Government Corruption |
DOGE raids FBI as Musk obtains the names of 5,000 agents who worked on Jan 6 cases amid fears of Trump 'loyalty' crackdown |
2025-02-05 |
![]() Those officials could face being fired for failing the Trump 'loyalty test' being given to rank-and-file employees. Officials working for Musk at DOGE were spotted by CNN entering FBI headquarters on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to collect the information. FBI agents filed a lawsuit Tuesday trying to block the release of their names or identifying details after Trump administration officials demanded documents about who worked on January 6-related cases. The agents say their jobs could be terminated within days. The 'loyalty' test asks questions such as: 'What was your/your employee role in the investigation(s) or prosecutions(s) relating to events that occurred at or near the US Capitol on January 6, 2021? Select all that apply.' It then lists a series of boxes that includes investigatory work such as surveillance, a grand jury subpoena, or an arrest. According to the lawsuit 'the very act of compiling lists of persons who worked on matters that upset Donald Trump is retaliatory in nature.' It said the move was 'intended to intimidate FBI agents and other personnel, and to discourage them from reporting any future malfeasance and by Donald Trump and his agents.' The group of agents warned of 'unlawful and retaliatory' actions against them, and said the information sweep could violate civil service protections. Last week, several top FBI and Justice Department officials who were involved in Trump investigations were pushed out. The firing of rank-and-file agents and the heads of 20 FBI field offices was announced on Friday as those who were fired were 'escorted out.' A source familiar said agents who worked on the Mar-a-Lago and January 6 investigations were escorted out of the Washington Field Office. The source added that officials in charge of the DC, Miami, Seattle, New Orleans and Las Vegas field offices were removed. The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Richard Durbin of Illinois, has written acting AG James McHenry and Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll warning about a 'purge' of experienced prosecutors which has encompassed all six FBI Executive Assistant Directors. Acting Deputy AG Emil Bove, who previously represented President Donald Trump in his hush money case, ordered the move in a January 31 memo. Durbin's letter says more than a dozen DOJ prosecutors were fired after getting a memo from McHenry stating: 'Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I do not believe that the leadership of the Department can trust you to assist in implementing the President's agenda faithfully.' Durbin also cites a letter by Bove to Acting FBI Director Driscoll – who was accidentally appointed to the top post but kept in place anyway. Bove told him to 'provide the names of all FBI personnel who worked on investigations related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and an unrelated terrorism case, and warned that "additional personnel actions" could follow.' Driscoll himself, who has gained notoriety for putting up resistance to the request, told staff in a Friday memo that 'I am one of those employees' who took part in those cases. Specifically, he played a role in the arrest of QAnon conspiracy theorist Samuel Fisher, who was found during a raid to have a 'ghost gun,' a thousand rounds of ammunition and an illegally modified AR-15. The 5,000 names that the Trump administration is demanding reflects the wide reach of the January 6 prosecutions, which resulted in 1,500 convictions. Trump pardoned nearly all of the defendants on his first day in office. They are part of a nationwide workforce of 13,000 agents and 38,000 total employees, CNN reported. According to the lawsuit by a group of FBI employees, they 'assert that the purpose for this list is to identify agents to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action.' 'Plaintiffs reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons.' The plaintiffs 'are employees of the FBI who worked on Jan. 6 and/or Mar-a-Lago cases, and who have been informed that they are likely to be terminated in the very near future (the week of February 3-9, 2025) for such activity.' The Mar-a-Lago case references the FBI search of Trump's Florida club before he was charged with having national security information. DOJ dropped an appeal related to that case after Trump was elected in November. The clash comes as agents for Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have been shifting their gaze to the agency – after shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development for two consecutive days amid a major purge. A top FBI agent has warned that his workforce is in the midst of a 'battle.' James E Dennehy, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York field office, reportedly sent an email round in which he promised he would 'dig in' and said agents are being targeted for doing their jobs 'in accordance with the law'. Legal commentators have noted that lower-level agents and prosecutors routinely get assigned cases and are obliged to work on them. Some of the people convicted after January 6 engaged in violent clashes with police officers. Related: January 6 02/04/2025 FBI agents group tells Congress to take urgent action to protect against politicization January 6 02/04/2025 McConnell Still ‘Very Upset' with Trump ‐ ‘We Haven't Spoken for Quite a While' January 6 01/31/2025 Trump Settles with Meta Platforms for $25 Million After Social Media Giant Suspended His Accounts in 2021 |
Link |
Home Front: Politix | |||
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu mocks campus protesters as 'Iran's useful idiots' | |||
2024-07-25 | |||
[NYPOST] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mocked campus protesters opposed to his nation’s war effort as "Iran’s useful idiots" during a joint address to Congress on Wednesday — as he urged the US to remain steadfast in its support to eliminate Hamas![]() Death Eaters . "Many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil, they stand with Hamas, they stand with rapists and murderers," Netanyahu declared during his almost hour-long speech to Senate and House politicians. To punctuate his point, the Israeli leader cited a statement from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that revealed Iran’s financial support for antisemitic demonstrations that spread across college campuses this spring.
