Democratic Unity Already Cracking on Taxes

It appears more and more likely that Democrats will give in to the Republican position that the Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for everyone. At least 30 House Democrats bucked party leaders Thursday on an important test vote for a bill that would exclude the wealthy from a continuation of the cuts, which expire Dec. 31, The Hill reports.

The House approved debate rules on the bill by a margin of only 10 votes: 213-203. That outcome permits the House to debate and then vote on the proposal.

"On the floor right now, we are debating the Rule for House Democrats’ bill to allow a massive tax hike to hit American families and small businesses at the end of this month," Michael Steel, a spokesman for incoming House Speaker John Boehner, says in a statement. "Voting for this rule is, in effect, a vote to raise taxes and destroy jobs, and yet another sign that Washington Democrats just don’t get it."