Many House Republicans opposed Plan B over fear of primaries
A number of members involved in the intense whipping operation that took place over the past two days told The Hill that entrenched no votes were more concerned with perception than principle.
“I think that there were members that are so gun shy about primaries that they weren’t willing to take a risk … some members told me that it was just too hard to explain how it wasn’t a tax increase,” Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) said shortly following Thursday night’s abrupt conference meeting where Boehner told his colleagues they wouldn’t vote on the bill…
“There was a perception created that that vote last night was going to increase taxes. Now I disagree with … that characterization of the bill, but that impression was out there. Now, we had a number of our members who just really didn’t [want] to be perceived as having raised taxes,” the Speaker said at a Friday morning press conference in the U.S. Capitol.
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Engaging in inflammatory language?
davidk on December 22, 2012 at 11:00 AM
You’ve got to be kidding me. These guys are in a lame duck session and already worried about the next election?
I’m sick to my stomach.
We need term limits. We need them yesterday.
ButterflyDragon on December 22, 2012 at 11:03 AM
They are going to look pretty stupid having voted “no” to keep taxes low for the 200K-1M people when taxes go and stay up for everyone over 200/250.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:03 AM
Or maybe they’re just heeding the constituents who sent them there. But we can’t have THAT now, can we?
Naturally Curly on December 22, 2012 at 11:05 AM
let’s see the bill would have raised taxes. that’s a fact not a preception. It would have kept taxes the same for the majority. So basically the speaker was offering them a bill that required them to vote on higher taxes in exchage for the status quo on other rates. What the speaker should have done is given them a fig leaf if he wanted their votes. Like voting to raise taxes on the rich while decreasing taxes on the middle class and poor. I would rather the speaker pushed a bill to lower all taxes permentantly and sung the praises of Bush’s tax cuts and how it increased rev by almost a $trillion. or pushed for welfare reform to creat more taxpayers to increase rev.
Bad leadership
unseen on December 22, 2012 at 11:06 AM
At worst, the effect (say, one year from now) of the bill would be to have no effect. At best, it would be to reduce taxes. That is a fact as well.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:08 AM
hello? taxes are going up for everyone that pays them. the child tax credit gone, the $10,000 tax bracket in Bush’s tax cuts gone. tax rates and brackets go back to prebush times. Avg middle class family making $50k will see an $1800 increase in taxes next year.
unseen on December 22, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Agreed. Except, I think it was bad leadership and membership. Congressional GOP is a pack of fools from top to bottom.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:10 AM
No way that they stay up for everyone. We might get through January with them up for everone, but end result is that 2013 taxes will be reduced for the “middle class.” Except it won’t be the GOP that does it; it will be the Democrats, who will claim the mantle of low taxes.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:12 AM
To hear some mewling hereabouts, one might actually be excused for believing (erroneously, obviously) that a congressperson’s primary allegiance and responsibility should rightly lie with John Boehner, rather than — you know — the voters who actually sent them there in the first place.
Pitiful, ain’t it…?
Kent18 on December 22, 2012 at 11:12 AM
So, what’s wrong with Republicans upholding their long-standing pledge by refusing to vote for higher taxes? There is absolutely no reason to support anything but cuts, and there is no reason to negotiate with obama.
Pork-Chop on December 22, 2012 at 11:12 AM
And some here said Congressmen were stupid…
LincolntheHun on December 22, 2012 at 11:17 AM
Boehner gotta go.
Norwegian on December 22, 2012 at 11:18 AM
“You see, outside of the Capitol, most people have a basic understanding of finances, whereas here inside the Capitol we have a much superior understanding, and we know that when people have to pay more in tax it isn’t because because their taxes went up, in fact, its quite the opposite. Understand? What we’re actually doing is lowering the tax rate from 28% to 39.5%.”
BobMbx on December 22, 2012 at 11:18 AM
For all of you people happy that Plan B went down, what is your long game? Do you have one? Convince me that this is the better long term strategic outcome. Unfortunately, I suspect that you people and the Congressional GOP continue to play checkers while the Democrats play chess. I bet all of you people cheering Plan B going down are the same people who pilloried me for refusing to support a statist presidential candidate who, strategically, I had a strong suspicion was going to get pasted (and he did).
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:18 AM
I’m betting that my taxes will be higher in December 2013 than they would have been under Plan B. If they are, I know that GOP stupidity is to blame.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:22 AM
It couldn’t possibly be the reverse?
RINO: “Not a chance …”
ShainS on December 22, 2012 at 11:22 AM
+ infinity
Kent18 on December 22, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Agreed, but Plan B is not a compromise or a negotiation with Obama, so that is a red herring.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:24 AM
Are you aware that Plan B was explicitly declared as “dead on arrival” by the Reid-tyrant-beast in the Senate and that Obama explicitly stated he’d veto it if it reached his desk?
