Just as Senate Democrats want to keep forcing Republicans to vote on protecting millionaires like Mitt Romney from higher taxes, House Republicans want to keep forcing Democrats to vote on tax cuts for everybody. But Speaker John Boehner can't corral his caucus into agreeing on an approach.
There are already divisions within the House Republican Conference about how aggressive the party should be, and many conservatives believe the party should go for full-blown tax reform, which leaders think is unrealistic and risky. [...]
Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, supports an extension of the Bush tax cuts and wants to slash an additional 20 percent of individual rates, while reducing taxes on capital gains. [...] Romney would likely have to sign off on a House GOP plan before Boehner rolls it out, complicating the political calculus for the House leadership.
“There’s just no easy answer here because Obama has no plan, Romney has no plan, the Senate doesn’t even meet hardly, so we’re left with do we do something bold and big and comprehensive and be left to be hung out to dry?” complained Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a member of the Ways and Means Committee. [...]
A senior House Republican, speaking without attribution, put it just as bluntly—and showed the discord with leadership.
“I think it’s going to be a realization that there’s not a good middle ground. Either we’re going to go big and bold and really engage in fundamental tax reform in the next Congress if we pull off the political trifecta, and anything in between you’re going to hear some hew and cry from people who have their specific provision in the Tax Code—it’s an all or none,” the lawmaker said.
No wonder the Republican caucus is squabbling. They actually have to come up with a credible plan with specifics for Mitt Romney's
trickle-down tax cuts and for Rep. Paul Ryan's
mythical loopholes. And increase defense spending. While making sure no "job creator" pays more in taxes.
There's only so much money they can bleed out of the 99 percent, and if they start taking away the deductions and credits that help regular Americans—mortgage and student loan interest, child care and the like—they're going to start really pissing off the 99 percent of the electorate even more than they already are. And that's just talking about their "tax reform." They're also going to have to justify the cuts they would make in domestic programs to pay for defense, pay for tax cuts for the rich, and still cut $2.3 trillion.
Have fun with that, Speaker Boehner!