Reports: House GOP gives in, agrees to two-month tax holiday
National Journal is reporting that the House has backed down and agreed to pass, for now, only a two-month extension of the payroll-tax holiday. The AP and The Hill are reporting the same.
The bill reportedly will be the same as the one the Senate passed with a large bipartisan majority, except for “a technical correction to the language designed to minimize difficulties businesses might experience implementing the short-term, two-month tax cut extension.” As part of the deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will appoint conference-committee members to negotiate away the differences between his chamber’s bill and the House version, which called for a full-year textension.
House Republicans made this more embarrassing than they had to, by not backing Speaker John Boehner’s reported pledge to pass the two-month extension in the first place. They had a victory in hand with the agreement by the Senate and President Obama — who’d originally threatened a veto — to include a provision speeding up the approval process of the Keystone XL pipeline. Having already conceded the debate about whether a temporary tax cut is economically effective, they should have realized the issue was pure politics, booked that victory, and not risked spoiling it.
Assuming all goes off without a hitch, we’ll see who holds the political high ground when the debate turns to extending the holiday for the rest of 2012. After all, that — holding the political high ground — is all this exercise was really ever about. When congressional leaders wait until the weeks before Christmas to decide what to do about taxes in the new year, incompetence and lack of actual concern for taxpayers abound.
P.S. — I’ll update this post with further details as warranted.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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203 comments Add your comment
td
December 22nd, 2011
10:47 pm
Andre
December 22nd, 2011
10:32 pm
You all should know by now TD is a troll
What is a troll?
MarkV
December 22nd, 2011
10:48 pm
td @8:41 pm: “MarkV: “the main part of which is the state ownership of the means of production, centralized planning of production and centralized decision regarding the rewards”
“I think you mean social ownership instead of state ownership…”
No, I did not mean social ownership. I meant and mean state ownership, and that is what socialism means.
“Is it or is it not true that the main elements of Obama care is that the central government will control who gets what health care and at what price?”
No, it is not true.
“Is it or is it not true that everyone under Obama care will get equal care?”
No, it is not true.
“Does this not sound like your definition of socialism?”
No, it does not, and it would not be a definition of socials in any case. If you have any ability of thinking, you will realize what nonsense you have just stated.
That Black Guy
December 22nd, 2011
10:52 pm
Andre
December 22nd, 2011
10:32 pm
You all should know by now TD is a troll and you should just ignore him.
Andre, do you see any other trolls here? You do know what a troll is, right?
MarkV
December 22nd, 2011
10:55 pm
Michael H. Smith @8:50 pm
As usual, you do not make any sense. I did not add anything to your comment, I quoted it exactly. If this is your example of your ability to present arguments, you should find another hobby.
Shine
December 22nd, 2011
10:55 pm
A troll is usually a noun, but can be an adjective. I hope this clarifies any confusion in the fogbank crowd.
Dusty
December 22nd, 2011
10:59 pm
Well, tomorrow is going to be better. Get your shopping done and your figgy pudding ready.
Twas three nights before Christmas and all through the house…not a creature was……….
(You finish….I’m gone..)
td
December 22nd, 2011
11:04 pm
MarkV
December 22nd, 2011
10:48 pm
My example fit your definition to a tee but I am wrong? I guess since you will not tell me how it is different then I will just have to believe my view is correct and Obama is a socialist.
What Goes Around Comes Around
December 22nd, 2011
11:08 pm
@td December 22nd, 2011 10:00 pm – It is so nice to know that on election day next year that I am going to be thinking about you. I am going to walk into the polling booth and cast my vote for the Republican nominee and laugh all the way back home knowing that this “angry white man” just made sure your vote for Obama was not counted. LOL TOUCH DOWN DAWGS win!!!!!!!
**********************************
YOU SOUND LIKE A FOOL!
Do you think that WHITE PEOPLE have that much power to make sure MY VOTE DOES NOT COUNT? You are very dillusional and living in the PAST!
Boy…..I would sue you, yo mama, yo daddy, yo daddy’s daddy, yo cousin, yo grandma, yo neighbor. DO YOU GET MY POINT.
This ain’t the old south. The old south is GONE WITH THE WIND! Try that BS and see where it gets you.
In fact, I will be the person in the voting booth right next to you VOTING FOR OBAMA.
Whatever you are smoking it has gone to YOUR ANGRY WHITE MAN’S HEAD.
