Palin, Romney vs. Huckabee, Newt on Tax Cut Bill

Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney say vote it down. Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty say pass it. The big tax-cut closeout of 2010, which Washington appears ready to approve, has officially divided the Republicans most likely to run for president in 2012, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Romney called the bipartisan deal to extend Bush-era tax cuts “disappointing” in a USA Today op-ed this week, citing the temporary nature of the cuts and the certainty of more deficits. Huckabee, in an e-mail, praised it as “better than leaving businesses in complete limbo over the tax rates.”

The argument points to a potential rift within the GOP as the party assumes more power. “Republicans are under pressure from the Tea Party movement and some other conservatives to reject the compromise tax bill,” The New York Times reports, “potentially complicating its passage and highlighting how the Republican party is likely to face a persistent rightward push when it takes control of the House next month.”