Liberals to Dem leaders: Hold a vote just on extending middle class tax cuts

[cal04]

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

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.


Liberal Democrats urge Pelosi to stand firm in debate over tax cuts
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/129165-liberal-dems-urge-pelosi-to-stand-firm-on-tax-cuts

[kentuck]

1. Millionaires are now "middle class"...

Many are asking they compromise at $1 million dollars. Now that will be a real winner for Democrats, don't you think?

[old mark]

5. Unlike back in Commodore Vanderbilt's day, a millionaire isn't shit.

The REALLY rich are at least multi millionaires, into the billions...the ones who threaten to leave America rather than pay a little more in taxes...

mark

[karynnj]

7. sorry - they are speaking of $1 million in taxable income in a year - and that is still a big deal

There are differences in different parts of the country, but that is not middle class - or even upper middle class anywhere.

[old mark]

11. That's different from being a "millionaire", but still upper middle class, I suppose....

Lawyers and doctors can make that much, frequently more...


mark

[Cosmocat]

12. Right ...

this plays to the whole "small business" meme like anyone with a business that has a budget of 250,000 is going to get taxed more ...

[dkf]

2. Hmm with this keep the middle tax cut push I'm beginning to realize we will never get back to

Clinton rates. How in the world are we going to justify expiring them later when we've created all this outrage over the injustice to the middle class.

[Hawkowl]

3. Duh!!!

This should've happened BEFORE the election. The easiest political strategy known to man, i.e; "give most people money to vote for me" and the timid, spineless democrats can't make up their mind.

Obama and the Democrats will dither, stammer, and drag their feet so long before they bring this up to a vote, that when it does pass, it will seem like a defeat because the electorate will believe the Democrats are weak and confused and had to be shown the light by the credit stealing rethuglicans. UNBELIEVABLE.

[coti]

4. I think everyone's assumed that this wasn't possible, for some reason, because

if it was, they would have just DONE it....RIGHT?

[karynnj]

8. I agree - especially because the bill explicitly cuts no one

It would have been a bill that helped 98% of the population. Not only that - it could have been a very short bill - so the Republicans could not dispute what it did.

[Me.]

6. The Proof Will Be In The Pudding

"Will it happen? Probably not. Like I said, a rerun of a bad movie. But it's still benefical if Obama and Dem leaders get an earful from the left on it."

[TwilightGardener]

9. If they're going to do this (and I don't know why they didn't do it before), then they

need to do it now. I want to see Coppertone and Co. take up the fight for the rich ONLY, come January.

[NorthCarolina]

10. GREAT idea, I seriously doubt the New Dems would ever allow such a vote to happen though. nt