"Vermont Senator bashes tax bill for 8.5 hours"

[dm1333]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40612374/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

Evidently Bernie Sanders railed against the proposal to maintain current tax rates for the next few years by giving an eight and a half hour long speech.  At one point Mary Landrieu spelled him for a bit, probably so he could go load up on some Monster and double shots of espresso!

"We should be embarrassed that we are for one second talking about a proposal that gives tax breaks to billionaires while we are ignoring the needs of working families, low income people and the middle class," he said.

Yes!  Because Congress has been so attentive to the needs of working people over the last 2, 4, oh, what the heck, 8 or 10 years!  On a positive note, 8.5 hours of this might have detracted just a little bit of time from other sorts of mischief like working on the Dream Act or whatever else they were planning on doing.  Any Vermonters have any thoughts about this?

[MicroBalrog]

I have a question.

As far as I understand, the makeup of the next Congress has been determined in the election.

The next Congress will be more Republican and more conservative by far.

All that Sanders is accomplishing by his antics is wasting the last few days he and his comrades have to make a deal - the deal they get in the next Congress is bound to be worse, not better. Why is he doing it?

[longeyes]

You understimate the genius of the GOP to rush enthusiastically to defeat with a bad bill.

[TommyGunn]

You do know Bernie Sanders is a self avowed socialist, right?    He's stark raving nutso.  I mean, even considering the company he keeps.   The only near equal he has is Anthony Weiner.   X 10²
It's hard for me to believe Americans can actually vote for clowns like that .... but they get what they deserve ... and unfortunatly, we too must live with the consequences.

[Regolith]

I have a question.

As far as I understand, the makeup of the next Congress has been determined in the election.

The next Congress will be more Republican and more conservative by far.

All that Sanders is accomplishing by his antics is wasting the last few days he and his comrades have to make a deal - the deal they get in the next Congress is bound to be worse, not better. Why is he doing it?

True.  Personally I hope the stupid sucker is successful.  The current bill will jack up spending another $800 billion or so; the concessions that the Republicans gave to get their way amount to another "stimulus" bill.

If Sanders gets his way, Republicans can come up with something that isn't so damn fiscally irresponsible in January, and Obama would be hard pressed to veto it.

[Jocassee]

My perplexedness at the existence of somewhat like Bernie in politics is surpassed only by my astonishment that Vermonters continue to vote for him.

[AZRedhawk44]

True.  Personally I hope the stupid sucker is successful.  The current bill will jack up spending another $800 billion or so; the concessions that the Republicans gave to get their way amount to another "stimulus" bill.

Source?

I was listening to the radio yesterday and they said that the additional 13 months of unemployment, along with the 2% FICA tax decrease, would "only" cost about $120 billion.