Posted on 12/01/2010 7:18:42 PM PST by balls
WASHINGTON — Not even 24 hours after President Obama met with senior Republican Congressional leaders and expressed hopes for a “new dialogue,” renewed partisan fury engulfed the Senate on Wednesday, as Republicans threatened to block any legislation until a deal is reached to extend the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, potentially derailing the Democrats’ busy end-of-year agenda.
The blunt threat was made in a letter to the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and signed by all 42 Senate Republicans. And it was reiterated by the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, in a speech in which he accused Democratic leaders and Mr. Obama of ignoring the midterm election results.
The move put Democrats in a vise and sharply heightened tensions on Capitol Hill, where administration officials and senior lawmakers from both the House and Senate opened the first round of talks in hopes of reaching an accord on the expiring tax cuts. Officials reported no progress in those talks, and the Senate Republicans’ threat suggested they had little appetite for compromise.
If Congress does not act by the end of the year, the lower rates expire for everyone, an outcome neither side wants.
The Republican maneuver came just as Senate Democrats seemed within reach of the votes needed to authorize repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay service members. The Republican blockade stalls debate on the military policy bill containing the repeal language, and it casts a long shadow over numerous bills awaiting action in Congress, including efforts to extend jobless benefits for millions of Americans about to lose them.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
NO COMPROMISE!
Any Republican who caves in on tax cuts needs to be shown the door in 2012.
Sounds like DAVID M. HERSZENHORN is sad. That makes me happy.
We won.
You listen and then agree.
Oh please, please, please let them do it!
A day late IMHO
Why didn’t they do this on the Commie Food Tyranny bill (SB5100) yesterday?
Just asking
Hope they can keep it shutdown until the new Congress is seated.
Good old Sen. Claire McCaskill apparently has not received the message sent by Missouri voters, and here I thought she had turned over a new leaf.
Don’t back down. If the tax cuts expire, so be it.
The talk sounds tuff, but in the end, I still think the RINO's will fold.
Why? ... Because the Republican opposition to the guillotining of our Republic is just an illusion. Scams have many layers when issued from Washington and authored elsewhere.
Good. Do not threaten. Do.
I hope they do, but if I had to bet money, it would be on them caving.
If the GOP had a spine NOTHING would transpire in either the house or senate until this issue is settled. No dream act , no don ask don’t tell, NOTHING!!! Once the new congress is seated start defunding Obamacare, the EPA, the dept of ED and MAKE 0BAMA DEFEND HIS VETOS.
FTA:
Senate Republicans said they would even block a major food safety bill that the Senate adopted just on Tuesday but must be voted on again because of a parliamentary glitch.
The Democrats are going to enjoy a Grinch Christmas.
BRING IT ON!!!
AND BEYOND, permanently.
SB510 should never have passed.
SB510 should be blocked on it’s own demerits.
If GOP can doit for tax cuts, they should be doing for the evil that is SB510.
JMHO
Because the Senators more than likely knew the Repubs in the House would ditch it today which is just what happened.
Add to the tax extension this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2636025/posts
and drill baby drill.
Shown the door?
Naw . . . shown the toilet . . . if we could find one big enough for their sorry arses.
. . . . or their fat heads.
When asked of compromise Republicans should respond, “Why would my fellow Republicans and I compromise towards an agenda the just got 70 of our Democrat colleges thrown out of office? You are asking the wrong question to the wrong party. The question is are Democrats going to finally listen to the American people.”
Even Lisa Murkowski? That's actually a surprise. I figured she'd decide to be a complete thorn in the side on everything.
” ... Republican opposition to the guillotining of our Republic is just an illusion ... “
Don’t threaten DO IT!!!!
Shut it down until after the 1st of the year!!!
No friggen DREAM ACT
“I’m tellin’ ya; the Dem’s will trade passage for the Bush Tax Cuts extension for the DREAM Act. The talk sounds tuff, but in the end, I still think the RINO’s will fold.”
That will be the test. Right now the RINOs are LOOKING GREAT by signing the letter. There is a lot of liberal stuff that the RINOs want passed, but they at least appear willing to put it at risk, in order to teach the Dems a lesson.
If the RINOs and the rest of the party holds out, I hope people here on FR will think a bit harder before putting Republican held seats at great risk (such as Maine) in order to purify the party. But don’t get me wrong - we don’t have to tolerate left-wing Republicans in conservative and even middle-of-the-road states (such as McCain, Graham or some others) - but I’ll still take a RINO in Maine that voted to put both Roberts and Alito (which both Snowe and Collins did - LOOK IT UP), than a Democrat who would vote for neither (which was the case with half of the Democrats regarding Roberts and nearly all of them regarding Alito).
The Senate is a parliament of hookers that are all up for sale to the highest bidder.
McConnell and the Repubs will cave because that's what they do best. This standing tall and not budging is so much smoke and mirrors. I don't mean nothin’, bro.
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