It's hair-pulling time:
At least 38 House Democrats have now come out publicly in favor of at least a short-term extension of current income tax rates for couples earning more than $250,000 and individuals over the $200,000 threshhold — bucking calls from Obama and Pelosi to let taxes increase on wealthier Americans. Other Democrats have indicated privately that they prefer an extension instead of allowing rates to expire for top earners, and Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who heads Democratic campaign efforts, has argued behind closed doors for taking a political issue off the table by giving a short reprieve to wealthy folks before the midterm elections.
Yet this is still true:
If Pelosi puts a bill on the floor that freezes rates for 97 percent of workers allowing them to rise for the upper 3 percent, Republicans and Democrats alike are still likely to vote for such a compromise, as evidenced by Minority Leader John Boehner's acknowledgment last Sunday that he would do so if faced with a choice between cutting taxes for most folks and cutting them for no one.
So here's some advice for Democratic Congressional leadership: listen to what President Obama is saying. Follow his advice. Don't let Republicans -- or Blue Dog Dems, for that matter -- hold his middle-class tax cut proposal hostage. Schedule it for a vote. Now. Don't screw around. Don't let Max Baucus handle it. Get it scheduled now. In both chambers. Don't be wimps.
Then, after the vote on Obama's middle-class tax cuts is on the calendar, schedule a debate and vote on Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. We can debate whether a permanent extension, a temporary extension, or a complete expiration (duh!) makes the most sense. Everybody will have a chance at making their case, fair and square. We'll let the chips fall where they may. Nobody will get taken hostage.
So let's do this one right. Let's pass the thing that everybody agrees on and make sure that it isn't used as a negotiating chip. Then let's turn to the debate over the wildly irresponsible Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.
This isn't rocket science. And the clock has basically run out on you. If you don't deliver on this, you won't have your job next January. That's not a threat. It's just reality.
Bendy spines lose elections.
