62 House Dems Reject Pelosi And Vote With Republicans
By Robert Gehl, May 10, 2014.
Dozens of Democrats spurned the Obama Administration and their own House leadership on Friday and voted to approve permanently extending a tax cut on research and development.
The bill passed 274-131 with 62 Dems spurning their own party to approve the measure.
Rollcall is reporting that the defections are especially notable because House Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and “pigmented” Rep. James Clyburn yanked their rank-and-file into a private meeting ordering them not to vote for the tax cuts.
Their argument was that letting Republicans have this one tax cut would open the door to even more tax cuts, something these statists were simply not going to put up with.
Pelosi even questioned the integrity of House members who planned to side with Republicans, according to aides present in the meeting.
The 62 Democrats who voted “yes” represent a wide swath of the caucus’ political spectrum, from moderate-minded freshmen to typically reliable party-liners like John B. Larson of Connecticut and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon.
Blumenauer told CQ Roll Call after the vote that he has voted in favor of the same tax credit for years, so voting against it would have been hypocritical. He also said it does not matter as much because the tax credit will not pass in this form in the Senate.
“It has been extended unpaid for 10 times. In essence, this has been extended permanently,” Blumenauer said. “I didn’t feel comfortable [voting against] something that I have voted to extend repeatedly unpaid for, like Republicans and Democrats, and because this is a broader interaction between the House and Senate, I don’t see any risk in being consistent.”
Perhaps some of our friends on the other side of the political spectrum might be growing a spine, recognizing the failure of leadership and almost certainty now that Republicans will re-take the House in November.
By Robert Gehl, May 10, 2014.
Dozens of Democrats spurned the Obama Administration and their own House leadership on Friday and voted to approve permanently extending a tax cut on research and development.
The bill passed 274-131 with 62 Dems spurning their own party to approve the measure.
Rollcall is reporting that the defections are especially notable because House Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and “pigmented” Rep. James Clyburn yanked their rank-and-file into a private meeting ordering them not to vote for the tax cuts.
Their argument was that letting Republicans have this one tax cut would open the door to even more tax cuts, something these statists were simply not going to put up with.
Pelosi even questioned the integrity of House members who planned to side with Republicans, according to aides present in the meeting.
The 62 Democrats who voted “yes” represent a wide swath of the caucus’ political spectrum, from moderate-minded freshmen to typically reliable party-liners like John B. Larson of Connecticut and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon.
Blumenauer told CQ Roll Call after the vote that he has voted in favor of the same tax credit for years, so voting against it would have been hypocritical. He also said it does not matter as much because the tax credit will not pass in this form in the Senate.
“It has been extended unpaid for 10 times. In essence, this has been extended permanently,” Blumenauer said. “I didn’t feel comfortable [voting against] something that I have voted to extend repeatedly unpaid for, like Republicans and Democrats, and because this is a broader interaction between the House and Senate, I don’t see any risk in being consistent.”
Perhaps some of our friends on the other side of the political spectrum might be growing a spine, recognizing the failure of leadership and almost certainty now that Republicans will re-take the House in November.
http://downtrend.com/robertgehl/62-house-dems-reject-pelosi-and-vote-with-republicans/?utm_source=Outbrain_B