The fun begins at 25:19
The office of Netanyahu was contacted by Newsweek for comment on Wednesday outside of regular office hours. Vice president Kamala Harris, who since Joe Biden announced he won't run again in November has become her party's presumptive 2024 presidential candidate, reportedly declined to preside over the Senate chamber during Netanyahu's address. Senator Richard Durbin. Senator Jeff Merkley Senator Bernie Sanders Senator Chris Van Hollen Senator Tim Kaine . Rep. Sara Jacobs Representative Sara Jacobs Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rep. Rashida Tlaib Rep. Ilhan Omar Rep. Robert Garcia Rep. Ami Bera Rep. Pramila Jayapal Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost Rep. Jim Clyburn. | |||
Link |
Home Front: Politix |
Democrats' House immigration bills will hit snag in the Senate |
2021-03-23 |
[WashingtonExaminer] Senate Democrats say it may be difficult, if not impossible, to send a pair of House-passed amnesty bills to President Joe The Big GuyBiden ...46th president of the U.S. Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run.... ![]() House Democrats easily passed two measures on Thursday that would provide a pathway to citizenship for up to 4 million people now living here illegally. Majority Leader the mealy-mouthed Steny StinkyHoyer ...Nancy San Fran NanPelosi's second banana, or plaintain, or mango, or whatever he is. Number Two, anyway... said Democrats plan to go even further in the coming months, with a broader amnesty bill proposed by Biden that would offer a means to obtain citizenship for all of the nation’s approximately 11 million illegal im While House Democrats Thursday celebrated passing two legalization measures for farmworkers and Dreamers and planned their next big immigration bill, their counterparts across the Capitol were skeptical they can strike the kind of bipartisan deal that would be needed to pass similar legislation in the Senate, where 60 votes are necessary to bring a bill to the floor for debate. Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who leads the Judiciary Committee, plans to hold hearings soon on the House-passed measures, which would legalize so-called Dreamers who arrived illegally in the United States as children, as well as many of the nation’s migrant farms workers. Durbin said he’s unsure if he can find bipartisan support to pass either of the two bills, never mind the much larger comprehensive package that would legalize 11 million people. Democrats control 50 votes and would need at least 10 GOP politicians to advance legislation due to the filibuster. "I don't see a means of reaching it," Durbin told news hounds who asked about a comprehensive bill that would address all illegal im The Senate last passed a comprehensive immigration bill in 2013, when the chamber was under Democratic control. But the bill died in the House. Some politicians are now eyeing those 2013 bipartisan as a guide to crafting a new proposal that can earn 60 votes. But shifting views on immigration in both parties could make it difficult. The 2013 measure included border security and immigration reform provisions the liberal factions in Congress may be unwilling to accept, while Republicans are in no mood to vote for an amnesty measure while the southern border is experiencing a massive surge in illegal immigration. Related: Amnesty bill: 2021-02-22 Obama Official: More Than One Million Migrants to Hit Border This Year Amnesty bill: 2018-05-23 Makes the Dems Work to End Obstruction Amnesty bill: 2015-07-06 Iraqi MP: proposed amnesty bill serves terrorists Related: Pathway to citizenship: 2021-02-01 Dems Press Pelosi to Smuggle Path to Citizenship Into COVID-19 Relief Bill Pathway to citizenship: 2020-11-25 Joe Biden Pledges to Give 11 Million Illegal Immigrants Citizenship Pathway to citizenship: 2020-04-15 Biden Gets Confused Again - Says He Wants to ‘Put Millions of Citizens on a Pathway to Citizenship’ |
Link |
Southeast Asia |
Philippines bans two US senators, mulls new visa rules for Americans |
2019-12-28 |
