Bush still having trouble with tax cuts

A few days ago, the Senate passed a $350 billion tax cut, which put the fate of the measure in the hands of a House/Senate conference committee. This was a recipe for disaster, as both branches of Congress were dead set on their version of the bill. DeLay wasn't about to compromise off his $550 billion cut, and the Senate argued nothing past $350 billion would pass.

Bush intervened, and has hammered out a new deal -- $383 billion with a bevvy of accounting tricks to keep the cost artificially low.

Given that the House is Bush's pet poodle, they'll go along with whatever the president tells them to do (god forbid they actually thought for themselves occassionally).

But Sen. Voinovich of Ohio, who had caved by voting for the $350 billion plan passed by the Senate (he had promised NO dividend tax cut), now has a way out of his dilemma. He now vows to vote against any plan that will cost more than a penny past $350 billion.

And, two of the Democrats who voted for the Senate plan -- Nelson and Bayh -- are now hedging.

Assuming Nelson and Bayh stay with the GOP, and that Voinovich sticks to his guns this time, expect to see a crapload of pressure land onto Arkansas' Lincoln. She teetered on supporting this cut, and would present the GOP's best chance of getting that 50th vote.

Posted May 21, 2003 12:05 PM | Comments (69)