The fiscal cliff negotiations presented an opportunity for Mainers and people across the United States to see which members of Congress showed sound judgment. Though their votes weren’t surprising, each person in Maine’s congressional delegation exhibited good sense by voting for the fiscal cliff compromise deal on Tuesday. The larger question is whether they demonstrated leadership at the other times it mattered during preceding debate, when Congress needed examples of rationality.
Sen. Susan Collins certainly has. Through the years, she has consistently remained open to the idea of raising taxes on the wealthy, leaving her, at times, as the only Senate Republican to back certain economic proposals. In November 2011, she broke party ranks by stating her support for requiring millionaires and billionaires to pay more of their income to help reduce the deficit. In April, she was the only Republican to vote in favor of the “Buffett Rule,” which would have required people making $2 million or more each year to pay at least 30 percent in taxes.
On Tuesday. she backed up her previous words and actions and went a step further by voting for a bill that steadies tax levels for most Americans and increases income tax rates for individuals earning $400,000 or more and households earning $450,000 or more. Congress must still deal with drastic spending cuts, which it pushed back two months, and Collins expressed disappointment at the postponement. But she said, ultimately, it was important to prevent an average tax increase of more than $2,000 for Maine families.
Retiring Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe has, in the past, not been afraid to break with her party — she was one of only three GOP senators who voted for the president’s stimulus plan — but she has been more cautious when it comes to raising taxes. In September 2010, in an interview with Politico, she spoke against raising taxes on the top 2 percent. “I think it’s a mistake to draw a line in the sand at $250,000 during these tenuous times,” she said.
But while she hasn’t historically acted as a leading voice on the necessity of tax-rate increases, she has indicated she knows when it’s important to adapt. On Tuesday, she demonstrated the moderate streak that makes her so popular in Maine: She voted for the compromise. The Senate was not likely to cause a problem over the fiscal cliff bill, but it was a fitting vote for Snowe, who will end her 34-year career in Congress on Thursday.
It’s unusual for members of the U.S. House to stand out in terms of leadership — unless, for example, they chair a committee. And Maine’s Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud can’t head committees because they are in the minority party. But they can make clear to their constituents how they plan to vote and why, and they can work in their respective committees to guide area-specific legislation, such as in agriculture and veterans affairs.
Pingree and Michaud have consistently been open to tax increases for the wealthy. In November 2010, they both said they did not support extending tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 per year. During the last few weeks, Pingree has been more vocal about her view of the fiscal cliff negotiations. She said she was “very disappointed that the Republicans couldn’t even pass their own proposal [‘Plan B’] to avoid the fiscal cliff,” and on Dec. 30 she said it was “outrageous” that Congress had gotten so close to going over the cliff. Pingree and Michaud both expressed similar sentiments after the House vote. They lauded the bipartisan compromise, while describing the bill as far from perfect.
Maine’s congressional delegation didn’t have direct negotiating power, but members did have the ability to use their influence to advocate for what is reasonable and right. Though some members made more of a public display than others, they all recognized, unsurprisingly, that inaction would cause economic disaster. They stood on the correct side of history and voted for the compromise.
well this is just what i would expect from the liberal leaning Bangor daily. we will have to wait and see if history shows us if the “correct” votes for more government is wise or not. and the house passed in june a bill to keep tax rates at the “bush” level, it was too bad the dems in the senate would not bring that, or any bill up for debate and votes, but lets blame the repubs in the house for all our problems. time for some one at the bangor daiy to think before they post. most would expect at least some balance in whatever is posted in the news media. thomas jefferson would be disgusted and so should we all
You got that right, budsview. Old TJ – the one who NEVER bought a single slave in his life – would immediately recognize a bad idea. This liberal rag thinks history is made as soon as they say it is. Did we get a BDN story about that House bill that Reid would not bring to the floor? Well, there is one good thing about this bill – the Bush tax cut is history – we can now call it the Obama SAD cuts (Suck America Dry). I hear that everyone knows the problem is spending, including the trickle down of federal, unpaid mandates that has our state deep in the hole. This bill spends $40 for every $1 cut. More and more people will see as businesses do what Cabella’s is doing and charges the ACA mandated taxes on your bill as fees. It’s a great way to inform the uninformed…
And it gives tax breaks and new pork that erase most of the new revenue. If there ever was any doubt the trillion dollar deficits will continue it is gone now.
At least that is good news. The deficit should grow when the economy is not growing fast enough and only when it is fully productive do you start the deficit reduction. To cut the deficit now will definitely, yes definitely increase unemployment, and further erode our economy.
