Obama loses vote on ‘Buffett,’ gains tool

[Galraedia]

Source: The Washington Times

Republicans on Monday banded together in the Senate to block President Obama’s “Buffett rule” tax, halting one of his chief legislative goals but leaving him with what the White House believes is a potent political weapon heading into November’s elections.

Congressional Democrats also said the 51-45 vote, which left them nine shy of the 60 needed to advance in the Senate, will not be the last legislative word.

“We’re going to come back to this issue repeatedly,” said Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat who has vociferously pushed for imposing the tax increase.

Even before the vote, Mr. Obama’s presidential re-election campaign sent supporters an email arguing that the tax is needed to force likely GOP opponent Mitt Romney to “pay his fair share” of taxes.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/16/obama-loses-vote-on-buffett-gains-tool/

[Honeycombe8]

1. Ohhhhh. I thought it had passed, when I read the vote count. I'm glad to hear they're going to

bring it up again.

[rocktivity]

2. I'd say that Obama has gained

51 tools!


rocktivity

[goclark]

3. Keep on pushing it!

Buffett is a class act and Mitt can't even get his taxes done for us to see.

What is he waiting for ~ we know don't we --- stallling for time.

[emulatorloo]

4. Poor Mooney Times is all upset.

[AllyCat]

5. We don't need 60! The Constitution says a majority.

They have a majority. MAKE those bastards show their colors to the people. Just pull a vote and then point out how evil they are if they filibuster.

[farmbo]

6. AllyCat's right... Make them filibuster for their billionaire friends

If Reid's going to require an extra-constitutional 60 vote super majority, at least require them to take the well 24/7 and show their conniving faces!

[SunSeeker]

7. Exactly. They need to make then stand there physically.

The dems should out whoever it is who is filibustering and make them front page news. I don't understand this phone-it-in filibustering. Why are they making is so easy for the Repukes?

Better yet, get rid of the unconstitutional filibuster rule altogether.

[primavera]

22. Hear, hear!

It's so infuriating that no one even makes the Republicans filibuster anymore in order to filibuster a vote. If they want to filibuster that badly, let them filibuster, but they have to do the time at the podium and take the flack for holding up Congress while they do it. To let them control legislation like this and not even have to lift a finger to do it, grrr...

[harmonicon]

8. I know!

This shit drives me crazy. It's like it's the Senate Dem's prime objective to roll over for Republicans. There's no way they would filibuster all of these things. Make the bastards vote.

[WMDemocract]

10. Agreed!

Why can't the Dems be as stubborn as the GOP?

http://www.mittromneyjobcreation.com/

[joshcryer]

14. This is true. Make them filibuster. Not like anything is getting done anyway.

[NYC Liberal]

23. Actually, the constitution says nothing about how many votes passing a bill requires.

It only says a majority constitutes quorum to do business. It also says "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings."

I agree with you 100% on this though - "MAKE those bastards show their colors to the people. Just pull a vote and then point out how evil they are if they filibuster."

[4th law of robotics]

24. Agreed

citing the threat of a filibuster as a reason for not even trying is pretty spineless.

[Lasher]

9. Senate Roll Call Vote 65 (For cloture on the Buffett Rule)

On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S. 2230)

Motion failed 51 to 45. All Republicans voted nay and all Democrats voted yea, with the following exceptions:

One Republican (Susan Collins) and one Independent (Bernie Sanders) voted yea.

One Democrat (Mark Pryor) voted nay.

Not voting: one Independent (Joe Lieberman), one Democrat (Daniel Akaka), and two Republicans (Mark Kirk and Orrin Hatch).

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/112-2012/s65

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00065

[JDPriestly]

11. Obama is finally learning how to play chess against idiots!

I think that Obama's biggest problem has been trying to play like a smooth professional with a bunch of blundering amateurs.

The Republicans remind me of those kids in school who had average or below average IQs and rich dads. The only things they do well is spend money (Republicans on their campaigns) and cheat. They are just smart enough to be sneaky. That is how they win elections.

But they aren't smart enough to know how to govern when they get into office. That is why they run up huge deficits and ruin the economy -- over and over.

[cstanleytech]

13. No I think he has known how to play it with them

and thats what he has been doing or havent you heard the old saying giving someone enough rope and they will hang themselves which is what the GOP is doing to themselves.

[sofa king]

17. This plan was put in place in December, 2010.

The Buffet Rule vote was just the first part of a nasty little two step we're gonna drop on the GOP this year.

The second part will be to split the tax cut extensions into two parts and let those wander into the Senate. Senate Republicans will have to vote against a middle class tax cut in order to hold it hostage in favor of further tax cut extensions for the rich. They have already been bought and paid for on this issue, so they can't back off.

And then the GOP is screwed, because voters care very much about their own money.

This is why President Obama put so much time and effort into gaming the timetable of the tax cut extension agreement in December, 2010. It does not expire until the next Congress, and Senate Democrats can keep away a vote on an extension now until the very day that they want to have it.

So they are waiting until the timing of the Senate vote on tax cuts can do the maximum possible damage to GOP candidates and make tax cuts the central issue of the election. Virtually every Republican in Congress will have an upside-down voting record on this issue by the time it is the only thing anyone wants to talk about.

When they do, every Democratic candidate will be able to say, "my opponent voted against lowering your taxes while fighting hard to protect the rich."

That's an issue that will break 70% in favor of Democrats, once the public sees exactly how bought the GOP is.

[JDPriestly]

25. Hope you are right!!!

[Seedersandleechers]

12. Brown of MA

voted nay of course. Good for Warren!

[dmosh42]

15. Obama needs to publicize the vote each time. There's very little coverage or emphasis by.....

the Republican owned media. The Repukes don't want to focus on this issue!

[liberal N proud]

16. They need to keep hitting at it until November

Keep showing American voters that this is what the republicans are.

[harun]

18. I see a lot of action to gain political points, little to help citizens.

[SemperEadem]

21. I see one good step towards more Dems being elected

in November. We have to make sure they're progressive and not regressive, blue dogs.

[mcgarry50]

19. america's loss

obama did not loose, the country lost.

[SemperEadem]

20. those who opposed this are now on the record

they cannot spin this any other way. They are for protecting the 1% at the expense of the the 99%.

This is what they've been needing to do for a long time---get them on the record.

This will go a long way if the Dems are wise and they use it effectively to their advantage.

[Canuckistanian]

26. We'll see how effective this 'tool' is

It all depends on framing. The public support is there, all that's needed is the right impetus to make this a real national issue.

This is a real test for Obama's 2012 campaign team.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

27. Bookmarked because I don't believe Schumer until I see it with my own two eyes!

[high density]

28. Far past time for Lieberman, et al to back up their talk with facts

"To me, economic history proves that lower capital gains taxes grow our economy and higher capital gains taxes don’t increase revenues," Mr. Lieberman said in a statement...

What economic history is that? Because the capital gains tax has been really low and any real non-bubble economic growth has been shit for nearly a decade and a half now. Low capital gains taxes are doing nothing but encouraging rampant speculation which is helping nobody but the investor class.