For those of you keeping track at home of the payroll tax cut holiday -- you can stop. In the battle over the House GOP's ever-shifting goal posts on the payroll tax cut extension, Speaker Boehner has tried desperately to muddy the water about the fact that his Tea-partying GOP colleagues simply do not want to extend the payroll tax holiday for middle-class Americans no matter what. And that's exactly what happened when the House Republicans rejected the bipartisan Senate deal to continue these middle-class tax cuts.
The Republican-led U.S. House shot down legislation that was passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support in the Senate on Saturday to prevent the average American family from incurring a $1,000 tax hike by extending the payroll tax holiday by two months.
So, contrary to the House GOP's oft-repeated line for the TV cameras that they don't "believe in raising taxes on anyone," they've done just that -- voted to raise taxes on 160 million Americans.
House Majority Leader Cantor wrote on his official website just days ago: "House Republicans will not support raising taxes on anyone." Congressional Republicans always forget to add that they don't really count the middle-class; by "anyone," they just mean millionaires and corporations.
But try not to laugh at Speaker John Boehner's spin as to why the House GOP rejected it:
Fox News: "Boehner Demands Year-Long Tax Cut, Challenges Senate to Heavier Lift": "A two-month extension creates uncertainty and will cause problems for people who are trying to create jobs in the private sector..."I expect the House to take up legislation that reinforces the need to extend the payroll tax relief for a full year," Boehner said.
Here's four reasons why that is, as Speaker Boehner is fond of saying, "chicken crap" :
1) The Huffington Post: "Just under two years ago, House Republicans, including some of the party's more conservative members, were arguing that a two-month payroll tax holiday would 'effectively stimulate' the economy."
2) It was widely reported just days ago there is a "huge rift" among House Republicans, that many rank-and-file members simply do not want to extend the payroll tax holiday to the middle-class period. Not by a year, not by two months -- not at all.
In fact, key House Republicans, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Rep. Paul Ryan have publicly scoffed at the economic benefits of the payroll tax holiday, despite a chorus of economists crediting the holiday for helping avoid a double-dip recession.
3) Proving he's only interested in playing political games, Boehner was for the two-month extension on Saturday, before he was against it. (From CNN):
Boehner apparently reversed himself since a conference call with caucus members Saturday, when he was the only House Republican leader to express support for the Senate plan, according to a GOP source. The source said Boehner described the Senate vote as "a good deal" and "a victory" in the conference call, and that Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) and Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) also expressed support.
4) Disingenuousness at Its Finest: Boehner, Key GOP Can't Run From Their Record: case in point, this report by the Democratic Policy and Communications Center.
More GOP political games that stand to hurt the middle-class. Is it any wonder at all that half of Americans believe GOP is sabotaging Obama's jobs policies for political reasons? What a way to ring in the new year -- a tax hike in our paychecks. We can't return this gift because, thanks to the House Republicans, all we got was coal.