| In a story that is likely the most telling of all fiscal cliff news stories - Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell offered an amendment to vote on Barack Obama's plan for fiscal recovery and national debt.
You know the plan I am talking about, don't you? It's the one with $1.6 trillion in new tax increases and $400 billion in entitlement cuts. Oh yeah, and additional stimulus spending. Ya that one! Well as soon as Sen McConnell asked to let a vote be taken on the plan the top Democrat in the US Senate, Harry Reid, jumped up and brought it to a stop. Dead as a doornail!
Why would a Democrat bring a stop to the President's plan for fiscal recovery? Why I ask, since we are hearing nothing at all in the news except that the Republicans are acting like selfish children roadblocking any progress to be made. Why stop a vote on a plan by the POTUS in which the majority party controls the Senate? Clearly the Democrats will support the President's plan of tax increases and additional stimulus spending!
Well no they won't actually. No Democrat wants to go on record as having supported trillion dollar tax increases and worthless additional stimulus spending that will no doubt end up in the hands of hacks. No Democrat wants to go on record as having supported entitlement cuts. No Democrat truly wants to raise taxes on the rich, especially when many of those rich support the Democrats. No Democrat wants to support Obama's plan, just the same way no Democrat wanted to support his budget earlier when it was voted down without a single 'Yes' vote. That's right, our Teleprompter in Chief was warmly greeted with a 99(No) to 0(YES) vote by the US Senate last May when the political body voted unanimously against the President's ideas for spending. Not 1 stinkin vote for it! Not a single vote, at all!
Again, what is happening with the fiscal cliff is that Obama is lobbing garbage at the Republicans and then complaining when they say 'No'. It looks bad to say 'No' when progress is needed. The truth is that the Republicans are seriously considering everything the POTUS asks, but there just is not much in the way of a legitimate proposal by Obama. We now know this because finally McConnell used a little Jiu Jitsu against the POTUS and asked to take a vote. And down it went without any discussion.
"Not a single Senate Democrat has stepped forward to support it, and if you look at it you can see why," McConnell said. "It increases taxes'"
Time for Republicans to learn how to play his game. Get on the television at news time and demand a vote - right there and then on Obama's plan. No filibuster! Just an up or down vote on massive tax increases, military cuts, bailouts for buddies, and cuts for seniors. Take the vote! Ask Democrats to vote for their dear leader's plan! Stop doing the right thing when the guy making the proposal doesn't give a rat's ass about anything except redistributing wealth and going on vacation. |