SEE YOU AT THE VOTING BOOTH BUDDY
What Goes Around Comes Around
December 22nd, 2011
11:13 pm
@Lil’ Barry Bailout (Revised Downward) December 22nd, 2011 – 10:00 pm
We trust that when you come back tomorrow, you’ll have another clever screen name…”If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It”…”I’m With Stupid”…”Ass Gas Or Grass, Nobody Rides For Free”…
Let’s hope the convenience store doesn’t run out of koozies.
***************************************
IF THE SHOE FITS……WEAR IT!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ANGRY WHITE MAN
What Goes Around Comes Around
December 22nd, 2011
11:18 pm
@Lil’ Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
@Dusty
@td
Haters haters are OBAMA’S MOTIVATORS.
Don’t hate the player hate the game.
If you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen!
Shine
December 22nd, 2011
11:19 pm
I am a Marxist. I am against child labor. Who is with me?
Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.
http://www.mrrives.com/Technology/?p=195
That Black Guy
December 22nd, 2011
11:24 pm
What Goes Around Comes Around
If you are Black, do you think your “angry White man” posts helps?
If you are White, do you think your “angry White man” posts helps?
What is the purpose of the “angry White man” posts?
td
December 22nd, 2011
11:27 pm
What Goes Around Comes Around
December 22nd, 2011
11:08 pm
Please tell me you are to ignorant to know that you can cast all the votes you want but the President is not directly elected and your vote for Obama WILL NOT BE COUNTED. We elect a President through the electoral college. You go to the voting booth and cast your vote for a set of electors to vote for the President. Georgia is a winner take all state. That means that the set of electors with the most votes get all the votes from the state of Georgia. The Republican nominee will win Georgia next year so all votes from Georgia will be cast for the Republican nominee and NO VOTES WILL BE CAST FOR OBAMA.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 22nd, 2011
11:41 pm
Georgia is winning the race to the bottom. Angry, stupid white men vote exclusively GOP. Obama doesn’t have a chance here.
That Black Guy
December 22nd, 2011
11:50 pm
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 22nd, 2011
11:41 pm
What does race have to do with the tax break extension?
Jefferson
December 23rd, 2011
4:01 am
Beat. The GOP.
Greg G
December 23rd, 2011
5:06 am
Everyone one is being bamboozaled here. The republican house DID pass the tax cut bill for a year and sent it to the senate. The democratic senate DID NOT want to pass the tax cut for a year so they wrote their own bill cutting the taxes for only 2 months. So now that they lame stream media has started calling the republicans out for not passing the tax bill ( senate version ), but fail to mention that they had ALREADY passed it for a year and it was the democratic senate that did not want to pass that tax cut. So who should really be blamed for this fisaco?
Monty Python
December 23rd, 2011
6:48 am
Greg, you got it backwards. The two month extension was passed by the Senate first. Boehner had apparently agreed to the deal, and McConnell and Reid got it done. Then the House passed its bill for the one year extension after the rank and file pinned Johnny B to the wall. Get your facts straight.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
6:50 am
Greg G: So who should really be blamed for this fisaco?
—————————-
Whoever the Obozomedia decides should be blamed. Take a wild guess.
Annoy the media–vote American.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
6:55 am
House Passes Extension of Cut to Payroll Taxes
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Published: December 13, 2011
WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Tuesday passed a bill extending a cut in Social Security payroll taxes for 160 million Americans for another year.
—————————————
Senators Lament ‘Maintenance Congress’ Passing Short Tax Cut
December 18, 2011, 7:19 PM EST
Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Senate voted to extend an expiring payroll tax cut for two months, with senators concluding their work for the year by putting the same tax cut on their agenda for early in 2012.
——————————–
Monty, YOU got it backwards and need to get YOUR facts straight.
The House passed the year long extension Obozo requested. The Senate later passed a two month extension, skipped town, and refused to name negotiators to hammer out a compromise.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
7:01 am
Where’d Monty go? Back to the libtard blogs and Obozomedia for fresh talking points?
Michael H. Smith
December 23rd, 2011
7:08 am
MarkV
December 22nd, 2011
10:55 pm
As usual more of your non-sense on top of an addition false statement you made about not adding to the exact words I use, when in fact you did exactly that, I said nothing about making an investment with borrowed money which is totally different from solely borrowing money. Guess what this does make you is very disingenuously silly for attempting to twist a statement out of context into something that was not said implied or inferred by it. However you’ve always appeared to be a Marxist like “obumer” because of your expressed beliefs and support of wealth and income redistribution.
