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Republican insurrectionists take Congress hostage over tax cuts for the two percenters
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Neoconfederate conservatives in the Republican Party are taking their celebration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War (sans slavery) Secession Defended on Civil War Anniversary way too far — Republican insurrectionists have just taken Congress hostage.
A day after their "bipartisan" media event with President Obama and just hours after Democrats and Republicans had agreed to bargain on tax cuts, Republicans today took Congress hostage over their demand that the "two percenters" receive a permanent extension of their tax cuts.
"Class war" is no longer a literary device, it is a reality. America's wealthy elite and their Republican servants in Congress have just declared war against the other 98% of American citizens. This is an insurrection and should be treated as such. Republicans Threaten To Block All Dem Initiatives | TPMDC:
According to a letter delivered to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this morning, Republicans will block all debate on all legislation until the tax cut impasse is bridged and the federal government has been fully funded — even if it means days tick by and the Senate misses its opportunity to pass DADT, an extension of unemployment insurance and other Dem items.
"[W]e write to inform you that we will not agree to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to any legislative item until the Senate has acted to fund the government and we have prevented the tax increase that is currently awaiting all American taxpayers," the letter reads. "With little time left in this Congressional session, legislative scheduling should be focused on these critical priorities. While there are other items that might ultimately be worthy of the Senate's attention, we cannot agree to prioritize any matters above the critical issues of funding the government and preventing a job-killing tax hike."
It was penned by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and signed by all 42 Republicans.
According to the AP, which first broke the news of the letter, and portrayed it as a GOP effort to block all Dem initiatives unilaterally, the START treaty would be exempted. But everything else — particularly DADT, unemployment insurance and the DREAM Act would be ensnared.
* * *
As recently as yesterday, Republicans were on the fence about a number of issues: DADT was a big wait and see; and an unemployment extension would have to be paid for. But it now appears all of those items will have to wait until Democrats and Republicans finish all their work on tax cuts and appropriations — work which thusfar been slow-going.
You can read the entire letter here. (copy below the fold. H/t talkingpointsmemo.com)
UPDATE: Here's Sen. Jon Kyl's "principled" stand on the New Start treaty: Sen. Kyl (R-AZ) tells Dems and the White House, give in on taxes or forget about the START Treaty.
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