Republicans split on Democratic plan to extend payroll tax cut

[alp227]

Source: WaPo

A Republican Party that has for decades benefited from a commitment to lower taxes is now finding itself on the defensive on the issue, as members face a deep split over a Democratic plan to extend a payroll tax reduction.

What might normally be a no-brainer for most congressional Republicans is being resisted by many tea-party-conscious members who oppose what they consider a short-term gimmick that would worsen the federal deficit and siphon money from Social Security.

Republican leaders fear that the party, which has spent the past year fighting Democrats’ proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy, cannot now allow the payroll tax to increase without handing Democrats a powerful election-year argument that the GOP supports lower taxes only for the rich.

House Republicans will hold a closed-door meeting Wednesday to discuss what to do. After suggesting that they might vote on a GOP-sponsored proposal this week, Republicans now plan to keep debating the issue in the coming days and are unlikely to vote until next week.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-split-on-democratic-plan-to-extend-payroll-tax-cut/2011/12/06/gIQAB0AsaO_singlePage.html

[babylonsister]

1. Buncha morons. nt

[AlbertCat]

2. Republican leaders fear that the party,,,

,,, which has spent the past year fighting Democrats’ proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy, cannot now allow the payroll tax to increase without handing Democrats a powerful election-year argument that the GOP supports lower taxes only for the rich.




Snicker....:evilgrin:

[Auntie Bush]

3. I love that!

"the GOP supports lower taxes only for the rich."

[madmax]

4. Give it up.

We've entered 'The Twilight Zone' of politics and we're never getting out. Honest.

Ok, so I'm a little depressed. The Texas Mom, who killed herself and her 2 children just did me in.

[Catch_22]

5. ???

How can they be against this (or say they are) when there whole thing is lower taxes? What about Grover Norquists' pledge list?

[red dog 1]

6. First time in a long while that Repugs "faced a deep split", since they usually all vote against

...whatever Obama & the Dems offer up to them.

[TiberiusB]

7. Scoring election year points on the back of S.S.

I'm more than a little concerned that Obama may be forcing the Republican's hand, but he may also be boxing himself in with regards to the payroll tax that funds Social Security. Now that he has framed the payroll tax as a terrible burden and drag on growth that cannot be allowed to increase, unless you hate the middle class, how can he restore it to it's original levels next year? Or does he plan to keep cutting it and funding it, illegally, I believe, out of the general fund forever? Someone explain to me how the payroll tax gets restored and S.S. protected after fighting this whole battle on the G.O.P's "the answer to everything is a tax cut" home turf? If our only goal is to out G.O.P. the G.O.P. and gleefully pat ourselves on the back for having won a break for the middle class by carving a gaping hole into it's future, then we are royally pooched.