[JPost] - The Philippines has banned two US lawmakers from visiting and will introduce tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizens should Washington enforce sanctions over the detention of a top government critic, the president's spokesman said on Friday. President Rodrigo Duterte will impose a requirement on US nationals to get visas should any Philippine officials involved in the incarceration of Senator Leila de Lima be denied entry to the United States, as sought by US senators Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy. Leaky and Dick. Hmmmm Duterte's move comes after the US Congress approved a 2020 budget that contains a provision introduced by the senators against anyone involved in holding de Lima, who was charged with drug offences in early 2017 after she led an investigation into mass killings during Duterte's notorious anti-drugs crackdown. Related: Leila de Lima: 2017-02-25 Top Philippine Drug war Critic Arrested, but Defiant Leila de Lima: 2017-02-24 Top critic of Duterte’s drug war dodges arrest Leila de Lima: 2017-02-22 Philippines’ President Duterte is a ‘sociopathic serial killer’ who should be forced out of office, senator says |
Link |
Home Front: Politix | |
Senate Dems deliver stunning warning to Supreme Court: ’Heal’ or face restructuring | |
2019-08-14 | |
...There's no denying it any longer, and by their silence the Democrat leadership approves. They want to burn it all down to get their way, they no longer care what they have to destroy to get it, and naked threats are now the order of the day. At least we know where we stand.
The ominous and unusual warning was delivered as part of a brief filed Monday in a case related to a New York City gun law. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., referenced rulings by the court's conservative majority in claiming it is suffering from some sort of affliction which must be remedied. "The Supreme Court is not well. And the people know it," the brief said. "Perhaps the Court can heal itself before the public demands it be 'restructured in order to reduce the influence of politics.'" The last part was quoting language from a Quinnipiac University poll, in which 51 percent favored such restructuring. In the same poll, 55 percent believed the Supreme Court was "motivated by politics" more than by the law. Dramatic changes to the Supreme Court have been proposed by several Democrats vying for their party's 2020 presidential nomination, with "court-packing" being a common -- though highly controversial -- suggestion. Increasing the number of justices on the court would allow the president to shift the balance on the bench by loading up justices of his or her preference. | |
Link |
Home Front: Politix | |
Democratic senator places hold on resolution slamming UN | |
2017-01-27 | |
[IsraelTimes] Democratic senators are holding up a resolution condemning last month’s United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Security Council condemnation of Israel’s settlement expansion in the West Bank. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., was behind the hold, Jewish Insider reported Wednesday. The report cited Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who told the newsletter that the Senate resolution’s language is objectionable because it does not recognize that settlements are an obstruction to peace, and that should Durbin lift his hold, he would place his own hold. The resolution, similar to one passed earlier this month in the US House of Representatives, was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with all Republicans and three Democrats voting for it and seven Democrats voting against. Individual senators may put a hold on most types of legislation. It takes 60 senators to override a hold.
| |
Link |
Home Front: WoT | ||||
White House sees surge in Syrian refugee admissions this year | ||||
2016-06-17 | ||||
![]()
The administration's move is in sharp contrast to recent anti-refugee rhetoric by many Republicans, especially since the killings in Orlando on Sunday raised fears of attacks. Donald Trump, the presumptive 2016 Republican presidential nominee, has called for the refugee resettlement program to be suspended, saying "We don't know who they are. They have no documentation, and we don't know what they're planning." Backers of the administration's plan dispute such statements, citing the extensive screening process the Syrian refugees undergo.
