Tea party, Yoder lose on fiscal cliff vote
Yael T. AbouhalkahThe fiscal cliff legislation approved late Tuesday was another embarrassing action by Congress.
The good news: The richest Americans will pay more taxes, as President Barack Obama wanted. Plus, two million people won’t lose their extended unemployment benefits, doctors’ fees won’t be sliced 27 percent for treating Medicare patients and the farm bill gets extended, blocking a possible large hike in milk prices.
The bad news: Spending cuts needed to help put America’s fiscal house in order were not included.
The whole process showed how incompetent the current Congress is to deal with the government’s financial problems.
In the end, though, the Senate and House correctly found more good than bad in the bill, endorsed it and sent it to Obama.
The legislation was a defeat for the tea party members in the Republican party. Many lobbied against it, as did Kevin Yoder, the Republican who represents affluent and moderate Johnson County in our area.
Other no votes came from KC-area tea party sympathizers Lynn Jenkins of Kansas and Vicky Hartzler of Missouri.
Democrat Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri supported the compromise bill.
Republican Sam Graves did not vote. The full House roll call is here.
The Star reported that Yoder had this to say on his position Tuesday: “Government overspending will not be cured by sending more tax dollars to Washington, D.C. I cannot support legislation that raises taxes without cutting spending and solving the debt crisis that will plague our nation.”
While I agree with Yoder that cutting spending should have been included in the bill, it’s incredible that Yoder thinks the majority of his Johnson County supporters really wanted to send the nation over the fiscal cliff. Plus, there were other good elements in the approved bill, that avoided making life harder for consumers and for unemployed people.
Yoder, in particular, keeps trying to sell himself as someone who’s not part of the automatic tea party vote in Washington. Yet, on one of the most important votes Congress has taken, he stood right alongside the destructive tea party crowd.
Fortunately, they lost.
Mark Hastert
4 months, 3 weeks agoOn the national scene the Tea Party is pretty much relegated to the backwaters and will remain so. Radical voices in the new congress will be moderated. Mr Yoder will have a tougher time selling himself as open minded if he doesn’t start acting that way. Jenkins is the congressman from Koch so there won’t be anything different from her.
George Hunsucker
Northland
4 months, 3 weeks agoAs much as you libs like to dismiss the Tea Party, we are alive and well.
The fact that once more zero refused to be a leader means nothing to you tax and spenders. The real loser was once again America as we sink further into the deficit hole fed by zero and his Chicago “community organizers”. We will show Greece how it’s really done!!!
Praising a bill that has 41 times more spending then revenue in our current environment that is called “taxing the rich” is a joke.
Libs are a hoot….
Ed Minges
4 months, 3 weeks agoPretty funny.
The “community organizer” has just shown the Republican Party how it’s done.
The Tea Party has joined Sarah Palin in the Irrelevant pile.
And instead of doing the hard work to rebuild the Republican Party for the 21st century, it looks like the far right is going to be content to tell us how stupid liberals are.
I think I’ll have another cup of coffee. Two creams and a Splenda, please.
JR Beillenhouser
4 months, 3 weeks agoCheering this as a victory is akin to being on deck when the titanic hit the iceburg and being happy that there was ice for drinks.
You simply can’t fix stupid.
That tax raise will handle 5% of the deficit this year.
You can never be correct and be irrelevant. At the end of the day, the tea party is right, and there is no amount spending or lack of leadership or name calling that is going to change that. Kicking the can down the road for political expediency is not going to change that.
In the end this administration will have to face history, and it will not look upon it kindly.
Again, a question to my liberal friends. What is the major number we can have as debt before we are in trouble as a country?
JR Beillenhouser
4 months, 3 weeks agoOh and another thing, the true indicator is the credit rating, please be prepared to get down graded again this year. Cheer that as a victory too. Unfortunately, it is clear that you don’t have a clue how additional downgrades impact the economy.
Ed Minges
4 months, 3 weeks agoIf the Tea Party somehow manages to show the world that the United States isn’t willing to honor its commitments—AGAIN—and we get our credit rating lowered—AGAIN—the Tea Party will join the Libertarian Party in the More-Irrelevant than-Sarah-Palin file.
