Democrats will use a procedural maneuver preventing the GOP from offering an amendment to extend all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.Republicans immediately voiced alarm at the move. While the vote would prevent tax hikes on Americans earning $250,000 or less, small businesses would face steep tax increases under the Democrats’ plan.
Without an opportunity to offer amendments, Republicans are expected to vote against the measure. By doing so they’ll give Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) one final opportunity to demagogue the issue. However, it will likely be a short-lived victory. The measure has little chance of passing in the Senate.
Pelosi's cynical rule switch just passed the House 213-203, despite 33 Democrats defecting to join a unified Republican contingent in opposition. Michelle Malkin lists and applauds the Democrats who broke ranks:
Adler (NJ)
Altmire
Baird
Bean
Berry
Boren
Boyd
Bright
Chandler
Connolly (VA)
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Dahlkemper
Davis (AL)
Ellsworth
Herseth Sandlin
Himes
Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Lipinski
Marshall
Matheson
McIntyre
Minnick
Mitchell
Moran (VA)
Perriello
Peters
Peterson
Pomeroy
Ross
Shuler
Space
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It makes perfect sense that 2010 tsunami survivors like Chandler, Shuler, and Altmire would reject this scheme to further shore up their anti-Pelosi chops. But why did so many defeated, lame duck Democrats vote no? Maybe they experienced a collective fit of economic sanity -- as "blue dog" instincts came to the fore. Or, in the cases of folks like Zach Space, Melissa Bean, Jon Adler, and Brad Ellsworth, perhaps they're already gaming out grand political comebacks in 2012.
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