The letter said the administration had set up a temporary processing center in Jordan and expanded operations in Turkey. It also has restarted interviews in neighboring Lebanon, and begun limited processing in Erbil, Iraq. Durbin was a lead author of a letter to President Barack Obama in May, which was signed by more than half the Democrats in the Senate and urged the president to move more quickly to admit Syrians.
The letter seen on Thursday was the administration's response to the one sent in May. Obama's plan to admit 10,000 Syrians was met with a firestorm of criticism in the United States, mostly from Republicans who say that violent militants could enter the country by posing as refugees. More than 30 governors, most of them Republicans, have tried to keep refugees out of their states. | ||||
Link |
Home Front: Politix |
Netanyahu Declines Invitation to Meet with Democrats during US Visit |
2015-02-25 |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined on Tuesday an invitation to meet with U.S. Senate Democrats during his trip to Washington next week. "Though I greatly appreciate your kind invitation to meet with Democratic Senators, I believe that doing so at this time could compound the misperception of partisanship regarding my upcoming visit," Netanyahu wrote in a letter to Senators Richard Durbin and Dianne Feinstein obtained by Reuters. Durbin and Feinstein had invited Netanyahu to a closed-door meeting with Democratic senators in a letter on Monday, amid tensions over his plans to address the U.S. Congress on Iran's nuclear program. Senators Richard Durbin and Dianne Feinstein extended the invitation "to maintain Israel's dialogue with both political parties in Congress," according to a letter to the prime minister obtained by Reuters. Feinstein previously told Haaretz that inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress during an Israeli election period is "highly inappropriate" and that imposing new sanctions on Iran at this time is "reckless and dangerous." |
Link |
Europe |
McCain Urges Mass U.S. Military Aid for Ukraine |
2014-03-16 |
[An Nahar] U.S. Senator ![]() MaverickMcCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... called for massive military assistance to Ukraine Saturday, while warning that Russia's actions in its former Soviet neighbor could lead to unprecedented measures by the United States and it allies. "Ukraine is going to need a long-term military assistance program from the United States," McCain told news hounds following a U.S. senate delegation visit to the Ukrainian capital, voicing what he said was a personal opinion. "When (Ukrainians) ask for some modest means that can help them resist, I believe we should provide it... it's simply the right and decent thing to do." His comments came shortly before Kiev accused Russia of invading a region in southeast Ukraine, neighboring Crimea. McCain said he was "deeply concerned" about previous reports of Russian troops moving closer to Ukraine's eastern border and conducting snap military drill there, after having effectively seized Crimea at the start of the month. He said an all-out Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine "will be a breach of such enormous consequence that the United States of America and our European allies will be contemplating action that we have not ever (contemplated) in our relations with Russia." So far, Washington has vowed to impose travel bans and asset freezes on targeted Russians in what has turned into the worst East-West faceoff since the Cold War. Ukraine is meanwhile headed for a breakup as southern Crimea prepares to vote on Sunday in a referendum that is widely expected to favor reattachment to Russia. McCain however refused to accept reports that Kiev might sacrifice the Black Sea peninsula in exchange for keeping its eastern majority Russian-speaking region. "The last thing we want to do is send any message to the people in Crimea that we have abandoned them," he said. "We do not agree that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin ![]() has the license to invade a sovereign nation." The U.S. senators -- who met with Ukraine's new leaders and members of the Maidan protest movement in Kiev -- did not mince their words on the eve of the Crimean referendum, organised by the self-appointed pro-Moscow regional authorities but slammed as illegal by the new authorities in Kiev and foreign capitals. McCain spoke of a "phony referendum" while his colleague Richard Durbin described a "Soviet-style election in Crimea. We know the outcome, we always knew the outcome of those elections long before they took place." Ukraine on Saturday accused Russian forces of invading the village of Strilkove off the northeastern edge of the Crimean peninsula, and vowed to use "all necessary measures" to ward off the attack. |
Link |
India-Pakistan |
Unfriendly fire |
2011-12-01 |
