No, of course it hasn’t.
But with the two votes today in the Senate concerning the continuation of dubya’s (now Obama’a) windfall tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires I don’t particular care to hear Claire McCaskill’s (D) future lectures to us on the evils of the deficit.
First up was the vote to suspend the rules to consider Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I) amendment to restrict the tax cut to the first $250,000.00 for everyone.
Senate Sends Tax Bill to House
….The amendment would have struck an estate tax proposal to exempt all but the richest estates. Sanders suggested returning to estate tax rates in effect in 2009 for two years. H [sic] would have exempted the first $3.5 million of an estate from taxation and imposrf [sic] a 45 percent estate tax rate on the value of estates above $3.5 million.
The Sanders amendment would have replaced the payroll tax holiday with a one year extension of the Make Work Pay Credit — a proposal that will provide more tax relief to those who need it most while not threatening the solvency of the Social Security trust fund.
Sanders’ amendment also would have provided a $250 payment to some 58 million senior citizens, veterans and persons with disabilities. Unless Congress acts, senior citizens will be going without a cost of living increase for a second year in a row at a time when the prices they pay for prescription drug and health care are soaring….
The vote:
Question: On the Motion (Motion to Suspend Rule XXII Re: Sanders Amdt. 4809 )
Vote Number: 275 Vote Date: December 15, 2010, 12:42 PM
Required For Majority: 2/3 Vote Result: Motion Rejected
Measure Number: H.R. 4853 (Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2010, Part III )
Measure Title: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts: YEAs 43
NAYs 57Bond (R-MO), Nay
McCaskill (D-MO), Nay
Well, isn’t that special?
And the final vote on the deal, perpetuating dubya’s tax cut windfall for the top 2%:
Question: On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amdt. to the Senate Amdt. with Amdt. No. 4753 to H.R. 4853 )
Vote Number: 276 Vote Date: December 15, 2010, 01:02 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Motion Agreed to
Measure Number: H.R. 4853 (Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2010, Part III )
Measure Title: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts: YEAs 81
NAYs 19Bond (R-MO), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Gee, do you think Jim Talent’s (r) votes would have been any different?
Do us a favor. Spare us those lectures on the deficit. Otherwise, you’re just telling us it’s raining.
But wait, there’s more!
I just posted this in response to this.
Why does she even bother? If she needs to be a Republican to get re-elected, then just run as a g-d Republican.
in which she explained her vote. Lots of “extending unemployment benefits and middle-class tax cuts made me vote for this” crap while saying “we’ll fight another day to not keep the tax cuts for the richest Americans permament”.
Right Claire. We don’t call you Jim Talent Lite for nothing.
This was the final straw for me. I unsubscribed from her email list because I’m tired of seeing her spin her typically, spineless, scared shitless, how-can-I-vote-so-as-not-to-piss-off-the-legions-of-Missouri-Republicans-who-will-never-vote-for-me-anyway votes.
Screw you Claire. I’m tired of having you shit not just on your base but on voters who thought you’d actually have some backbone and vote lime somebody other than Blanche Lincoln. See where that got her.