Incidentally, you’ll know that we’ve borrowed too much when we have to raise rates on our paper.
Reginald Thornton
4 months, 3 weeks agoSure you want that to be the indicator, Ed? Rates are at historically low levels, negative in some countries. That rates will go up is a given. The debt payments will also go up. The $584 million in interest Obama just claimed as a cut will return- by an order of magnitude. Seriously, rates won’t rise until “we’ve borrowed too much”? Are you still in high school?
Phil Cardarella
4 months, 3 weeks agoHey, Yoder just got a pass so that he could avoid being primaried by a tea Party nut.
It is simple math: All Boehner had to do was let the matter come up for a vote. Pelosi would deliver nearly all the Dems — and all the Speaker had to do was deliver ENOUGH GOP votes. The Tea Partiers were hopeless, but those who needed to could vote no or sit it out — like Sam.
Not exactly Profiles in Courage material — but these arguments are about MONEY, not principle. If you think raising the tax rate on Donald Trump is a MORAL question, you need serious help.
Ivan Smith
4 months, 3 weeks agoYoder is afraid of the tea party, “rush”, and rich supporters. He will not “man up”. The little people don’t count. Look at mess with New Jersey and New York vote failure. Why didn’t he speak up? Time for a recall!!
David Fruits
4 months, 3 weeks agoWho is praising this bill? Only the Tea Party can complain about things that didn’t happen. There is simply no pleasing them. Fortunately, they aren’t in control.
Now, if congress can cut spending and pass a budget, we can stop kicking this dented can.
George Hunsucker
Northland
4 months, 3 weeks agoright on David… we need more TRILLION dollar deficits!!!! We can show Greece how to do it right under the “leadershp” of zero!!
Mark Hastert
4 months, 3 weeks ago“We can show Greece how to do it right under the “leadership” of zero!!”
Zero? Why not Jimmy III? LOL! Zero would be the remaining influence on the Tea Party on American politics. What with Dick Army showing up for work with armed guards then getting kicked out what’s left is very weak tea.
And how many times do I have to correct you on your Greece analogy? You claim to be educated with a PhD but apparently it didn’t include remedial economics. Maybe home economics? I’m hopeful that the adults on both sides have pushed aside the riffraff and are ready to govern.
JR Beillenhouser
4 months, 3 weeks agoEconomics, unfortunately, for Mark, and Yael and the other libs in their posts, mean that you spend all you possibly can, without thinking about the repercussions on future generations. Selfish. It means blaming the rich and raising taxes on that group with a move that will do nothing to cure the deficit issue. It means spending even the new taxes you are going to raise.
You can’t escape the inevitability of your actions however.
Mark Hastert
4 months, 3 weeks ago“It means blaming the rich and raising taxes on that group with a move that will do nothing to cure the deficit issue.”
Duh! Of course it’s not gonna cure the deficit. This was about fairness, about asking those that have prospered while the 98% suffered and can afford it without batting an eye to pony up a little.
Now, with a little more cooperation we can address more serious issues. Corporate and agricultural welfare is as good a place to start as any. Then addressing SS contributions. Making drug companies bid for their Medicare business like they do for the VA. Common sense changes to what Medicare pays for. Using best medical practices for care instead of best billing practices. Making the tax code fair to all. Eliminating the capital gains break (just like “the great” Ronald Reagan did in 1986). Eliminating the home mortgage deduction. Reducing our military footprint all over the world (the pentagon is still fighting WWII)and asking Europe, the Pacific Rim, and middle east to deal with their own issues at their own expense. See, there are hundreds of ways to reduce the deficit and spending if only the GOP and Dems could shut out the radicals and it mostly Tea Party radicals that are mucking it up.
The one thing we can’t do is slam on the brakes when our recovery is just gaining momentum with sequesters or other draconian cuts in the very near term. Finally even the GOP admitted that was a stupid idea. Until, that is, the next debt ceiling vote when their collective memories evaporate. T^here is hope that the new congress will be sworn in with a fresh perspective and open minds.