Today the House Republican leadership refused to allow the House of Representatives to vote on the Senate passed tax cut extension bill that has been passed by the senate 89 to 10. All but 7 Republican Senators voted to pass this interim bill to protect middle class Americans. This bill provides a two month extension on the payroll tax cuts, unemployment insurance and the doctor fix in order to give congress time to negotiate a long term extension.
But the House of Representatives is not going to vote on the bill because the house leadership is catering to the 70 odd tea party freshmen who think they run the world; who think they can blackmail the country in to accepting all manner of unrelated spending cuts and add-ons as their price for doing the right thing.
Republican leadership declares that their reason for refusing to vote on this bill is that it is only extends these items for two months and they believe this is useless and that the extensions should be for a year. They are right: The extensions should be for a year. But the price they demanded for a year’s extension included too many poison pills designed to sink the effort. That is why the Senate leaders, at the request of house republican leaders, negotiated this interim solution. And the fact of the matter is that if the Republicans really want to extend these provisions for a full year it will happen and it makes no difference if it is done in one step or two.
The part of this situation that is the most dangerous is the complete sidetracking of moderate house Republicans. There are probably upwards of two to three dozen moderate Republican house members who know what the right thing to do is. These representatives would step forward and vote for the bill if given the opportunity. But they are being completely ignored by their leadership. In most cases these individuals cannot even speak out against what is happening out of fear of retribution from the very leadership that is rolling right over them.
As a result the House of Representatives and the country itself are being ruled by a small group of very vocal hardliners who are prepared to wreck the country rather than compromise their extremist views. (Remember the debt ceiling extension?) They are the tail that is waging the dog of the Republican Party. There are 435 congressional seats in the House. When will the Republicans moderates regain control of their party from the intransigent leadership and their tea party supporters? If they don’t do it soon they are going to face voters next November who have absolutely no positive reason to vote for these spineless Republicans who “go along to get along.” Bottom line: If they are not going to lead; if they are not going to govern, they shouldn’t be there.
So, that brings us back to Mr. Smith of New Jersey’s 4th Congressional district. What is his position? I don’t know. But:
I do know he voted against bringing up the Senate bill to extend the payroll tax cuts: So look for your pay to go down in two weeks along with 160 million other middle class Americans.
I do know that he voted against the Senate bill to continue unemployment insurance coverage; so millions of families will have no unemployment checks in two weeks, including a couple of hundred thousand in his congressional district.
I do know he voted against extending payments to doctors treating Medicare patients, including about 100,000 seniors in his congressional district.
November is coming. Can we really afford to support politicians who could care less about the families in their districts? Congress has the lowest approval record in recorded history. Almost everyone thinks the "incumbents" should be thrown out but their representative is "OK".
Those of us living in the fourth congressional district in New Jersey better think again.