What does an oil pipeline through the middle of the United States have to do with payroll tax cuts?
Obama at Monday's press briefing
Absolutely nothing.
Grasping for whatever leverage they can find in a tax battle with Democrats they’re sure to lose, and hoping to “sweeten the deal” for Teapublican House members weary of supporting any measure backed by the Obama Administration, Republican leaders have proposed speeding up the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline project and eliminating some environmental protections as a lure to Republican lawmakers to get on board with a payroll tax cut extension affecting 98 percent of Americans.
As a dagger in the heart of Democrats, this is a beautifully repugnant example of partisan politics. As an incentive to the staunchly conservative, anti-everything Tea Party members in the lower chamber, it’s yet another sign of just how reliant Republican leaders are on the sanity of the opposition party when it comes to keeping government functioning.
“Talk is cheap,” House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters Friday, according to a report in The Hill.
When President Bush said the country was in trouble, Democrats responded in a bipartisan way. When the Republicans couldn’t keep government running without our help, they got our help. The second time they couldn’t keep government running without our help, we gave them our help. They couldn’t make sure that America paid its debts, paid its bills, (and) Democrats helped.
Democrats have shown — not just talked about it — have shown that we are prepared (to cross the aisle).
Considering that Republicans are the anti-tax party, you’d think a payroll tax cut would move swiftly through the House with a rubber stamp and a parade of worship for GOP lawmakers sticking up for American workers everywhere. Instead, the “Taxed Enough Already” caucus apparently wants to increase taxes on all but the rich.
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