[Dawn] ON the day after the rather one-sided border clash that, at a stroke, undid all the fence-mending in which Pakistain and the US have lately been engaged, US Senator Richard Durbin sought to put the disastrous incident in perspective. "Imagine how we would feel," the Democrat from Illinois said on Fox News, "if it had been 24 American soldiers killed by Pak forces at this moment." Chances are that disproportionate military retaliation, in one shape or another, would swiftly have followed, regardless of the consequences. The repercussions of possible future 'unintended tragedies' of this variety are, of course, unpredictable. For the moment, Pakistain has decided it won't play ball. It has been suggest that the closure of NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... 's supply routes via Torkham and Chaman is permanent, although that is unlikely. The closure of the US airbase at Shamsi has been sought before, but even if it were to be achieved this time around, it would be little more than a gesture, given that its use as a secondary base for drone flights reportedly ceased in April. (Somewhat greater transparency about the status of the base would, meanwhile, be welcome -- although, even if it previously served primarily as a private airstrip for members of Gulf ruling families who periodically descend on Pakistain to shoot protected species, its secret hand-over to the US was presumably at Islamabad's, rather than Abu Dhabi's, behest.) Given the level of national indignation, it is inevitable that calls for a more robust response will be heard. However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... there isn't a great deal more Pakistain can reasonably be expected to do. Ceasing all cooperation with the US and NATO may not be an utterly unviable option, but its possible consequences need to be thought through. Were the alliance to be ruptured, how would Pakistain react thereafter to border incursions? Would the hostilities be reciprocated? Does all-out war even bear contemplation? The situation is a monumental mess, and Pakistain cannot deny a key role in creating it, going back to the 1980s. Of course, nor can the US. Or, for that matter, Soddy Arabia and various other parties. Not to mention the former Soviet Union. But Pakistain, more than any other state, cannot walk away from the mess because of its geographical proximity to Afghanistan -- the porous, colonial-era Durand Line, whose ill-defined nature has repeatedly been cited in recent days as a possible mitigating factor for NATO's 'error'. It would probably have also been wiser not to boycott next week's Bonn conference on Afghanistan -- even though there is plenty of scepticism about its potential utility. The region abounds in ironies, and one of these is that while Pakistain is valued as a participant in such discussions because of its presumed influence over crucial Taliban factions, it has never been completely trusted as an ally for precisely the same reason. Washington's twin-track Afghan strategy -- war-war complemented by the occasional jaw-jaw -- relies to a certain extent on Pakistain in both contexts. Another notable irony is that on the day before NATO aircraft attacked two Pak border posts, the American commanding general in Kabul, John Allen, was holding talks with The Mighty Pak Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... on -- what else? -- border cooperation. The two sides have different tales on exactly what occurred in the early hours of Saturday, with Afghan and NATO sources saying air support was summoned after they came under fire from the direction of the posts, while the Pakistain Army has dismissed this as nonsense and described the attack as unprovoked -- adding, for good measure, that the relevant terrain has been Taliban-free for some time, and that NATO was aware of the coordinates of the military posts. What's more, the attack went on even after the Pak military had conveyed its alarm and angst to NATO. One of the maimed Pak soldiers has been quoted as saying that he and his comrades initially assumed they were under attack by the Taliban. It's the same story, apparently, on the other side of the border. Although, as the Pakistain Army has pointed out, it is unsupported by any reports of casualties. The competing narratives seem irreconcilable, but NATO has promised a thorough investigation and invited Pakistain to participate. It would be fatuous to turn down the offer. There can obviously be no guarantee that the inquiry will reach a mutually acceptable conclusion. But there is certainly no harm in trying. Despite everything, it is hard to believe that NATO forces would gratuitously attack military posts inside Pak territory. The troops that claim to have taken fire were mainly Afghan. It is not inconceivable that the air cover could have been summoned on the basis of misinformation -- possibly of the malicious variety. Whatever the case, an inquiry could potentially get to the bottom of it. As for recalibrating Pakistain's relations with the US, that is something that has been required for decades. The Truman administration was not overly keen about the idea of embracing the incipient state as a client when Liaquat Ali Khan threw open his arms and ran towards Uncle Sam, but since those days it has exploited the relationship to its advantage, and the incumbent nephew has generally gone along without asking too many questions. This year has been particularly