Why Won't Boehner And Cantor Allow House Republicans An Up Or Down Vote On Keeping Tax Rates Low?

GOP chief House whip and right-wing zealot Kevin McCarthy, who had no Democratic opponent in the election a few weeks ago, only a free pass, like every member of the Republican leadership team, was on Meet the Press yesterday muddying the waters again. Extending tax breaks for the middle class-- and giving a tax break for the first $250,000 of income for everyone-- is something McCarthy and the rest of the free pass boys equate with raising tax rates. But on December 31, the tax breaks McCarthy and his cronies voted for expire-- for everyone, rich, poor and in between. Obama is asking the conservatives to extend the tax breaks on the first $250,000 now, before it expires, and then deal with the GOP hope to pass highly unpopular tax cuts for people who make over $250,000 in January, or whenever they have the guts to bring it up. [FYI, Blue America tried talking civil rights champion Dolores Huerta, who lives in Bakersfield, to run against McCarthy. The DCCC has no interest in any such thing. Do you?]

But not every member of McCarthy's whip team agrees with him. Take a look [below] at the discussion Tom Cole (R-OK), a senior Republican whip, had with Cathy Crowley on CNN's State of the Union yesterday and pathetic GOP airhead Marsha "Big Ideas" Blackburn (R-TN). Although Blackburn was flailing insanely at the very idea of it, Cole predicted that if Boehner and Cantor allowed the extension of the middle class tax cut to come to the floor this week, it would pass. “Yeah, honestly I think if it got to the floor, it would carry... Look, that’s my judgment, but I spend a lot of time counting votes and looking around. But this doesn’t say we’re going to raise taxes on anybody, it says OK this group for sure, your taxes aren’t going up. Get that done with, get it over with.”

Cole, of course, will never put his money where his mouth is. Like every other Republican-- and 4 slimy Blue Dogs who always vote with them (Barrow, Matheson, McIntyre and Donnelly)-- he has refused to sign the discharge petition that would force an up or down vote on the House floor, something that has Boehner and Cantor paralyzed in paroxysms of fear. Even a fanatic like Rand Paul is telling Boehner to just get over it and allow the vote. He says Republicans can call for 2 votes, one to keep all the taxes low and one to just keep the taxes under $250,000 low and that way the dumbells in their base will be placated and they can all vote "Present" and let the Democratic bill pass. “And then the Democrats are the party of higher taxes and we’re still the party of lower taxes,” said Paul. “And we have elections over that and people decide which party they like best.” Didn't that just work out pretty badly for them a few weeks ago?