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Democrats believe payroll tax victory bolsters chances of taking House
The Hill ^ | 12/24/2011 | Alexander Bolton

Posted on 12/24/2011 12:51:06 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Democrats believe their chances of recapturing the House have improved significantly after what was widely seen as a GOP meltdown in the payroll tax debate.

Democrats believe the messy fight has helped narrow the advantage Republicans have traditionally held on tax policy.

Democrats have long espoused populist tax policy, with mixed results in recent years. Democratic strategists think that is about to change as high unemployment rates have given new traction to their proposals, which Republicans dismiss as class warfare.

Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist, said he believes Democrats can recapture the House in part because of growing public resentment over wealth disparity. “The issue is really starting to be clarified for middle-class voters. It’s emerging as the biggest issue of the campaign, the fundamental unfairness of society where the wealthy are getting very wealthy and the middle class are falling behind,” Devine said.

He said House Republicans hurt themselves by taking a stand against a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut only to fold and pass it a few days later.

“The Republicans have shot themselves in both feet,” Devine said.

Minutes after the Senate passed a two-month extension of the payroll tax holiday Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) signaled Democrats would press their advantage by bringing the millionaires’ surtax back to the table.

Rodell Mollineau, former senior aide to Reid and president of American Bridge 21stCentury, a Democratic super PAC, said Democrats feel emboldened by the tax fight.

“Holding firm on any big issue gives you momentum heading into the next big issue. The stars are aligned that people are ready to hear this message,” Mollineau said.

Senate Democrats stood their ground by refusing to negotiate with House Republicans, daring House Speaker John Boehner to kill a Senate-passed short-term extension of the payroll tax holiday.

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: comgress; democrats; house; payrolltax
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To: rdcbn
It's long past the time when 100% of FICA should have been transferred to the employer side of the ledger.

The Democrats, who'd love to tax millionaires, are actually afraid to do that. They'd lose the very minor benefit they get from arguments about cutting it a bit, then extending it, then extending it a little bit, and then wrapping it up in zigzag paper and smoking it, or using it as a suppository, or whatever.

Now, for a follow on to this, barring some accident of fate that makes that idea look really good to the Democrats, Republicans should up the ante by REQUIRING that all FICA paid by employers be considered a deductible business expenses if and only if the employee on whose behalf that payment was made has been certified by E-Verify to be in the country lawfully.

Some "millionaires" will end up paying higher taxes on their profits ~ but some illegal aliens will abruptly discover that their going rate is too high for the market.

An American might well be able to get a job in America.

21 posted on 12/24/2011 1:27:27 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: Pontiac
Have you seen Clinton lately; he is not that charismatic anymore.

Except for Zero (who may be a complete doofus but sounds good if you don't pay attention to the words) Bubba Bill would be about their only shot.

The Dems are whistling past the graveyard if they think a $40 tax cut or $40 increase is going to make any difference at all when nobody is listening. Have you been near a shopping mall lately? I haven't seen crowds like that since Bush was president!

22 posted on 12/24/2011 1:38:50 PM PST by Sooth2222 ("Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But I repeat myself." M.Twain)
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To: SeekAndFind
Democrats believe payroll tax victory bolsters chances of taking House

Can't be, that would make democrats politically motivated at the cost of what is best for the country.

......

23 posted on 12/24/2011 1:39:23 PM PST by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
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To: SeekAndFind

Social Security withholding from a paycheck is not a TAX, nor a CONTRIBUTION. Rather the money is a LOAN. In that the money will be returned to you some day when you begin collecting Social Security. Unfortunately, the loan is interest free.


24 posted on 12/24/2011 1:48:37 PM PST by upchuck (Let's have the Revolution NOW before we get dumbed down to the point that we can't.)
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To: T. Jefferson
Lunacy. Democrats handed the republicans a perfect campaign ad. Democrats support raiding the social security trust fund, denying senior citizens their pension. Obamacare raided seniors health care benefits,by stripping $500 billion from Medicare. and instituting death panels. And Obama denied seniors 2 years of automatic SS check cost of living increases, slashing all seniors income by 5%. The most anti-senior citizen cpresident in history.

He cut their income, their health care, and their pension.

25 posted on 12/24/2011 1:57:41 PM PST by T. Jefferson (Batton down the hatches, full speed in reverse)
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To: Paladin2
They are codified as insurance premiums... paid into a fund... so that the government can pay it back to us in retirement. It is OUR money... not a tax... not that the repubics will ever say it... the dims shite on the Constitution... the republicans nod in approval.

