Falling Off the Bandwagon

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...

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...

Patty Murray: Chairing DSCC Was 'Right Thing to Do'
In her first interview since taking the job, Washington Sen. Patty Murray said Thursday that she knew chairing the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the 2012 cycle would be a challenge, but that helping Democratic Incumbents return in 2013 was important enough that she needed to step up to the plate. "I have never taken on a challenge because it's easy. I have accepted this challenge because it's the right thing to do," Murray said on MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown." Coming off a 2010 cycl...

John Thune: Better Tax Cut Deal For Republicans 'Not Likely To Happen' (VIDEO)
South Dakota Senator and potential Presidential Candidate John Thune suggested Wednesday that his fellow conservative heavyweights Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Sarah Palin shouldn't expect to be able to craft better Tax Cut bargain for the GOP considering the current Makeup of Congress and the White House. DeMint and Palin have both announced their opposition to the current deal as drawn out by Obama this week, because they believe the minimal increases to the death tax and the two-year extens...

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

Dems play fiscal chicken
The behavior of Liberal Democrats in the U.S. House is, well, nothing short of astonishing. Yesterday they were in full-throated revolt against the Tax Cut Compromise crafted by a Democratic president. Barack Obama, whose political survival instincts seem to be intact, agreed to a two-year extension of all the Bush era tax cuts, a reasonable extension of the Estate Tax that exempts estates under the $5 million mark, getting in return a 13-month extension on Unemployment Benefits and a cut i...

Paul Krugman: Obamas Hostage Deal
Obama needs to understand that "concerns about the tax deal reflect realism, not purism": Obama’s Hostage Deal, by Paul Krugman, Commentary, NY Times: I’ve spent the past couple of days trying to make my peace with the Obama-McConnell tax-cut deal. President Obama did, after all, extract more concessions than most of us expected. Yet I remain deeply uneasy... Obama has bought the release of some hostages only by providing the G.O.P. with new hostages. About the deal: Republicans ...

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...

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

Senate fails to pass 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal, Dream Act, 9/11 responders' health bill
WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans blocked a major year-end push by Democrats to lift the Military's ban on Openly Gay Troops on Thursday, dealing a huge blow to Gay Rights groups' hopes for Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" any time soon. In other action, a politically charged showdown vote on Legislation carving out a path to legal status for foreign-born youngsters brought to this country illegally was delayed; and Republicans derailed a bill to aid responders who were sickened after exposure ...

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...

Economic reality hits White House
Reality strikes. Barack Obama agreed with Republicans to extend the current Income Tax rates - the so-called Bush Tax Cuts - for another two years. He got a few things in return, primarily extended jobless benefits for another 13 months, and agreed as well to a 2 percent cut in the Social Security Payroll Tax. But he recognized the reality that in order to prevent a Tax Increase on those with incomes under $250,000 he had to prevent a Tax Increase on those over that line, as well. This has ...

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal blocked
Sen. Lisa Murkowski's admitted this week that she believes "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is bad American Military policy, but nevertheless voted against a motion to close debate on the defense bill to which DADT is amended. According to The New York Times , the final vote to move forward on a defense bill vote was 57-40, or three votes shy of avoiding a Republican Filibuster. Murkowski had said Wednesday that she believes DADT should be repealed , but that her Cloture vote depended on the Democratic l...

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...

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...

9/11 responders should not be victims of political games
Partisan politics are bound to happen. Democrats and Republicans, especially today, play political points games due to the fact that there are enough vocal Liberals and Conservatives to dictate "a necessity" for it. It is unfortunate, but tough to fight. That is why there is a need for Compromise many times because when two parties continue to move further apart; there becomes less and less areas of agreement. Democrats and Republicans will always have differences on taxes; benefits for the sick...

While His Base Rages, Obama Faces Tax-cut Reality
Reality strikes. Barack Obama spurned the advice of columnists Paul Krugman and Katrina vanden Heuvel and agreed with Republicans to extend the current Income Tax rates -- the so-called Bush Tax Cuts -- for another two years. He got a few things in return, primarily extended Unemployment Benefits for another 13 months, and agreed as well to a 2 percent cut in the Social Security Payroll Tax. But he recognized the reality that in order to prevent a Tax Increase on those with incomes under $250...

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 ...

Senate to Consider Tax-Cut Bill That Would Add $857 Billion to U.S. Debt
Senate leaders released an agreement crafted by the White House and Republicans to sustain Bush-era tax rates through 2012, set the Estate Tax at the lowest rate in 80 years, extend jobless aid and cut payroll taxes by 2 percentage points....

Senate Republicans block 9/11 health bill
Source: Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a bill that would provide medical care for Firefighters and other responders to the September 11, 2001, attacks who developed illnesses from breathing toxic, dust-filled air. The 57-42 procedural vote fell short of the 60 needed to advance major Legislation in the 100-member chamber. The House of Representatives passed the bill in September and Senate action is needed to send it to President Barack Obama for his signat...

Waak mulls another run as Dem party chair
Pat Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in 2009. She told the Colorado Statesman she thought he would beat Ken Buck. (John Leyba, The Denver Post) This just in: Colorado Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak felt a little bit sorry for her GOP counterpart, Dick Wadhams, who was regularly beaten up by his own party during the election. But just a little compassion. Not too much. Waak also is debating whether to run for a fourth term as party chair. T...

Obama's Statement on DADT
Source: The Advocate The White House of the Press Secretary issued the following statement from President Barack Obama regarding the failed vote on the defense authorization bill that included "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal. I am extremely disappointed that yet another Filibuster has prevented the Senate from moving forward with the National Defense Authorization Act. Despite having the Bipartisan support of a clear majority of Senators, a minority of Senators are standing in the way of the fund...

Renewable energy industry banking on more grants
WASHINGTON—Officials in the wind industry say that a hard-fought extension of a cash grant program for Renewable Energy will be a lifeline for domestic producers, saving tens of thousands of jobs. "Factories across the country will restart production lines, recall workers and avoid layoffs that would have followed the loss of this key incentive for Wind Energy, which with consistent policies like this one can generate 20 percent of America's electricity within 20 years," Denise Bode, CEO ...

Inside the Beltway
PROGRESSIVE PANTHEON Uh-oh. Could it be the Clash of the Titans? The conservative mantra for months was "fire Pelosi." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , however, is more fired up than fired in the final weeks before she surrenders the gavel to incoming Speaker John A. Boehner . Mrs. Pelosi remains in warrior goddess mode against Republicans and the tax-cut Compromise President Obama offered them; she has made a solemn vow to "improve the proposal." For that, the California Democrat has earned the e...

9/11 responders bill defeated by Senate GOP filibuster
Washington (CNN) -- Senate Democrats failed Thursday to win a procedural vote to open debate on a bill that would provide medical benefits and compensation for emergency workers who were first on the scene of the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks. The motion for Cloture, or to begin debate, needed 60 votes to pass due to a Republican Filibuster, but fell short at 57-42 in favor. While supporters said they would try to bring the bill up again, either on its own or as part of other Legislation...