testing for Pakistain, what with the sordid Raymond Davis affair, followed by the extended (albeit not particularly surprising) violation of national illusory sovereignty in the successful hunt for the late Osama bin Laden ... who used to be but now ain't... . And now this, following hot on the heels of the memogate scandal Pakistain certainly needs to wriggle free from Uncle Sam's grasp. But that's not all. It also needs to wriggle free of the army's choke-hold, which has rarely been eased since 1977. And of the self-serving politicians who pretend to guide its destiny. And of the obscurantist mentality that is another of Ziaul Haq's odious legacies. Perhaps Occupy Islamabad wouldn't be a bad idea, provided it isn't put into action by the Americans. Or, worse still, the Taliban. |
Link |
Home Front: Politix |
How do you say I stole your job suckas in Chinese? |
2010-09-29 |
![]() The attempt by Democrats to turn to the legislation rather than dealing with the more thorny question of how to deal with the expiring Bush-era tax cuts was largely a political decision heading into the November midterm elections. Democratic leaders had all but conceded they didn't have the requisite 60 votes to begin debate on the Senate floor on the legislation, but they said they wanted to get Republicans on record voting against an attempt to protect U.S. jobs. "It's an important political message when the number one issue is jobs," Sen. Richard Durbin (D., Ill.) said Monday. "I want to tell you, I think [Republicans'] position on this is indefensible." Republicans countered that the legislation would raise taxes on the largest U.S. companies, which are responsible for much of the job growth in the country. In the end, the vote was 53-45 with four Democrats and one Independent senator joining Republicans in voting against proceeding with legislation. These included Sen. Max Baucus (D., Mont.), the powerful chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee. The other Democrats were Sens. Ben Nelson (D., Neb.), Jon Tester (D., Mont.) and Mark Warner (D., Va.), along with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.). The bill would have used a combination of tax penalties and credits to induce large employers to retain manufacturing jobs in the U.S. It would have ended two tax measures currently available to large corporations that Democrats argue allows firms shipping jobs overseas to benefit from doing so. One credit that would have been ended currently permits companies that close U.S. facilities in favor of opening a factory overseas to claim the expenses they incur in doing so off their income tax burden. Another tax break Democrats wanted to close would affect the ability to defer payment of income tax on revenue generated overseas by U.S firms. Those companies that have moved operations overseas but continue to sell products back into the U.S. would lose the right to defer the taxes on this income. This portion of the bill has been voted on separately by Senate lawmakers before and defeated. A third prong of the bill would reward firms that have previously shipped jobs overseas by offering a payroll tax holiday on new employees they hire in the U.S. With the defeat, Democrats will not likely address the issue of offshoring jobs until after the midterm elections to be held on Nov. 2. The U.S. manufacturing sector has been one of the hardest hit by the severe economic downturn, and states that have a significant manufacturing base are those with the highest jobless rates. Both parties need to get b^&*( slapped for not doing anything sooner about this.) But there have been recent of positive growth, with employment growth in the sector outstripping that in the wider economy in recent months. |
Link |
Home Front: Politix |
Democrats Delay Vote on Extending Bush Tax Cuts |
2010-09-24 |
![]() B.O.Obama's call to preserve middle class tax cuts until after congressional elections in November. A front man for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that the Senate will return in November and work to extend the tax cuts for middle-income taxpayers. Asked whether senators ought to be given a chance to vote on extending middle-class tax cuts that expire at the end of the year, Sen. Richard Durbin (D., Ill.) told news hounds, "I can see the value in that, but because of the short time frame, it may be difficult." The Senate is expected to adjourn at the end of next week until after the Nov. 2 elections. Sen. Reid (D., Nev.) and Democratic campaign consultants had argued for a pre-election vote. Some felt that such a vote could help Democrats in the fall by showing support for protecting middle-class tax cuts while painting Republicans as willing to protect the wealthy. Sure. The rubes'll buy that. They always do, don't they? But other Senate Democrats argued privately to postpone the vote, believing that Republicans could use a pre-election vote to argue that Democrats want to increase taxes on small businesses. It also gets them off the hook on having to vote on it at all, since there's no way Pelosi-Reid will allow a tax cut of any kind in the ruptured-duck session of Congress after the election. |
Link |