On Wednesday, Representative Stenny Hoyer (D-MD) tried to call a vote in the House to extend the payroll tax cut to middle class and working Americans. But the Republicans would have nothing of that. They ignored Hoyer’s motion, and instead adjourned the House (just moments after it went into session) and then walked out.
Hoyer started to berate them for failing to help working Americans, but suddenly his audio was cut, and then C-SPAN lost their picture too. It turns out that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) had ordered the House cameras shut down, while a member of the House was speaking.
According to The Guardian, Boehner’s obstructionist tactics may backfire. Some people think Boehner may not even survive as Speaker.
5 Comments
This is incredibly disheartening. Now, McConnell has come out to say that there needs to be a committee to negotiate a deal. He also said the deal needs to include the Keystone Pipeline. My question is, don’t the GOP constantly complain about earmarks? Why does a bill about a tax cut extension have to include legislation on a pipeline? If they want to discuss the pipeline, make it a separate bill. Instead, they try to lump it together, and we get gridlock.
This whole big issue also gets me thinking about how the GOP has said that Obama raised people’s taxes when he came into office. It’s interesting because this tax cut was passed by Obama a year ago. So, which is it? Will the GOP say that the tax cut is Obama’s or not? And if it is, how does that fit with their previous rhetoric that Obama raised taxes? I haven’t heard this point being brought up. Anyone else?
They claim this tax cut is bad because it hurts Social Security, as opposed to the billions of tax cuts to the wealthy that hurt Social Security.
But the action to cut off House information feeds because Boehner didn’t like the Democrat is beyond posturing – it’s completely disresepctful. We already have a Congress that never is really in session, members only run in to vote then run back to the phones to raise money. No one deliberates or debates any more, and Boehner’s action is just another example of the ridiculous behavior.
Jeff, I’ve brought it up several times. And I’m sure Obama will bring it up during the upcoming election!
The issue of earmarks goes way back on both sides of the isle. The Dems and reps do all the time, to every bill including the stimulus and all the war appropriations. On the pipeline yes it’s an evironmental issue thats hot, but on the other side it will create several thousand jobs, sort of a mini stimulus. Obama is not against the job creation part of it, he is just waiting for further analysis on potential environmental impacts.
On the issue of Obama raising taxes, they’re way off. Perhaps revenue in the form of regulatory fees, but certainly not income. On tax cuts for the wealthy hurting social security I’m not sure thats accurate. SS tax is capped at like 104000 so you don’t pay SS tax on income above that, so in theory you could earn 1 billion a year, but you only pay FICA on the 1st 104,000 and the benefit is based on contributions so they are not drawing a benefit equivalent to a billion dollar a year income.
I do think they should do a 1 year extension and be done with it, however if they can only get 2 months and have to start this debate all over again in January then they should go with that 2nd best option. The short duration cost more money and creates more turmoil and instability, but if its the only way then just bite the bullet. There’s brinkmanship going on all around, but it does seem that Boehner is losing grip on the Rep caucus in the house.
the wealthy are not paying their half of the social security. My son did his taxes and saw that he, too, got the social security break during 2011, No, he does not make over 1 mil, just half of that. The wealthy no longer have the phase out of personal deductions. They get all sorts of tax breaks that Bogle who started Vanguard does not think they should have. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OF_MUTUAL_INTEREST_BOGLE_QA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-22-15-42-32 Many of us who benefit from the captal gains tax and “quarlified dividend” tax think we should be paying more and are waiting until the tax cuts expire at the end of 2012.