The Obama campaign is Autobot-ing once again into Organizing for America, keeping its list active to mount pressure campaigns. That whole “you can’t change Washington from inside” thing. Stephanie Cutter, who hasn’t irritated conservatives for weeks now, asks supporters to pressure Republicans (“few dozen members of the House of Representatives”) to pass the Senate’s version of tax extensions, which passed that chamber 51-48 this summer.
President Obama is asking Congress to move forward on a plan that would prevent 98 percent of American families from paying higher taxes next year. The Senate has passed that bill, and the President is ready to sign it – but the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives won’t even bring the bill to the floor for a vote. House Democrats have filed a petition that would force a vote if it attracts 218 signatures. If a bill has enough votes to pass, Congress should vote on it and pass it.I’m writing something tangentially related to this, about the concurrent effors of the many, many “fix the debt” groups to build public support for something-or-other. Their problem: They don’t define the something-or-other! And neither do Republicans. They keep leaving these man-sized openings for Democrats and their specific tax deal to stride on through.
