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December 21, 2011
WSJ Slams House Republicans For 'Throwing 2012 Election To Obama'
Topics: Political News and commentariesFor some time now, a couple of regular commenters here at Hyscience (i.e. Althor and Chris) have been slamming the GOP on the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance issues, saying that the GOP was committing political suicide for not supporting a timely passing of both. I, on the other hand, have not been so sure, believing that getting the Keystone pipeline concession was important, that a reasonable compromise on the extensions was certain to occur, and that the additional debt that would result needed to be paid for (did the 2010 elections mean anything?).
Today, the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board seems to make it clear that I was 'mostly' wrong and that Althor and Chris have been 'mostly' right:
The GOP leaders have somehow managed the remarkable feat of being blamed for opposing a one-year extension of a tax holiday that they are surely going to pass. This is no easy double play.Noteworthy is the fact that the WSJ fails to mention that officials from the policy-neutral National Payroll Reporting Consortium, Inc. have expressed concern to members of Congress that the two-month payroll tax holiday passed by the Senate and supported by President Obama cannot be implemented properly, but perhaps at this point it's a minor issue.Republicans have also achieved the small miracle of letting Mr. Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter, although he's spent most of his Presidency promoting tax increases and he would hit the economy with one of the largest tax increases ever in 2013. This should be impossible.
As Zeke Miller points out at Business Insider, the Journal's criticism of Boehner will only strengthen the Democratic position, and is sure to be trotted out by Democrats and even some Republicans to pressure the Speaker to pass the bill and put an end to the legislative nightmare. So, Boehner hasn't caved to Democrats yet, and there's still time for him to somehow pull off a miracle that might somehow, someway, reverse his all but throwing the 2012 election to Obama and the tax and spend Democrats.
As things stand today, I'm not optimistic at such a miracle happening. This wouldn't be the first time that the GOP has managed to seize defeat from the jaws of victory.
Related:
I'm With Boehner
Congress's Payroll Standoff -- Who Blinks First?
Posted by Hyscience at December 21, 2011 11:20 AM
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