Reid’s Super-Com picks: Tax lovers and earmarkers

‘Reid Leads Senate as Compromise Avoids Fiscal Catastrophe’—That’s the laughable title of a video parked at Sen. Harry Reid’s official government website. Had Reid actually led the Senate from November 2006-November 2010 when Democrats had full control of Congress, the politics of the debt ceiling fight could’ve been avoided. The fiscal catastrophe was not, by the way, averted. It’s still there. (Screen snip from video at US government website)Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) picks for the new Super Committee share one thing in common. They’re all tax and spend progressives. Two are champion earmarkers.

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have embarrassingly low or zero scores from tax watchdog groups.

Sen. Max Baucus, described by Fox News and other media as centrist, has cast some anti-tax votes, but his scores overall are in the dumps too. Project Vote Smart, offering a very detailed rundown on votes, shows his scores range on the low end where Murray and Kerry mostly hit zero.

On the Issues also breaks down Baucus’ scores—one of his votes was against the repeal of the marriage penalty the tax code used to impose on you for having a traditional relationship instead of just moving in together.

Legacy media never mention that President George W. Bush, aside from being the only prez in recent history to forego a tax hike, actually corrected the injustice otherwise known as the marriage penalty. Saying the Bush tax cuts were only for “the wealthy” is a pristine lie. Those cuts benefited every taxpayer.

On earmarks, Open Secrets provides information about the picks:

1. Kerry sponsored or co-sponsored 152 earmarks totalling $252,482,300 in fiscal year 2010 ranking 8th out of 100 senators.
2. Murray sponsored or co-sponsored 191 earmarks totalling $223,038,750 in fiscal year 2010 ranking 11th out of 100 senators.
3. Baucus sponsored or co-sponsored 87 earmarks totalling $137,279,900 in fiscal year 2010 ranking 40th out of 100 senators.

Other ratings give an idea about ideology. The American Conservative Union confers lifetime ratings on each of these senators: Baucus at 14.15 percent, Kerry at 5.07 and Murray at 2.59.

Kerry is the worst pick for Reid who is one of the most rabidly political animals in Washington. Kerry has never been very impressive—for conservatives or Democrats. He’s just managed to outlast enough senators to achieve senior status because his constituents apparently like him enough to continue returning the wealthiest man in the Senate to Washington.

Kerry copied Democrat strategist David Axelrod’s ‘Tea Party Downgrade’ remark after the US credit rating was dropped. That was superbly hypocritical because Kerry has been in Washington since 1984. Kerry and anyone else serving for decades, regardless of ideology, contributed to the debt and the downgrade. If they tell you any different, they are either fabricating or hallucinating.

Murray is a progressive’s progressive. She gets strong approval from groups like La Raza and the ACLU.

These three will do what socialist progressives do best—look for someone else’s wealth to transfer. Reid’s selections, with the possible exception of Baucus, show exactly how serious the aging senator is about changing up anything to do with spending.

Reid is rabidly political. His choices for the Super-Com reflect that, considering votes on taxes and earmarks.

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(Commentary by Kay B. Day/August 10, 2011)

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[Kay B. Day]

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