The House of Representatives has joined the Senate in passing the tax cut compromise deal that extends all the Bush tax cuts for two years, extends unemployment benefits for 13 months, cuts the payroll tax by two percent next year as a temporary stimulus, and gives every American three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pair tree (all borrowed from China, of course).
The vote was 277 to 148, with 8 not voting. Partisan breakdown: Republicans 138-36-5 in favor. Democrats 139-112-3 in favor. Hey, look, bipartisanship!
So, it looks like the signature achievement of the much-ballyhooed Runaway Democrat Lame Duck SessionTM was to… extend the Bush tax cuts. Conservative #PANIC!!!!!
P.S. Meanwhile, it appears that standalone repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell — which already passed the House, and is now publicly supported by either 60, 61 or 62 senators, depending on who’s counting — won’t be stopped by calendar concerns after all. It just has too much Joementum!
On the Senate floor just now, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced the Senate will begin to vote as soon as Saturday on a bill to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That puts it ahead of the START treaty, as proponents of repeal had requested. …
So for those paying close attention, here’s the schedule of votes moving forward: DREAM, DADT repeal, short-term spending bill and, finally START treaty.
The cloture vote on DREAM is expected to fail. Assuming it does, and assuming DADT cloture succeeds, the final vote on DADT repeal would be Sunday.
Anyway, yeah, all hail Joe Lieberman, Civil Rights Hero! “Lieberman, who claims to have rounded up 62 votes in the Senate for DADT repeal, has, along with Susan Collins, been indispensable in keeping this fast-closing door ajar. What he seems to get is that this is not just some constituency measure, or some minor matter – but a moral matter. ” Indeed.