From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.
Michael H. Smith
December 23rd, 2011
7:23 am
td
December 22nd, 2011
11:04 pm
You’re safe in your beliefs and the assessment of MarxV. This person firmly supports wealth redistribution as Karl Marx. The worse thing about these socialist (e.g. obumer MarxV etc.) is their misguided ideas that some redistributing wealth is not really Marxist. The only real difference between them and full blown communist is measured by degrees of state ownership and/or control of private ownership and individual liberties.
Just keep canting MarxV:
From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.
marko
December 23rd, 2011
8:00 am
Are these really the best politicians money can buy? I’m getting a bit worried here. Wall Street’s invested hundreds of millions of dollars in these guys. Is this really all you get for hundreds of millions these days?
JDW
December 23rd, 2011
8:11 am
@Kyle, well the tantrum is over…I think Gergen has a pretty good analysis this morning.
“Obama is still highly vulnerable and could lose, but the CNN poll coming out of the field this week reveals a remarkable turnaround, especially in the past month…Obama now has a 52%-45% edge over Romney. Against Newt Gingrich, Obama has a 16-point lead, 56%-40%.”
He goes on to say…
“Republicans well remember the mid-1990s when they seized power in Congress and Speaker Newt Gingrich went mano-a-mano with President Bill Clinton. For a while, Gingrich had the upper hand, but Clinton then outmaneuvered him on two governmental shutdowns — and when the momentum turned in Clinton’s favor, he rode it to an easy re-election. No one should doubt that could happen again.”
http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/22/opinion/gergen-obama-resurgence/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
I don’t know what will happen but I am pretty sure Boehner et al are wishing they had not overplayed this hand.
gm
December 23rd, 2011
8:17 am
1 year extension was Obama orginal plan but the selfish idiots on the right, once again trying to upstage the President of the United States, at least the rep of past who did not agree with civil rights or other bills came togather for the good of the country, but these selfish brain washed fox news retards rather stomp on the middle class then to work with the President.
President Obama rise in the polls shows people are looking at a bunch of Anti Americans who rather destroy this country just to get power for 2012, thats right retards on the right continue to listen to high school drop out millionaire rush slob limbaugh and no news fox to tell you how the President hates you, what a bunch of sickos on the right”””
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
8:59 am
The total number of jobs, from the BLS:
January 2001: 137 million
January 2009: 142 million
November 2011: 140 million
Just sayin’…
stephen
December 23rd, 2011
8:59 am
Kyle, your job of defending these GOP fools must get harder each day. When I listen to “Republican consultants” on tv try to spin this stuff, my head explodes. If the GOP wants to exclusively be Corporate America’s representative body, why dont they just present themselves as such? At least they would appear honest. Seems there are still plenty of deluded right wing voters who would ride that train.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
9:04 am
stephen
December 23rd, 2011
8:59 am
—————————
Stupidest Post of the Day.
But it’s early.
clyde
December 23rd, 2011
9:20 am
So we borrow from Social Security,which is due to run out of money in the future,and we delay the coming doom a while longer.Everyone gets $20 or so a week to spend and the beer and cigarette corporations,WalMart etc.gets to hoard a little more cash.Some money will go to small businesses and they will pay a little more tax.And the cycle continues.Any way,as I won’t be here tomorrow,A special merry Christmas to Ragnar and A Merry or Happy to the rest of you all.
Buzz G
December 23rd, 2011
9:21 am
Obama and the Democrats are too stupid and bull-headed to give in. The Republicans are again the adults in the room.
Butch Cassidy
December 23rd, 2011
9:23 am
Buzz G – “Obama and the Democrats are too stupid and bull-headed to give in. The Republicans are again the adults in the room.”
Really? So I guess back in December of 2010, it was the Democrats that were the “adults in the room” because they gave in to the Republicans in order to get the UI extended and the tax cut in place. Right?
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
9:36 am
Black Guy – Obama is black. The knee-jerk knuckle-draggers that make up the GOP hate that.
Obama’s African heritage colors every decision regarding politics and the voting booth that the typical tea-partier makes. It is sad, but you know it’s true. There are still fools that are birthers and believe that Obama is a “muslin”, for god’s sake.
Never misunderestimate the hate, fear, and primitive stupidity that infects the average tea-partier’s heart and brain.
