Shutdown Countdown, Part 4

House Passes Controversial Tax Legislation
What is this? The Controversial package extends long term Unemployment Benefits to jobless Americans and cuts Social Security taxes for a year. It renews some Bush-era Tax Cuts that were about to expire. AP notes the new expiration date for these Tax Cuts is 2012: right at the end of an election year. It passed the House 278-177, but NPR's Andrea Seabrook tells Morning Edition many Democrats hated it because it didn't require wealthier Americans to pay more in taxes, while Republicans mourned th...

Congress sends tax legislation to White House
WASHINGTON - Acting with uncommon speed, Congress sent President Barack Obama sweeping, Bipartisan Legislation late Thursday night to avoid a Jan. 1 spike in income taxes for millions and renew jobless benefits for Victims of the worst Recession in 80 years. The measure also will cut Social Security taxes for nearly every wage-earner and pump billions of dollars into the still-sluggish economy. The 277-148 vote came the day after the Senate cleared the bill, 81-19. The Legislation was the ...

NYT editorial: Round Up the Usual Prospects
To no one’s shock, the lame-duck session is offering daily profiles in hypocrisy by lawmakers who made loud campaign vows to “change the culture” of Washington. In the Senate, prominent Republicans who took the anti-earmark pledge as part of the Tea Party crusade against Deficits now must deal with a mammoth $1.2 Trillion Government Spending bill that happens to be routinely packed with their own customized pork. What to do? “The simple answer is: I’m going to vote against th

GOP opposition forces Democrats to pull $1.1 trillion spending bill from floor
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was forced to pull the $1.1 Trillion omnibus bill that would fund the government for next year on Thursday after it became clear he would not have the votes to pass it. The Senate was set to begin considering the bill Thursday with expected passage over the weekend, but nine Senate Republicans who said they would support the bill withdrew their support at the last moment because of pressure from their GOP colleagues. Before they changed their position on the bil...

Florida Congressional Repubs Piled Pressure on Dems Over Now-Deceased Spending Bill
The deeply unpopular, $1.1 Trillion spending bill -- including its more than 6,700 Earmarks -- went down in flames Thursday night. And Florida Republicans in Congress can claim their opposition as some of the ammunition that shot it out of the sky. In truth, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yanked the bill after he discovered Democrats didn't have the support to get it passed. Reid said he will begin immediately to work with Republicans on a Compromise popular enough for at least a short-term f...

GOP Senate resistance kills giant spending bill
© Alex Brandon/AP Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada wasn't able to break Republican opposition to the bill. Democrats controlling the Senate abandoned on Thursday a huge catchall spending measure combining nearly $1.3 Trillion worth of unfinished Budget work, including another $158 billion for Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 1,924-page bill collapsed of its own weight after an outcry from Conservatives who complained it was stuffed with more than $8 billion in...

The Commerce Clause, Ctd
After reading my earlier post, Jonathan Chait was good enough to respond. Here is how he begins: The legal merits of Hudson’s ruling, which seem to be totally daft, are themselves piggybacked upon a policy argument which is itself highly unpersuasive at best. The political argument, endorsed by Friedersdorf, maintains that the Individual Mandate represents some dramatic new imposition of Congressional power. Congress’s power may have grown over the years, the argument holds, but th...

POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Friday, December 17, 2010
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more. The House of Representatives gave final approval late Thursday night to the $858 billion tax deal negotiated by the White House and top Senate Republicans, sending it to President Barack Obama to be signed into law. After a day of legislative wrangling that delayed consideration of the measure for several hours, the final vote of 277-148 had...

Congress sends tax legislation to White House
WASHINGTON—Acting with uncommon speed, Congress sent President Barack Obama sweeping, Bipartisan Legislation late Thursday night to avoid a Jan. 1 spike in income taxes for millions and renew jobless benefits for Victims of the worst Recession in 80 years. The measure also will cut Social Security taxes for nearly every wage-earner and pump billions of dollars into the still-sluggish economy. The 277-148 vote came the day after the Senate cleared the bill, 81-19. The Legislation was the r...

Congress Passes Sweeping Tax Bill, Sends It to Obamas Desk
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting with uncommon speed, Congress sent President Barack Obama sweeping, Bipartisan Legislation late Thursday night to avoid a Jan. 1 spike in income taxes for millions and renew jobless benefits for Victims of the worst Recession in 80 years. The measure also will cut Social Security taxes for nearly every wage-earner and pump billions of dollars into the still-sluggish economy. The 277-148 vote came the day after the Senate cleared the bill, 81-19. The Legislation w...

Congress sends tax legislation to White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting with uncommon speed, Congress sent President Barack Obama sweeping, Bipartisan Legislation late Thursday night to avoid a Jan. 1 spike in income taxes for millions and renew jobless benefits for Victims of the worst Recession in 80 years. The measure also will cut Social Security taxes for nearly every wage-earner and pump billions of dollars into the still-sluggish economy. The 277-148 vote came the day after the Senate cleared the bill, 81-19. The Legislation was...

Harry Reid Blinks
Business as usual in Washington ended tonight. Harry Reid pulled the pork laden spending bill that, if passed, would have locked the Republicans into a massive Budget Deficit for the next year. Nevada Democrat Harry Reid gave up on the nearly $1.3 Trillion bill after several Republicans who had been thinking of voting for the bill pulled back their support. GOP leader Mitch McConnell threw his weight against the bill in recent days, saying it was in his words “unbelievable” that Dem...

