MyDD :: 'Death tax' repeal: Senate showdown imminent

'Death tax' repeal: Senate showdown imminent

by skeptic06, Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 02:27:15 PM EST

When the Senate reconvenes on April 24, a key test of the GOP machine will be ensuring that HR 8, the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act, is passed in the month or so before the following recess.

Novak said last week that Frist was

scheduling repeal or reduction of the estate tax for consideration the week of May 4.

Novak says this week that

A graphic new television ad by the conservative Free Enterprise Fund is targeting the two Democratic senators from Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, to support repeal of the estate tax when it comes up for a vote next month.

The ad features live footage of vultures eating away at a dead carcass -- symbolically the government seizing the assets of the dead. It superimposes the heads of pro-estate tax Democratic senators -- Edward M. Kennedy, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Harry Reid -- on the bodies of vultures. It then urges Lincoln and Pryor not to join the vultures.

The pair are not exactly DINOs, but have certainly helped out the GOP leadership in a pinch before.

As a guide (albeit imperfect) to how the Dem senators might break, the House vote on passage was 272-160, R:230-1, D:42-160.

(So the bill would obviously have passed without the renegade Dems' votes. The GOP singleton was Leach of IA.)

In the Senate, clearly the key vote (NARAL please note!) is that on cloture. I'm not sure right now how close Frist is to 60, but the House vote isn't encouraging.

A pile of faxes on your senator's desk for when he returns from holiday might not be a bad thing, I'm thinking...

Tags: Death Tax, Estate Tax, Senate, Democrats (all tags)

Permalink :: 5 Comments :: Post a Comment

It's The Estate TAx (none / 0)

I know I am nit-picking, but why use a Repulbican frame, that what is being repealled is a "death" tax. For one thing, "death tax" is not at all a proper name for what the tax is. Taxes are called by what they tax. . . i.e. the income tax, the gas tax, etc. But, the tax in question does not tax death. It is not even paid by the dead person or his estate. The tax is on the ESTATE received by the heirs. It just happens that this event follows death. That does not make it a "death tax."

Even if the death tax was an accurate name, why go along with the Rs attempt to hide the fact that what is taxed are VERY LARGE ESTATES OF WEALTHY PEOPLE.

Ok. Ive vented now.

Andy Katz

by Andy Katz on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 09:25:16 PM EST

Re: It's The Estate TAx (none / 0)

That's why I put 'death tax' in quotes, like that. (Except when it's the actual name of the bill.)

Plus, that's how (I suspect) most lefties know it: I'm not sure how many wouldn't puzzle a minute if I said 'estate tax'.

Any nit you can pick, I can pick smaller...

by skeptic06 on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 09:38:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: 'Death tax' repeal: Senate showdown imminent (none / 0)

Great catch, very important issue. Maybe we can work out a decent bit of activism.

by dtmky on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 09:33:09 PM EST

Re: 'Death tax' repeal: Senate showdown imminent (none / 0)

Good idea - but I'm really not your man where organization is required! (Incapable of the proverbial orgy in a brothel, me...)

I'm much more the pajama-blogger type: crunching RCVs, then I'm your guy...

by skeptic06 on Wed Apr 12, 2006 at 10:49:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

It's an income tax (none / 0)

It is a tax on the income of the kids of the really rich.

Why should the kids of the really rich be the only ones who pay no taxes on their incomes?

-- Seeing the Forest

by davej on Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 10:41:00 PM EST

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