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Calling Vice President Cheney
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ShareMarch 13, 2008 2:44 PM
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Fasten your parliamentary safety belts; this one is a doozy.
It was surprising when Vice President Dick Cheney strode into the Senate Chamber and took up his chair presiding over the chamber. He can only vote when there's a tie vote and he's only cast a tie-breaking vote 7 other times in his 7 years in office.
On Tuesday it was the AMT, or alternative minimum tax, that brought Cheney up Pennsylvania Avenue.
Republicans in the form of Senator Arlen Specter, R-Penn., had proposed an amendment to the annual budget bill that would roll back the AMT tax rate from its current 28 percent of income back to the 24 percent it was in 1993. This wouldn't fix the AMT, but it would make it more bearable for those caught up in it. Democrats don't want to accept any AMT fix that isn't paid for with taxes added someplace else.
The stage was set for a small Republican victory.
The AMT, which has to do with the American tax system and so is already a mindbender, is the trap Congress set in 1969 for those high-income individuals that had so many tax write-offs they ended up not paying any income tax.
But Congress didn't peg the AMT to inflation, so rather than catch rich tax evaders, it now penalizes middle class tax payers. Both Democrats and Republicans want to change the AMT, but can't agree on how.
Republican leaders had lost a Republican, George Voinovich of Ohio but gained two Democrats, Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Evan Bayh of Indiana.
In the closely divided Senate, that's a tie vote. And apparently nobody from either party expected it.
Regardless, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex, was not present. Stuck at a meeting downtown, according to his office, Cornyn missed the vote and, rather than wait for him to get back, Democrats gaveled the vote closed, 49 for and 50 against. The motion failed.
Republicans moved to reconsider the vote and scrambled to get Cheney up to the Hill to break the tie and score their victory. Democrats parried, moving to table the Republicans' motion to reconsider.
By this time, Cornyn had returned and Republicans moved through the two procedural votes to have a second vote on the AMT measure, with Cheney breaking the tie on whether to reconsider the vote.
Democrats, meanwhile, had a heart to heart conversation with Nelson on the Senate floor -- "I don't know what they promised that man, but it must have been something big," said one miffed Republican staffer -- and the Nebraska Democrat, who had sided with Republicans on the AMT amendment moments before, changed from a yea to a nay on the exact same amendment.
The motion failed, Vice President Cheney went on about his day.
March 13, 2008 in Washington | Permalink | User Comments (6)
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Here’s some more tax courage from the Senate Dems:
The chamber voted 52-47 to reject a move by Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., to extend Bush’s tax cuts for middle- and higher-income taxpayers, investors and people inheriting businesses and big estates.
Obama and Clinton both promise to reverse Bush’s tax cuts for wealthier taxpayers, but the Democratic budget they’ll be voting for would allow income tax rates to go up on individuals making as little as $31,850 and couples earning $63,700 or more.
So, nailing individuals making $31,850 and couples earning $63,700 is taxing the WEALTHY? Obama and Clinton want to raise taxes on the WORKING class—because that‘s where the real revenue is--in order to fund their proposed expansions of annual federal spending, $287 billion and $212 billion respectively. The expiration of the Bush tax cuts will be felt all along the spectrum of earners, but the concern for the Democrats is finding all of the money it will take to fulfill their grotesque campaign spending promises.
Can someone tell me why tax increases are always permanent and tax cuts are always temporary?
Posted by: carl | Mar 13, 2008 4:01:25 PM
Or how about this little nugget from Dirty Harry Reid:
“As we look back in history, the Founding Fathers would be cringing to hear people talking about eliminating earmarks,” Reid said, noting that the Founders dictated in the Constitution that all spending should originate in Congress, not the executive branch.
Ah, yes. I’m sure Reid believes that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin would all wail and gnash their teeth at the loss of Reid’s ability to send $750,000 to the Community College of Southern Nevada for Internet-based courses. That’s why they created the three-branch federal system of government — so that Reid could suck up to home-state voters by siphoning federal funds for a community college.
Posted by: carl | Mar 13, 2008 4:04:59 PM
You know if something happens to Cheney, Bush is going to be President. Scary!
Posted by: cba | Mar 14, 2008 12:35:09 PM
2 years of democrat rule and they have tanked the economy, let more illegals in, dont stop iraq war, jacked spending and are going to raise taxes.
DEMOCRATS SUCK - THEY LIE AND ARE CROOKS.
DEMOCRAT CONGRESS = CULTURE OF CORRUPTION
WANNA SCREW AMERICA, THEN ELECT DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS.
MUSLIMS LUV DEMOCRATS - THEY DONT HAVE TO WIN IN THE MIDDLE EAST - JUST ELECT DEMOCRATS.
Posted by: Jack Kennedy | Mar 15, 2008 3:14:50 AM
Jack - you are correct sir!!!!
What happened to the democrats ending the Iraq war if they got in power.
You bunch of gutless frauds - we elected you to the positions of trust and power and you lie to us!!!!
Get the USA out of Iraq NOW. Grow some huevos dems and vote the vote - do what you promised.
GET THE USA OUT OF IRAQ NOW
Come on defeatocrats, get us out now!!!!
Posted by: M algore | Mar 15, 2008 3:22:43 AM
What's up with this Evan Bayh of Indiana always voting with the republicans ???? Is he another republican in democrats clothing ???? People of Indiana should be paying attention to all of this before the next election.
We now have to get rid of Evan along with his co-conspirator, Mitch Danials. Don't forget Mitch sold our toll road and then all the money went to all his republican backers and the state is no better off than it was before. Mitch was trained by Bush, worked with Bush, voted with Bush and will do to Indiana what Bush has done to our country!!
If you pay attention to their voting record, Evan and Mitch fall right in line with one another......could it be that evan is Mitche's "Cheny?"
Either way it goes, Indiana can not stand another four years of republican domination. Look at what the Republicans have done to the Hoosiers already and then vote.......
Posted by: Dave Peck | Mar 16, 2008 2:32:07 PM
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