor: Hold a vote just on making the middle class tax cuts permanent, without tying it to any vote on the high end ones.

Now Dem Reps. Raul Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey, the two co-chairs of the House Progressive Caucus, have endorsed this approach, sending a letter to Nancy Pelosi asking her to carry it out:

As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, we would like to reiterate our support for President Obama's Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal that would extend the Bush tax rates for the middle class, but permit the tax levels to return to previous levels for single taxpayers making more than $200,000 or married couples making more than $250,000. We respectfully request that we have a Caucus discussion regarding our position before any proposal is brought to the Floor....

We believe extending the Bush tax cuts would be a giveaway to the nation's wealthiest people and would significantly increase government debt. This debt, in turn, will be paid by the lower and middle classes through increased interest payments and decreased social services for generations to come. This astronomical sum could instead be used to close our budget deficit. It is critical that we pass President Obama' s middle-class tax proposal without providing an even greater lift for the wealthiest Americans who don't need it.

The Dems really CAN just force an up/down vote on ONLY the middle class tax cuts?

AND THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE IT?

Why the hell are we even HAVING THIS DISCUSSION over the tax cuts?

Just put forward the permanent extension of the middle-class cuts and let the Republicans tie themselves in knots over whether they're going to vote for it. We win, no matter the outcome. If it passes, we don't have any more discussion about tax cuts for a long time without being able to dismiss it as cuts for the rich. And, if the Republicans vote against it, we hang it around their neck in 2012 like kryptonite on Superman.

Honestly, who would actually vote AGAINST this? Again- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

This is freaking ABSURD. Why should we be having to pull our own representatives' teeth to do this right? This whole time, I was assuming there was some procedural hurdle that we couldn't get over, as I think most of us were doing. Turns out, the Dems have just been complete idiots.

Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING me? This WAS possible, the WHOLE TIME?? [View All]