Wonkbook: What went right, and what went wrong, in Congress last night
Congress was up late last night. First, something that could've gone wrong didn't. The tax deal passed, and despite a day of peculiar haggling over the way the vote would go down, most House Democrats joined with most House Republicans to protect the deal from amendment and pass it through the chamber. It doesn't have to go back to the Senate, a new round of negotiations isn't needed. It's done. But then, something that wasn't supposed to go wrong did. Harry Reid announced he didn't have enough...

All bets off: Online poker bill dealt possible death blow
View results Sun archives Legalizing online poker looks like a long shot (12-9-2010) Harry Reid rushes effort to legalize Internet poker (12-7-2010) Harry Reid pushes bill to allow for Online Gambling (12-3-2010) Nevada gaming companies see potential flush online (8-2-2010) Online gambling is illegal, but betting sites’ logos often in Nevada casinos (7-13-2010) Online poker law in effect, but players still manage to bet (7-11-2010) Question evolving from legalization debate: How to ...

Obama May Be at Odds With His Party
WASHINGTON — President Obama’s effort to forge a fresh start with Republicans is the talk of the capital these days. But on Thursday, Mr. Obama’s increasingly complicated relationship with his own party was on full display as the two issues that most define his presidency — The Economy and the War in Afghanistan — merged on the Washington stage. As he moves closer to his 2012 re-election campaign, President Obama's relations with fellow Democrats will grow only tri...

BREAKING: Porked Up Omnibus Dead? UPDATE: DEAD
Looks like it. URGENT URGENT Sen Harry Reid (D-NV) says he won't force vote on earmark-filled Senate Omnibus Budget bill Full story here. Various reports are now saying Reid is going to talk to McConnell about a short term Continuing Resolution (which is what McConnell demanded earlier today). Reid says he had commitments from 9 Republicans to vote for Omnibus but they walked away from it. Well, they may not be committed to fiscal discipline but it seems they are scared. That's good enough. On...

GOP Senators-Elect: Death to Omnibus
Freshman Sen. Mark Kirk (R., Ill.) and all 12 Republican senators-elect have written a frankly worded letter to Leaders Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) announcing their “united opposition” to the omnibus spending package, and “strongly urging” senators — of both parties — to wait until the new members take office next year before passing any long-term spending measures: In November, the American People clearly rejected Congressional action ...

Hey, Republicans:Slam on the brakes!
Conservatism and responsible government won a resounding victory in November's Elections, and yet just a month later, we're witnessing legislative arrogance on a scale you wouldn't expect if voters had ratified the ruling class' sprint toward national Bankruptcy. Can you imagine how it would be acting if it hadn't received a "shellacking"? It seems that Washington is embracing all the principles and practices the voters soundly rejected, without the slightest indication it either received the...

Tea Party Era Begins With Refusal To Debate 'Omnibus' Spending Bill
WASHINGTON -- The new, more Republican Congress won't arrive in town until next month, but the Tea Party Era unofficially began on the Hill Thursday night. Republican leaders in Congress, blindsided by Grassroots fury over the Tax Cut deal they made with President Obama, are now scrambling to show their allegiance to the anti-federal, anti-debt movement. The GOP brass, led by Senate Party Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), did so tonight by eagerly backing the successful efforts of Tea Party favo...

Voodoo Tax Sophistry
Now that the Senate and House have passed Legislation to prevent a massive tax hike in 2011, it's a good time to ponder some of the misinformation out there. A few weeks ago, I addressed the topic of "Deficit sophistry."  Today, it's tax sophistry. Whenever I see the superficial, simplistic reporting and commentary on extending the Bush Tax Cuts, I just have to shake my head in disbelief. It seems 99 percent of the reporters, editors, commentators, and anchor-persons (How...

Integrity is not Obama's strong suit
During Obama’s campaign for the Presidency, he touted how he had the ability to reach across party lines and that he would end the practice of Name Calling and partisan politics. He preached “change” and “hope”. Since being elected, President Obama has become one of the most polarizing and hostile presidents in recent history. He has been the opposite of the man that he pledged he would be and he has reneged on many of his campaign promises. His one goal has been to...

'A 1,924 Page Bill Just Died,' As Democrats Concede Budget Battle to GOP
Harry Reid holds a copy of the US Constitution while speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon. After months of Bipartisan negotiations, Majority Leader Harry Reid conceded Thursday night that he lacked the votes to bring up the $1.1 Trillion spending bill designed to fund the Federal Government for the rest of the current Fiscal Year, after nine GOP members suddenly reneged on their pledges to vote for it. As a result, Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are now negotiating the terms...

Increase in income taxes and expand unemployment benefits? good plan
President Barack Obama is now required to sign Legislation into law that would avoid the January 1st deadline for an increase in income taxes and would renew the Unemployment Benefits for americans. The measure would also cut Social Security taxes for most workers in the United States and would put in necessary money into the hurting economy, approximately billions of dollars worth. For the worst Recession in an eighty year period, this should be good news for tax payers and citizens of the Unit...

Unburdening Government (KingShamus)
Government is too damn big. How many times have we said that to ourselves or to others?  Dozens?  Scores?  Hundreds? For Conservatives, the freedom-crushing size and liberty-lessening scope of the Federal Government is an ironclad fact, as true as water being wet or Lady GaGa being a first order publicity whore.  Liberals have a ready retort when right-wingers complain about the growth of the DC leviathan.  "What would you cut?" Well, how's about...dam...

Senators wanting earmark ban end up grabbing them
WASHINGTON (AP) - More than two dozen senators—most of them Republicans—put hundreds of homestate projects in the $1.3 Trillion bill to fund the Federal Government even though they recently voted to ban so-called Earmarks. The effort to pass the 1,924-page bill collapsed Thursday night after complaints by Conservatives over its complexity and size and the relatively few days to be devoted to debating its merits. Anti-spending Tea Party Activists were angry, too, especially since they ...