If they want to hold the country hostage for $700 billion more in debt with an economic policy that's cost us jobs, I think we need to say no.
Don’t have 60 votes, how about 40?
Senator Debbie Stabenow made a compelling case on the Maddow show the other night for not extending the Bush tax cuts to the rich. Now she and like minded Senators need to do the right thing and follow through with a threat to filibuster any bill other than the one already passed by the House as several other diarists have advocated.
The President won’t like it as he has decided his re-election will best be served by preserving most of the Bush tax cut, no matter what the cost. But the cost of preserving the Bush tax cuts, not just the top end, is a devastating austerity agenda, including cutting social security benefits and weakening Medicare. While it doesn’t make sense to raise taxes when this is the only form of stimulus we can count on for our ailing economy, continuing Grover Norquist’s strategy of starving the Federal Government of revenue in order to dismantle the social safety net is not a policy approach any Democrat should willingly support.
Standing for Democratic principles is good politics and better policy. Handing out goodies for the rich while demanding sacrifices from everyone else makes no sense politically or otherwise. And a two year extension of tax cuts for the rich so that we can replay this debate during the next election has to be the stupidest political thing imaginable for Democrats and the President. Lastly, it doesn’t matter politically if Republicans blame democrats for raising taxes. Obama cut taxes for 95% of Americans and yet pre-election polling showed a majority believes their taxes have been raised. Republicans are going to hammer Democrats on taxes no matter the reality.
Finally, If the Republican’s don’t blink, the same filibuster strategy can be employed in the next congress to insure that any tax cut legislation is fair and economically sound unlike the very Bush tax cuts that the House has already voted to extend.
Call Senator Stabenow - (202) 224-4822 - and ask her to organize a filibuster of any effort to preserve tax cuts for the rich.