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Freshman Democrats bristle at tax hikes in health care bill
By: J.P. Freire
Associate Commentary Editor
07/16/09 12:44 PM EDT
According to this story in Roll Call, leaders are running "into a firewall of resistance from moderate Democrats and vulnerable freshmen grousing over the measure’s provisions to tax the wealthy and small businesses. Some Members also want more cost cutting, even if it leaves more people uninsured."
House Democrats, led by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), are even going so far as to circulate a draft letter among freshmen to Pelosi "opposing the $544 billion income tax surcharge on the wealthy, arguing it would hit many small businesses and manufacturers."
The interesting bit about this is that these freshmen were elected on Obama's coattails. On election night, Obama was praised by many in the press for creating a majority, one that would enable him to accomplish much of his agenda. But this conventional wisdom was a little too hopeful. Because Obama's campaign frequently namechecked fiscal responsibility, these congressmen may be nervously looking to their own reelection, realizing that Obama has flexibility they don't.
That's why they're reluctant to vote for a "tax hike on families making more than $350,000 a year, a tax on employers that do not provide health insurance and a tax on the uninsured."
The best insight comes from Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR): “If we’re not careful about how we structure this, not only are these employees not going to have health insurance, they’re not going to have a job either.”
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