Biden schmoozes House Democrats on Obama's tax cut package, but the message is firm: No changes

Senate reworks tax bill; House defies president
WASHINGTON — The Senate opened debate late Thursday on a reworked tax package that would add incentives for Renewable Energy, which many Democrats have demanded, but leave intact the core elements of a deal negotiated by the Obama Administration and Republicans. As the Senate steamed toward a Monday vote on the package, House Democrats were in open revolt. Amid chants of "Just say no," they agreed overwhelmingly during a private meeting Thursday to block the measure from going to the Hou...

Democrat Lawmaker Says " f--- the president As Anger Spills Over in House Democrat Caucus Meeting
Profanity, Anger Spill Over in House Democratic Caucus Meeting By Anna Palmer Roll Call Staff The frustration with President Barack Obama over his Tax Cut Compromise was palpable and even profane at Thursday’s House Democratic Caucus meeting. One unidentified lawmaker went so far as to mutter “f--- the president” while Rep. Shelley Berkley was defending the package the president negotiated with Republicans. Berkley confirmed the incident, although she declined to name the specific lawma

House Democrats vow to block tax measure
The Senate opened debate late Thursday on a reworked tax package that would add incentives for Renewable Energy, which many Democrats have demanded, but leave intact the core elements of a deal negotiated by the White House and Republicans, including a revived inheritance tax that has outraged liberal lawmakers. This Story House Democrats vow to block tax measure Tax fight puts Schumer at odds with Obama Max Baucus, the Democrats' dud Poll: What's the greatest benefit for Obama's in supportin...

Charles Krauthammer - Swindle of the year
Barack Obama won the great tax-cut showdown of 2010 - and House Democrats don't have a clue that he did. In the deal struck this week, the president negotiated the biggest stimulus in American history, larger than his $814 billion 2009 stimulus package. It will pump a Trillion borrowed Chinese dollars into the U.S. economy over the next two years - which just happen to be the two years of the run-up to the next Presidential Election. This is a defeat? This Story Swindle of the year Democrats ...

[Headline] - THE PARTY OF NO
House Democrats voted Thursday to reject President Barack Obama's tax deal with Republicans in its current form, but it was unclear how significantly the package might need to be changed. By voice vote in a closed Caucus meeting, Democrats passed a resolution saying the tax package should not come to the House floor for consideration as written, even though no formal House Bill has been drafted. Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Ore., introduced the resolution. Said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas: "If it's tak...

Democrats defy Obama, oppose tax deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Angry Democrats in the House of Representatives defied President Barack Obama on Thursday and rejected a deal he struck with Republicans to extend low Tax Rates that are set to expire in three weeks. While unlikely on its own to derail the tax plan, the House Democrats' rebellion gives Obama another political Headache just over a month after he took a beating in mid-term Elections. In a raucous, closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, mutinous Democrats chanted "Just say no!...

Dems Reject Obama & His Bi-Partisan Tax Extension Deal
Yesterday the Obama Administration warned Wednesday that if Congress rejected a Compromise tax deal they risk plunging the US economy back into Recession. Today the Pelosi Democrats rejected the deal. They don’t trust his economic judgement, either. House Democrats have passed a resolution saying they’ll reject President Obama’s tax deal with Republicans. Vice President Biden went to Capitol Hill today to sell the plan to restive Democrats, especially Liberals who are angry th...

House Democrats defy Obama, refuse to take up tax cut bill
Defying President Obama, House Democrats voted Thursday not to bring up the tax package that he negotiated with Republicans in its current form. "This message today is very simple: That in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic Caucus. It's as simple as that," said Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen. "We will continue to try and work with the White House and our Republican colleagues to try and make sure we do something right for The Economy and right ...

Dem Rep. Dan Boren Blames Speaker Pelosi For Holding Tax Cuts Hostage
Democratic Representative Dan Boren (D-OK) blamed Democrats, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi by name, for holding the Tax Cuts hostage and not bringing the Bipartisan package to the House floor for a vote. Greta Van Susteren: Why isn’t it being brought to the floor? Who’s not bringing it to the floor? Rep. Boren : The Speaker. The Speaker agreed. There was a motion by one of the members of the Caucus today to say let’s put this off. Let’s not do this package that the White House and Sena

HuffPost TV: Howard Fineman On The Tax-Cut Revolt Among House Dems (VIDEO)
HuffPost's Howard Fineman appeared on MSNBC's "Countdown" Thursday night to discuss the revolt among House Democrats against the White House over President Barack Obama's tax-cut Compromise with Republicans. "They're angry. They feel ignored, which they were," Fineman told host Keith Olbermann. "I just think the White House has been focused for the last two years primarily on the Senate ... and they took their eye off the ball, in the case of the House." WATCH: Visit msnbc.com for breaking ne...

Democrats defy Obama, oppose tax deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Angry Democrats in the House of Representatives defied President Barack Obama on Thursday and rejected a deal he struck with Republicans to extend low Tax Rates that are set to expire in three weeks. While unlikely on its own to derail the tax plan, the House Democrats' rebellion gives Obama another political Headache just over a month after he took a beating in mid-term Elections. In a raucous, closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, mutinous Democrats chanted "Just say no!"...

House Democratic Caucus Agrees: No Vote on Obama-GOP Tax Deal
Get alerts when there is a new article that might interest you. Defying President Obama, House Democrats voted Thursday not to bring up the tax package that he negotiated with Republicans in its current form. "This message today is very simple: That in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic Caucus. It's as simple as that," said Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen. "We will continue to try and work with the White House and our Republican colleagues to tr...