MarkV
December 23rd, 2011
9:51 am
Michael H. Smith @7:08 am
I have no more patience with you, Either you cannot read, or you keep deliberately lying. If you claim I added something to your exact words, then copy and paste from my mail your words, “…you can’t borrow yourself rich or out of debt” with something added to them.
Your above claim can have only two meanings. The first is an inanity, the second one is wrong. But you cannot even hide yourself by inanity.
The first meaning is an inane “You cant’ borrowed yourself rich or our of debt, because after borrowing you will be still in debt.” In other words, assuming that you do nothing with the money. But you have made that claim with reference to a country, and a country, especially the US, does not borrow money just to show that it has it. The assets of the US are visible, and if she wants only to show more money, she can print it. The country borrows money to use it, spend it. And using it wisely, it can get her out of debt.
The other meaning is then “You cant’ borrowed yourself rich or our of debt, even if you use that borrowed money.” That is clearly wrong, as I showed by my examples. Whether you use the money for establishing a practice or investing or anything else is immaterial.
The stupidity of the rest of your mail, and of your mail to td (@7:23 am)) is not worth answering.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
9:52 am
It is sad, really. The GOP is chock full of angry white politicians and demagogues. The newest GOP reps are some of the least-educated people ever to set foot in Congress since the days of Theodore Bilbo. Some of them never set foot on a college campus. Many of them have never left the confines of the United States, some of them don’t even have a passport. And GOPers are perfectly happy letting these dunces run our country – into the ground.
As ineffective as Obama has been, he still polls well against any of the circus acts that are running for the GOP nomination. The GOP candidates have to run a gauntlet of voters that include the angriest, least-educated, superstitious, anti-education and anti-learning voters in the world except maybe Afghanistan, and by pandering to these rubes, most voters are laughing at them.
And, by appealing to old angry white males, the GOP has backed itself into a corner. Like the Buick division of General Motors found out, the old fat angry white demographic continues to shrink. Decent intelligent people aren’t buying the GOP product.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
10:08 am
Odd that over a third of tea-partiers are retired.
While I am sure I will get some specious arguments from the “conservative” flotsam and jetsam that troll here, we can reasonably assume that the vast majority of these folks derive a significant percentage (if not all) of their income from Social Security, and liberally use the Medicare system to pay for their stents, angiograms, arthritis, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases that they are unwilling to confront as they eat and drink themselves into long, slow declines that involve ever-increasing medical and hospitalization costs.
Some of them even bleat “get government out of my Medicare!”
They are blind to their own hypocrisy, or too stupid to see it.
redneckbluedog
December 23rd, 2011
10:09 am
Happy Holidays…One comment in the interest of the season…The Republicans’ problem in this fight was the hypocrisy…In the Tea Party, you have Phil Gingrey and Phil Roe, both doctors, who voted AGAINST the doc fix in the bill…..Not only did they put politics before country, they put politics before their own fellow colleagues..!!!! No way you can win like that….
MarkV
December 23rd, 2011
10:17 am
…”worse thing about these socialist (e.g. obumer MarxV etc.)…”
“I will also have high tolerance for labels (e.g., socialist, fascist, wingnut) regardless of political orientation, if only because they reveal weakness on the labeler’s part.” (Kyle Wingfield, blog rules)
zeke
December 23rd, 2011
10:26 am
The actual ignorance of those in DC, Republican, Democrat and so called independent, is absolutely astounding! Social Security is going broke in 30 or so years. And, they take money away from it?! Shows the lack of common sense by all! They should have left SS alone and reduced the income tax rate to offer the same benefit to the taxpayers!
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
11:06 am
The reduction in the SS tax was supposed to compensate for the end of the Make Work Pay $400 tax credit.
Concealed by the noise and obfuscation from the Grover Norquist crowd, an ugly fact of our tax system remains: income from “work”, or “labor”, is taxed at a significantly higher rate than income from investments. Most Americans pride themselves on doing an honest day’s work for their pay, yet we penalize them severely for working for wages. Income from wages and salaries is taxed up to 38%, while the highest tax rate for “long-term” (only 12 months) is only 15%, and many people with capital gains pay NO tax on the income.
Where is the equity in this? Why won’t the Norquist crowd address this? It is largely because they are bought and paid for by folks like the Kochs who want to undermine our country’s economy and government?
