Blusterin' boner Demands Up-or-Down Vote on Taxes

[babylonsister]

http://washingtonindependent.com/97732/boehner-demands-up-or-down-vote-on-taxes

Boehner Demands Up-or-Down Vote on Taxes
Tweet Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon Yahoo! Buzz By Annie Lowrey 9/16/10 8:03 PM


Today, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the House minority leader, called on Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to offer an up-or-down vote on an extension of all of the Bush tax cuts — rather than moving an alternative or compromise package.

It’s clear that there’s a growing chorus of Democrats here in Washington, including the Majority Leader Mr. Hoyer, and Mr. Van Hollen, and others, who agree with Republicans that raising taxes on anyone, especially small businesses, is the wrong thing to do in a struggling economy. This week I sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi asking her to allow nothing short of an up-or-down vote on a bill to stop all of the current tax hikes. In my letter, I reminded Speaker Pelosi and Representative Slaughter of the public backlash that occurred when they tried to short-circuit the rules to ram through the President’s health care bill. It became known as the “Slaughter Solution.” And the American people forced them to call it off.

On the issue of job-killing tax hikes, the American people are not going to accept anything less than the vote that they deserve. The Speaker should pledge to the American people, and when she stands before these cameras later on today, she ought to pledge that there will be an honest up-or-down vote on stopping all of the coming tax hikes. Anything less than that is unacceptable. If the Speaker allows an up-or-down vote, I’m confident that the American people will not see increases in their taxes

Of course Democrats would rather vote for a temporary extension of all of tax cuts than let all of them expire, raising taxes even on low-income families. That is precisely why Democrats are in the process of hammering out a bill extending all the tax cuts for a certain period of time, or keeping the cuts for all but the richest 2.1 percent of Americans.

But a straight up-or-down vote would prove contentious, given that even some Republicans want to see the cuts expire. And Republicans thrive on that contention, that slowing-down of initiatives. In the words of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), “complete gridlock” is a goal.

[lame54]

1. Was Boner up or down when he said it?

[spanone]

2. hey johnny, demand 'this'!

[denverbill]

3. Yeah, ok. As soon as we get an up-or-down vote on a public option.

Or one of the hundreds of nominees or House passed bills you are blocking.

[Cresent City Kid]

4. I hope they keep these votes separate

Only at tax cut time do the top 2% want to be part of "everyone". If there is a vote on tax cuts for them, it should be a stand-alone vote: tax cuts for the rich, for or against? The repubublicans have two strategies for getting these cuts by us. One is to portray the top 2% as small business owners. This fallacy was exposed with the GOP opposition to direct help for small business. The other is to lump them in with tax cuts for "everyone". Cutting everyone's taxes sounds great until you do the math. The Congress should not take the bait, they should make tax cuts for the rich a separate vote and disarm the GOP strategy.

[pampango]

5. Lets hope that in January the orange man is still "blustering", not controling, what gets voted on

in the House. :)

[kentuck]

6. He'll get his up or down vote...

after the President vetoes it.