The House, with leader Nancy Pelosi, showed some backbone today and pushed through a measure to extend the middle class tax cuts. The measure passed 234-188. This symbolic vote was for show, we all can agree to that because it'll go nowhere in the Senate. But what an oh so sweet vote it was! The republicans came out seething and slobbering all over themselves. Boehner called the vote chicken crap, nonsense and political games playing! HA!! YES BONEHEAD, but it was so much fun for us liberals to watch! House Democrats wanted the American people to see the GOP vote NO for the middle class, but this vote was also to send a message to President Obama. That is a good thing...
“House Democrats are taking a very different negotiating strategy than President Obama,” says Julian Zelizer, a congressional historian at Princeton University in New Jersey. “They are starting with what they want before negotiating with Republicans. President Obama tends to give things away before he negotiates.”
“It’s not just political theater," he adds. Democrats are "trying something different than we’ve seen over the last two years, which is to stand firm before the negotiations."
All revenue bills start in the House, so the whining by the GOP is just pathetic. It's what comes next that will have the liberals in the country whining and complaining. I don't see this ending anywhere near where we want. In the end Democrats and Obama will cave.....ANY vote short of letting the tax cuts to the rich expire is caving. It makes me sick to my stomach....
UPDATE: Harry Reid says there will be 2 separate votes tomorrow, Saturday. One for the middle class tax cuts and one for the richest bastards tax cuts... Can't wait! ;-)
