Last week I wrote that Senate Dems called Mitch McConnell’s bluff over the Bush tax cuts. They were prepared to let all the Bush tax cuts expire rather than extend the tax cuts for the rich. Harry Reid has been saying that he had the votes to pass an extension of the Bush tax cuts up to an income of $250,000, and no higher.
This week McConnell counter-bluffed. This morning Senate Republicans dropped a threatened filibuster and allowed the Dem plan to come to the floor for a simple majority vote. Wow I almost forgot the Senate could do that. McConnell probably figured Reid would come up short
Anyway — this afternoon, the bill passed, 51-48. A Republican bill to extend all the tax cuts was defeated, 45-54.
Will wonders never cease? Of course this isn’t going to fly in the House, but it puts Republicans in a very precarious place.