Guest Post: The Blame Game: The White House vs. House Democrats
Today's guest post comes from none other than Big Brother All-My-Tee himself, Rippa, who blogs at The Intersection of Madness & Reality. Rippa's known around the blogosphere for stirring up a good debate so drop your 2 cents in the comments below as we discuss the latest debacle between the White House and the Democrats: So now everyone has taken lead from Obama's recent Press Conference chastisement of his fellow republi... oops, I mean democrats, Liberals, and or Progressives alike. Yes, w...

Democrats reject tax-cut package
Source: LA Times Angry House Democrats on Thursday voted to reject the Tax Cut extension package negotiated by President Obama with Republicans. In an emotional voice vote in their Caucus, Democrats, who have repeatedly attacked the agreement as too generous to the rich, said the package should not come to the floor in its current form. The next step is up to the leadership. “In the caucus today, House Democrats supported a resolution to reject the Senate Republican tax provisions as currently w...

Is the Obama-GOP tax deal about to collapse?
Things may be going swimmingly in the US Senate, but not so the House: WASHINGTON (Reuters) -House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not bring President Barack Obama’s current proposed tax plan up for a vote in her chamber, an aide said on Thursday. The aide said Pelosi would require changes be made to the measure that most of her fellow House Democrats formally opposed by approving a resolution of opposition to it. The aide said: “She (Pelosi) will honor the resolution.&...

Top Democrat: We Can't Stop Obama's Tax Compromise
Minutes after House Democrats rejected the president's tax Compromise, leading Democratic Rep. Barney Frank told Mother Jones reporter Suzy Khimm he thought the deal was going to pass, anyway: "I still think it's going to go through--why do you think it isn't?" Frank said in a Thursday interview outside the Caucus meeting. "I always knew a majority of Democrats would be against it. I still think they have the votes for it, yeah." He added that House Democrats simply lacked the ability to have...

House Dems In Revolt
The House Deocratic Caucus passed a non-binding resoluton exhorting Nancy Pelosi not to bring up Obama's tax Compromise: "Wow did the [White House] mishandle this," a senior House Democratic Source told CNN. "Breathtaking. Members have major substantive concerns and they should have gently guided people to the finish line." Rep. Peter Defazio of Oregon said: "They said take it or leave it. We left it." Not reported here - was there a separate vote for the cauc...

DEM REP BLAMES SPEAKER PELOSI For Holding Tax Cuts Hostage (Video)
Oh my… Speaker Pelosi won’t like this. She won’t like this one bit. Democratic Representative Dan Boren (D-OK) blamed Democrats, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi by name, for holding the Tax Cuts hostage and not bringing the Bipartisan package to the House floor for a vote. He better bring a Bodyguard to the next Caucus meeting. Greta Van Susteren: Why isn’t it being brought to the floor? Who’s not bringing it to the floor? Rep. Boren: The Speaker. The Speaker agreed. Ther...

House Democrats revolt, reject unemployment compromise
The Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House voted this afternoon to reject the Compromise deal negotiated between President Obama and the Republican leadership to extend both federal Unemployment Benefits and the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The House Democratic Caucus voted to oppose President Barack Obama’s tax plan, throwing into flux weeks of negotiations on an issue that has turned many congressional Democrats against the White House. Oregon Rep. Peter Defazio offered a res...

Reid won't push online poker in tax cut bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday affirmed his commitment to legalizing online poker, but has apparently decided against using the Tax Cut bill to achieve his goal. The Nevada Democrat, who maintains close ties to the gambling industry, had been working to build support for including the poker legalization in Legislation to extend the Bush-era tax cuts. But when the 74-page Tax Cut bill was officially introduced late Thursday, it did not include the poker language. Continue Readi...

House Democrats Demand Changes to Tax Deal
WSJ: [...] he House Democratic Caucus was brimming with fury at being excluded from the negotiations that produced the agreement. In a closed-door meeting Thursday, the Caucus passed a resolution stating that the tax-cut deal would not be brought to the House floor for a vote unless it was changed. “Just say no!” Democrats chanted before the vote, according to an aide in the meeting. Despite the angry Caucus vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) signaled that she did not pl...

Tax fight puts Schumer at odds with Obama
President Obama is getting along better than ever with Capitol Hill Republicans. But his relationship with Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer has hit a rough patch. This Story House Democrats vow to block tax measure Tax fight puts Schumer at odds with Obama Max Baucus, the Democrats' dud Poll: What's the greatest benefit for Obama's in supporting the extension of Bush Tax Cuts? Graphic: What the tax extension means for you Summers Says Economy Worse Off Without Tax Compromise View All Items ...

Items added to tax cut bill to draw support
WASHINGTON — As Democrats in Congress battled in public over a proposal to extend Bush-era Income Tax cuts, a group of Democratic lawmakers are pushing to make subtle changes to help sweeten the pot. The agreement worked out between President Obama and Republican lawmakers would extend the expiring cuts for all Taxpayers for two years, continue jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and cut Social Security Payroll taxes next year. Many Democrats have balked at the Compromise, particu...

When Your Enemy is Destroying Himself
Friday, December 10, 2010 By Rich Galen A basic text on Military theory is "The Art of War," which is generally credited to the Chinese writer, Sun Tzu. It dates to the 2nd century BC. The fact that every Military school in the world still teaches the lessons embodied in "The Art of War" 2,200 years after it was written is further evidence that Darwin may have been wrong. But that's a discussion for another day. One of the most quoted axioms from "The Art of War" is some variant on the them...

POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Friday, December 10, 2010
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more. House Democrats voted Thursday against considering the tax package that President Barack Obama negotiated with Republicans, raising questions over the president's influence in his own party. Later, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, released the first version of Legislation to implement the negotiated deal and said the Senate would...