Posted on 12/06/2010 10:34:17 PM PST by Qbert
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday all but promised to filibuster President Barack Obama’s controversial agreement with Republicans to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts for two years.
Appearing on "The Ed Schultz Show" on MSNBC, the Vermont Independent lambasted the agreement, which also includes a 13-month extension of unemployment insurance, a two-year exemption from the estate tax for estates worth up to $5 million and a host of provisions from last year’s stimulus bill.
“I think it is an absolute disaster and an insult to the vast majority of the American people,” Sanders told Schultz, adding that Democrats opposed to the deal “are right. We're talking about social justice. They're talking about more tax breaks for billionaires who don't need it.”
While Sanders did not explicitly say he would filibuster the bill, he made his intention clear, saying, “I've got to tell you, I will do whatever I can to see that 60 votes are not acquired to pass this piece of legislation.”
Whether Sanders can be persuaded to not try to block the bill remains unclear: Vice President Joseph Biden is scheduled to attend Senate Democrats’ luncheon Tuesday to defend the agreement, which Obama cut in secret talks with the GOP.
Senior Democratic aides said that while the deal — particularly the estate tax provisions — would be a bitter pill for the caucus to swallow, the agreement included enough pieces of the stimulus bill to make it worthwhile.
But Sanders, for one, said Monday that he believes Democrats should stand up to the GOP and the White House in the tax debate. “I think we've got to hold tough on this, hold firm on this, and not concede to Republicans, who, as you indicated, have absolutely no inclination to compromise,” he told Schultz.
Other Democrats, while not going so far as Sanders in threatening a potential filibuster, were unwilling to immediately throw their weight behind the bill.
“I need to look at it. I’m very unhappy about it,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) when asked on CNN whether he would vote for the deal. When pressed if he would stand on principle and vote "no," Brown said, “if I think this deal is as serious as a problem as it looks at this point, I’m likely to do that.”
The days when one lunatic could hold up Senate business are long gone.
Bernie Sanders is a moron who is a legend in his own mind....if Democrats had a clue, they’d understand that deficits crowd-out private investment, BUT so too do high taxes on income for people who do most investing and on investment income —which is the reason WHY people invest. Only Democrats would think that tanking money from people most likely to invest it AND not letting people reap rewards from wise and uselful investment in private sector “progress” would be good for the economy!
Nancy Pelosi claims that we get back two dollars in tax revenue for every one dollar we spend on unemployment benefits...and Charlie Schumer claims that paying out unemployment insurance is good stimulus! Why isn’t the press all over these people.
If Sanders really cared about deficits, he’d be calling for an increase is less harmful consumption taxes or else calling for raising all tax rates across the board EXCEPT the top one!
Please do this Bernie! Kill everything until the next session in January (along with the Dream Act and the homosexualization of the military). There are well over 60 members of congress and several defeated senators who have no business casting votes at this time.
Sanders is chicken.
Go Bernie! I hope he succeeds so we can delay this deal for a week or two, and thus crowd out the DREAM amnesty, DADT repeal and START.
The guy is so crazy about screwing the rich that he is willing to let millions of peasants starve with no unemployment check. Just like Lenin. What is a few million peasants when you can bring down a Czar?
“The days when one lunatic could hold up Senate business are long gone.”
You could be right. But my sense is that Nancy & Co. in the House are going to have a cow over this, especially the estate tax exclusion proposal. I could be wrong, but I don’t think they will go for this; don’t know how the numbers will pan out on their side, though.
When did is become tax breaks for billionaires? Wasn’t it millionaires just a few weeks ago.
So we can only conclude that Sanders does not care about unemployed Americans or their Christmas. Or at least ala the Dims, we can claim to believe that Sanders does not care about the unemployed.
Begs the question, has he read the legislation he intends to vote against?
I think he believes Obama has wimped out and this is his way of getting back at Obama.
“When did is become tax breaks for billionaires? Wasn’t it millionaires just a few weeks ago.”
I think it’s New Math: $250,000 = 1 Billion
Bernie Sanders is a reminder what happens when you put nitwits in a room to vote
You underestimate the power of an old commie-hippie-politician hittin' The Bong.
Give it another week - it'll be tax breaks only for gazillionaires and Tea Party people.
LLS
LLS
“There is a “framework” only... no bill written... it will be laden with all manner of evil and pork... and lots of tax increases camouflaged as cuts...”
Yep.
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