Much has been made of the Senate voting for a two-month payroll tax-cut extension while the House insists on making the cuts last a full year. Even President Obama asked for a full year extension before he agreed to the short term deal.
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I agree that a full year makes much more sense. I feel that Speaker John Boehner played this hand badly. Apparently he signaled that his caucus would accept the short extension without consulting House Republicans. Consequently, the Senate voted 89 to 10 for the two-month deal and left town. The best that can be said is that there is a communication gap between House and Senate Republicans.
The division regarding this issue can be seen in opposing editorials by two conservative publications. National Review has endorsed the House position on the merits of a one-year deal without mentioning the kerfuffle that took place. The Wall Street Journal focused on the problems that the Republicans created for themselves as well as how they managed to screw-up the rest of their agenda.
I agree with National Review about the merit of passing a one-year extension so that we don’t have to go through this crappy situation again in two months. But I am more in agreement with the Wall Street Journal in how the Republicans screwed up.
RicRx 