LLS

26 posted on 12/24/2011 2:00:21 PM PST by LibLieSlayer ("Americans are hungry to feel once again a sense of mission and greatness." Ronaldo Magnus)
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To: SeekAndFind

The dems are sob full of crap, their eyes are brown.


27 posted on 12/24/2011 2:07:41 PM PST by Pit1 (Omama is the chief gun-runner.)
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To: HChampagne

haha 40 bucks for two months does not buy a lot of votes.


28 posted on 12/24/2011 2:08:49 PM PST by linn37 (Newt supporter here.)
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To: Sooth2222
Bill Richardson might make a run at it in 2016 but he does have a few skeletons in the closet. But if Obama was to drop dead I think he could have a shot. He does have some personality as opposed to the average Democrat.

But other than Hilary I don’t think any other Democrat would waste their time running against Obama with his huge war chest.

29 posted on 12/24/2011 2:33:42 PM PST by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because oit is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: muawiyah
if and only if the employee on whose behalf that payment was made has been certified by E-Verify to be in the country lawfully.

I like it!

30 posted on 12/24/2011 2:42:23 PM PST by Toddsterpatriot (Math is hard. Harder if you're stupid.)
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To: SeekAndFind

How are the self employed to handle this? I can see the whole year holiday, simply pay 2% less on next years taxes. For 2 months it seems to me it’s going to be a mess.


31 posted on 12/24/2011 2:47:17 PM PST by sharkhawk (Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall.)
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To: Toddsterpatriot
Later, let's say right after the August recess we have another go at it by extending the non-deductibility to ALL salary or hourly wage or even a "bonus" paid to an employee who isn't cleared by E-verify.

That way Democrats get another meaningful tax increase on some people who are "millionaires".

Some American might get a job out of this.

I have some future permutations on this that'll curl David Axelrod's hair!

32 posted on 12/24/2011 2:52:28 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah

Anything that increases the use of E-verify and pressures illegals to leave sounds good to me.


33 posted on 12/24/2011 2:54:23 PM PST by Toddsterpatriot (Math is hard. Harder if you're stupid.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Next fall, who exactly is going too even remember any of this? Dream on, ‘rats.


34 posted on 12/24/2011 3:07:51 PM PST by eclecticEel (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 7/4/1776 - 3/21/2010)
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To: AU72

In fact, if republicans are smart they will point out to the vanishing middle class, that it was democrats in the senate, who insisted on reducing the extension to two months, and obama forced the house to give up extending for a year. Two can play this game—and use the 40 bucks constantly vs. the year.

When it comes up again in February— up the ante Republicans— push for a 5 year extension with a choice between getting the money (no withholding)or putting it into their own private account, like a CASH-401K. That’ll fix the dems for good, if they say “nooooooo”.


35 posted on 12/24/2011 3:12:11 PM PST by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: SeekAndFind

They may be able to stave off a veto proof House.


36 posted on 12/24/2011 4:13:19 PM PST by depressed in 06 ( Where is the 1984 Apple Super Bowl ad when we need it?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Wait I thought healthcare,finreg, doddfrank etc would of did this per the media, plz


37 posted on 12/24/2011 4:13:35 PM PST by italianquaker ( Mr Obama inherited an AAA rating and made it AA, thnx Resident Zero)
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To: eclecticEel
"Next fall, who exactly is going too even remember any of this?"

You're right. The only people paying attention to this are the informed voters and Democrats certainly aren't that.

38 posted on 12/24/2011 4:35:34 PM PST by DJ Taylor (Once again our country is at war, and once again the Democrats have sided with our enemy.)
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To: ZULU

Boehner and McC are incompetents set on failure, but they have the support that counts: Republican members of the House and Senate, who expect to increase their ranks by 2013, but will they? The Republicans are offering only that they are not-Obama, but are they?


39 posted on 12/24/2011 4:44:45 PM PST by Theodore R. (I'll still vote for Santorum if he is on the April 3 ballot.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Democrats believe payroll tax victory bolsters chances of taking House

That is one of the best indicators of how gullible and naive the Democrats believe the liberals are. They already know the progressives and other socialist will vote for them regardless. This is evidence of how ignorant and unable to think they believe the hoi polloi are.

40 posted on 12/24/2011 5:30:52 PM PST by MosesKnows (Love many, Trust few, and always paddle your own canoe)
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