But it’s GOP stupidity to blame?
ShainS on December 22, 2012 at 11:25 AM
.
I’ve said it many times before, short of handing over complete power to Pres obama, there was never going to be a deal. Remember there have already been four bills sent to the Senate to fix this, all were ignored.
Republicans were already going to get the blame.
It least now they haven’t sold out their principles.
.
Long term use the gun grab by Dems to turn/ get to stay home low info voters take the Senate in 2014, and start running the rat bastards out of town.
LincolntheHun on December 22, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Good
BullShooterAsInElk on December 22, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Period. End of sentence. End of paragraph.
Kent18 on December 22, 2012 at 11:26 AM
besser, you’re cluttering up their narrative. Shh…….
tommy71 on December 22, 2012 at 11:28 AM
When the Democrats propose to do the same for most of the rates 10 days from now, it will actually be a tax cut. And they will be able to claim that they are tax cutters and the GOP is the party of the rich, especially given that the GOP House will have just failed to pass a plan with the same rates for almost everyone less than 2 weeks prior because it didn’t also have lower rates (than in January) for the “rich.” That will be the meme, and it will be convincing. Get ready for unchecked statist control of government for the foreseeable future.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:29 AM
Well, my taxes will likely be higher because of their “principles.” What does that say about their principles?
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Stolen from another poster, elsewhere:
That’s the simple reality. Like it or lump it.
Kent18 on December 22, 2012 at 11:32 AM
I am well aware. But, a passed Plan B bill could have helped blunt the narrative that the Democrats are the party of tax cutters and the GOP is the party of the rich. I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but the GOP is getting its ass handed to it in the PR wars.
And, by golly, if by some fluke Plan B became the law of the land instead of whatever the Democrats have planned for us in Jan/Feb, I’m sure that my rates would have been lower under Plan B.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:33 AM
The cliff is not LiB; passing Obama’s plan out of the House is LiB. That’s what Boehner should do. Let the Democrats own it. And aside from that, at least don’t lose the PR war with the Democrats, letting them claim the mantle of low taxes. But that war, like almost all PR wars involving the GOP, is going to end in a blood bath for the GOP.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:35 AM
Plan B was Nancy Pelosi’s (team obama’s) idea (proposed in May), and once Boehner accepted it, she immediately turned against it and claimed she had never heard of it – it was a hoax, that Boehner fell for. Accepting Plan B would have been a compromise for Republicans who have pledged not to raise taxes.
Pork-Chop on December 22, 2012 at 11:38 AM
It was an attempt at gamesmanship, which, evidently, the GOP is strategically incapable of.
besser tot als rot on December 22, 2012 at 11:40 AM
I want them all scared of us.
txhsmom on December 22, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Something is just wrong with the whole system when you have to worry more about your own side in a fratricide campaign to remove you for your less than absolute purity versus more than a campaign side that is 100% opposed to every vote you do.
When you have to worry about other republicans booting you more than the whole Democrats media complex booting you it is time to rethink the primary and general election system. If you can not convince your constituency, local party leaders and future campaign workers that whatever vote you do is for their betterment have it cutting something or bring home the bribe bacon you are doing it wrong.
tjexcite on December 22, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Offhand, I can think of at least four legally elected and seated Republican congressmen who’d be the first ones to agree with that sentiment.
Too bad Boehner didn’t.
Kent18 on December 22, 2012 at 11:55 AM
@besser tot als rot: If you believe Congressional Democrats are capable of sanity, how is LiB even a plausible strategy?
Seth Halpern on December 22, 2012 at 12:13 PM
\
BINGO! So basically Boehner wanted his butt covered at the expense of all the COngressman/women who said they would never vote for higher taxes. Whose butt was really covered? Certainly not those that would vote for it against campaign promise.. This bill was going NOWHERE, but let’s stick it to those members who promised their constituents that they weren’t going to Washington to raise taxes.
melle1228 on December 22, 2012 at 12:20 PM
last I looked all tax bills must start in the house. The speaker should on JAN 1st put up a bill. He should PUSH Obama to support it, To call new conference after new conference supporting a middle class tax cut beloew bush levels while decreasing upper income taxes back to Bush levels to not hurt the economy. He could say its a economic stimulus bill to give the middle class a break from high inflation and high gas prices. He could also throw in a big increas ein Social secuirty payments since it has been years since senior citizens have gotten an increase. Round it all up by cutting every liberal program in the federal government to 2012 levels.
Then dare Obama to reject a middle class tax break.
unseen on December 22, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Which speaks VOLUMES for those others that have no fear over the districts they ‘represent’. They will keep sending the same clowns over, over, over and over again.
Sir Napsalot on December 22, 2012 at 1:57 PM