The two-month payroll tax extension the Senate approved and the House voted down today is by no means good policy. In fact, it’s a payroll-processing disaster. But if House Republicans were adamantly dead-set against the two-month extension, they could have made this clear at any point before the Senate vote on Saturday. Now that the Senate has left town for the holidays, demanding lawmakers return to negotiate a year-long payroll tax extension is a bit ridiculous:
Speaking minutes later at a press conference with dozens of GOP members behind him, House Speaker John Boehner said the House has already taken up the Senate bill, which only gives a $166 tax break to Americans, and opted instead for a bill that gives $1,000 to contributors to the Social Security fund.
“We rejected the Senate bill and we moved to go to conference,” he said. “We’ve done our work for the American people, now it’s up to the president and the Senate to do their work as well.”
House Republicans are insisting on a year-long extension of the break and want to force the Senate to return to Washington to hammer out a compromise.
Do House Republicans honestly expect Sen. Harry Reid to reconvene the Senate at this point? Especially when the House GOP’s brinkmanship plays completely into President Obama’s hands? If there was any doubt that Obama is thrilled with this development, here he is this afternoon dusting off his class warfare rhetoric to blast the House GOP for risking a middle-class tax hike:
In a surprise visit to the White House briefing room to demand House Republicans compromise on the legislation — a demand that was promptly rejected — President Obama said Tuesday that the Senate bill “is the only viable way to prevent a tax hike on January 1st.”
“It’s the only one,” Obama said shortly after the House voted to effectively reject a Senate measure to extend the payroll tax cut for two months.
The behavior from House Republicans would be completely understandable — even laudable — if this was a serious ideological battle for conservatives. But it’s not –Speaker John Boehner and others seem to be opposing the two-month payroll tax extension on logistical grounds, arguing that a year-long extension would be easier to implement. House Republicans already won a victory by getting a provision to force Obama’s hand on Keystone XL included in the Senate bill. Aggressiveness is wonderful, but there comes a point when you need to know when to fold ‘em.
I cannot comprehend what House Republicans are thinking. Their move is political insanity. There is no way to justify this or explain it. They've surrendered the right to ever criticize Reid in the future. They could have passed the measure and ranted about Reid playing politics and being unable to plan beyond a few weeks at a time. They could have used the 2 months to show how Democrats do not understand payroll and business. Instead they did what? This is only the best thing they could have done to lose the House in 2012 — and maybe even re-elect Obama! Huge disappointment.
Yes we can, make the republicans look like idiots.
Reducing the FICA withholding tax was a fraud to begin with and continues to be a fraud whether it is for two months or one year.
Actually, nothing could be further from the truth or reality Yitzhak & Keith…What are Democrats thinking?…my guess is they're still reeling from Barney Frank's impromptu appearance on the House floor revealing who he really is. No, Alana, the most inconsequential of all have left the scene..I'd like to know again for the umpteenth time, where is the Democrat budget? How long has it been since Democrats submitted a budget in the House??? I can answer that for you…over a thousand days..three years, isn't it?? The only ones who are the most staggeringly ignorant and We, the People, get it…are the Democrats…they flee from reality and where their future is headed..that would be the dustbin of history…the Democrats signature reality since Obama has made all of this moot, have managed to hitch their wagon to him and all of his failures..most Americans realize it…it isn't Republicans who have a problem..it's the Democrats who haven't done a single thing that indicate they represent the people who voted for them..no budget since Obama got into office and Democrats controlled everything…they still control the majority of government even now and can't get a thing done…so don't go blaming Republicans for what Democrats have done to themselves and their failures..and if you do, then you retain the most childish, infantile excuse system known to man…and the most self-serving, self-absorbed ignorance to go with it..k
Kristen, I wish what you are saying is correct and hope I'm wrong. I can imagine and believe it that Obama and the Democrats have done enough and will keep doing enough all of 2012 to make this FICA extension moment fade from memory by the election. What annoys me is how a very recent survey showed only 20% approve of Republican Congressmen but 27% approve of Democrat Congressmen (and Obama is up from 43% to 49% approval). Do We, the People, get it? Please be right that they do!
The thing people tend to forget is that the Democrat Political Party has been infiltrated and overtaken by communists & atheists. The only issue that the National Democrat Political Party cares about now is establishing a godless Utopia of Man's Mind ruled by science, technology, terror, and deadly force. The Democrat Political Party derives its power from the unionized Federal bureaucracy: anonymous hive-mind parasites. The National Democrat Political Party in the U.S.A. is ruled by communists and atheists & they are the enemies of Liberty and Freedom. Repudiate & ridicule all things Democrat. (My apologies for expressing myself with such grim bluntness during the Holy Days but it is what it is. Happy Holidays everyone. May G-d continue to Bless The United States of America.)