The reason deficit was not discussed during Bush’s assault on the treasury was because the GOP does not care about deficits.
Smart economic policy dictates: governments should spend when consumer demand shrinks and cut back when the economy is growing fast. Whats more is that deficit is the wrong word. The US treasury is a currency creator not consumer. As such, they cannot really run a deficit. They either print more money or they don’t. Printing money is either an investment in the people or a gift to the banks depending how it is carried out.
We need the US government to invest in the people (education, infrastructure) and stop the give aways to the corporations and banks that are not investing in their workers. Printing more money is not the issue so much as how it is used.
only if you want you grandchildren to have to pay for it. i could understand reasonable deficits, but these are nowhere close. and you can’t tell me there isn’t 10% of the budget that could easily be cut without having a huge impact on the false recovery, and inflation bomb that is building
The working poor of Maine have lost, taken another beating, oh, the income tax withholding will be about the same, but the Social Security Tax is going up about 2 percent, now, with the increase in our local property taxes because of Fed not supporting our schools, we are actually going to be taking home less money, now with the inflation of our fiat money, we will be taking home a whole lot less, that is why it takes more and more just to pay the same old bills. Gotta love the Feds, I do not care whether they are demo or repub, we are slowly going the way of Ancient Rome.
And you didn’t understand the Social Security tax cut was temporary? The tax is being raised to where it used to be, it’s not an increase.
and it will go into the Social Security pension fund (hopefully unless some politicians hijack it –again) where it will be used to support us when we retire—I would rather pay the 2% now then be told in 2023, when I turn 70 and start taking my pension, that there is no more money for me.
Other than working couples loosing 2% of their income and Stanley Johnson gets to have a credit reprieve for another 2 months .. nothing got fixed .. only “The Can” got punted one more time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HX4a5P8eE
All the Maine delegation did was do a Major Kong .. and ride this ticking debt bomb down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlSQAZEp3PA
What ticking time bomb are you talking about. Is it the one the media told you is ticking? This is the same media that told you we needed to declare war on Iraq. This is the same media that never bothered to report on stagnant wages or rising inequality for 30 years.
The deficit is no ticking time bomb. It is higher because we had the people wealth looted by bankers and financial engineers who stole our equity and created markets to get a cut of every thing we consume including health care to save our lives. The deficit is a problem when investors do not invest in our t-bills or when inflation is rampant. Neither of these are even remotely the case.
Just because a lot of people chant the same mantra, the deficit is too big! the deficit is too big! does not make it so. The media is owned by corporations that have systematically stopped all wage increases, pushed for a lawless business environment and hijacked our congress. You want to trust them to tell you what the priorities should be?
Pathetic excuse for journalism. Pathetic.
These shills in congress deserve nothing less than jail time. All of them!
Is it too much to ask? Ya kow, some actual journalism?
I really do love how the Press talks up the end of the payroll tax holiday (which had to come eventually) but shines virtually NO light on the “extensions” (the new word for particular earmarks) which perpetuate the sick cycle of corporate largess. “Milk prices will double if the Farm Bill isn’t fixed” is the chicken-little-esque cry, with no scrutiny about amending the dreaded Truman-era law. Winners, loser…that’s all the Press show us.
Although avoiding the cliff was the right thing to do , all of Maine’s representatives did nothing to reduce spending and voted in favor of increased pork spending to the tune of $70 + million. Nothing new from Washington , business as usual. It’s time to take our country back from these career politicians and special interest groups. Wake up America ! Meanwhile our president is vacationing in Hawaii.
I’m tired of people calling these tax increases. They are not increases. They are tax cuts that would have expired. Meaning they go back to the way they were before. And why is it a cliff if we are just going back to the way things were before? Can someone explain that one to me. Media sensationalism at its best.
Good ‘ol Susan Collins. Sat on the Armed Services committee while the lie that was the Iraq war was being told. Voted for nearly every off the balance sheet spending program her party came up with and voted to reduce the share corporations pay from their now all time record profits to pay for the wars, leaving you and I to pay the bill. I think if there were really justice, Susan Collins would be paying for her mistakes. It used to be when you were proven wrong, you apologized and tried to make it right. Now following the exemplary leadership of Sen Collins, you lie and deny and do it all again.
Oh yeah, so how did she do on having us pay for the fiscal cliff she created….meh!
It was the right thing to do in the short term. A full lapsing of the temporary cuts should be considered in due time.
Though I was preparing for the spike, from a purely selfish perspective, I will be happy to have a few thousand more bucks to spend that I wouldn’t have otherwise had.