The SS reduction is an attempt to keep money in the pockets of people that actually work for a living, as opposed to living off of inheritances and financial manipulations.
The Make Work Pay credit should be increased and extended, which would lessen the tax burden of EVERYONE that works for a living. The ridiculousness of not taxing capital gains should be ended, income is income, and the notion that not taxing capital gains creates job has been proven a lie by the last 8 years of the Bush tax cuts. More money in the hands of people who need it to buy the basics of living will stimulate the economy for everyone.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
11:35 am
The cry-baby Boehner must be getting tired of bending over for the Tea-party contingent in the House.
And interesting that he’s allowed the smarmy smug thugs Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan to be the public faces of the “tax resistance”, a.k.a “protecting the rich”. The two of them are frat-boy types that look like they would be more than comfortable at Goldman Sachs selling worthless debt instruments or scamming folks in hedge funds and derivative markets – Ryan even charges a fee to attend his town halls.
Both of them are posterboys for “pay to play” democracy. Only the tea-partiers are dumb enough not to see it.
MrLiberty
December 23rd, 2011
1:04 pm
Economic uncertainly was one of the main contributing factors to the fact that the first Depression lasted so long. Every week FDR and his stooges were coming up with something new and horrible to ruin american business and prosperity. Looks like Obama and the rest of the idiots in washington (well, there are at least 2 who aren’t – the Paul boys) are taking their clues from the 30’s and 40’s.
Tax policy that lasts 2 months is disgusting. I guess it never occurred to any of these clowns how difficult it is to change, validate, etc. automated tax software. Since the government forces businesses to be their tax collectors and pays them nothing for the service, the burden falls on them alone to implement these constant changes. Many may have already been working on changing back to the existing tax rates and now have to go back to the decreased levels, etc. And again deal with that in 2 more months.
And yet the pundits cannot figure out what someone like Ron Paul, who stands opposed to everything that washington has become, is gaining so much momentum among the citizens of this country.
AMERICA IS SICK AND TIRED OF THE SAME OLD IDIOTS THAT INFEST OUR NATION’S CAPITAL. THEY WANT REAL CHANGE. WHY IS THAT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?
Ron Paul 2012.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
1:20 pm
Obozo and the partisan, obstructionist Democrat party: Legislating two months at a time.
If you voted for them, you’re an idiot. Yes, I just said that.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
1:26 pm
If you loved the 1850s, you’ll love Ron Paul.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
1:43 pm
Mr. Liberty –
Woe is me! Another Y2K catastrophe!!
You are being ridiculous and asinine. Two or three programmers at ADP and Paychex just got themselves another 15 minutes of work, and if you are performing your payroll inhouse, if your company’s payroll clerk can’t figure out how to make this change in under five minutes, fire him/her.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
1:53 pm
Cantor’s daddy made millions in DC real estate, and Eric’s only real-world work experience is working for him. No wonder he hates the so-called “death tax” and capital gains taxes. “Work” for Eric Cantor means making sure he has access to the family millions.
Ryan’s story seems a little more hard luck, but it really ain’t. His daddy died when he was in high school, but his great-grandfather’s family business was successful enough that Ryan was able to use the SS survivor benefits for his college tuition. His mother, worried that he would become a ski-bum after college, cajoled him into working for the family business, which made most of its money on public construction projects – please note – PUBLIC.
How many of you had the luxury of contemplating being a ski-bum after your college graduation?
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 23rd, 2011
2:01 pm
Paul Ryan’s 2010 financial disclosure statement shows his net worth to be between $1M and $3M. Eric Cantor’s shows a net worth between $3M and $8M.
gm
December 23rd, 2011
4:05 pm
Thanks President Obama for keeping your campaign promise and bringing our troops home for the holiday’s rep and dem, you are truly the real deal, you show humility and concern and thanks for bringing family values back to the White house.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
4:19 pm
Paul Ryan’s 2010 financial disclosure statement shows his net worth to be between $1M and $3M. Eric Cantor’s shows a net worth between $3M and $8M.
————————-
And this is any of your business because…
Envy is an ugly thing–you need to work on that.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
December 23rd, 2011
4:42 pm
You Obozo receptacles need to be reminded of the Seven Deadly Sins, based on your recent behavior. Pay heed especially to 3, 4, and 6.
1 Lust
2 Gluttony
3 Greed
4 Sloth
5 Wrath
6 Envy
7 Pride