There’s been a bunch of back-and-forth over who, precisely won and lost here with the House agreeing to extend the payroll tax cut for only two more months. I suspect that this is largely due to what your priorities were. For example: Ace thinks that it’s a loss, but is not exactly broken up about it, as it always was pretty procedural to him; Allahpundit’s looking at it as a capitulation because, I think, of the length of the payroll tax cut.
Me? … I wanted the Keystone ethical oil pipeline dumped back on Obama’s plate. Either he torpedoes the deal (now or later), thus compromising his jobs message; or he signs off on it, thus smacking the Greenies in the face. I win in either scenario … as long as it gets to his desk. The issue of how long to keep the payroll tax cut bandage on the gaping, necrotic wound of our economy was comparatively minor, in my eyes.
Your mileage may, as they say, vary. I’m not telling anybody that they’re wrong for having different priorities.
Moe Lane
We got our lunch handed to us. And Obama is going to remind us in his State Of The Union Address. I feel sick.
We lost because we caused, out of pique, our (qualified) win of making Obama pick one interest over another about the fairly esoteric issue of Keystone XL (he could very well deny it, and then where would we be?) to be eclipsed by the easily understood bread-and-butter issue of taxes. Whether or not you actually agree that FICA is a tax or a “contribution” is irrelevant.
I can see from the previous two commenters that the main priority was to stick Obama with a “loss,” one way or another. Based on that, the GOP House “lost” on something that will be forgotten in, oh, 10 days.
Sorry, guys. Obama can’t “rope-a-dope” like Clinton. Not even close.
How did the house lose anything? They previously passed a bill with the Keystone Pipeline included and a year long extension of the tax deal. Why is no one talking about how the Senate blew it? I would never trust McConnell ever again if I was in Washington. He just took a stab at the only majority they have. I just don’t understand it at all.