Dems' Tax Plans Raise Fears of Rich Rebellion

Dems waffle on high-income tax; timetable cloudy

(NEWSER) - Democrats are growing queasy about their plan to tax the wealthy to help pay for health care reform, the New York Times reports. Nancy Pelosi yesterday suggested revising the contentious provision so that fewer households would have to pay the surtax. Under the current House draft, individuals earning more than $280,000, and couples earning more than $350,000 would have to pay. Pelosi wants those figures upped to $500,000 and $1 million. More»

Says he was run out of House for opposition to health reform bill

(NEWSER) - Eric Massa took the opportunity on his weekly radio show yesterday to accuse other House Democrats of running him out of Congress because of his opposition to health care reform—and to reveal the spicy comments that spurred the ethics investigation that forced his resignation. “Now they’ve gotten rid of me and it will pass,” the New York representative lamented of the legislation. On to the juicy stuff: More»

Public health insurance option still splitting party after hectic summer break

(NEWSER) - House Democrats returned to work yesterday in the same position they were in before they spent their summer break getting an earful from the public, the Washington Post reports. House lawmakers are still expected to move first on the health care bill. But while broad support remains for some kind of health care overhaul, the split between moderates and liberals is as wide as ever on issues like the public health insurance option. More»

(NEWSER) - Democrats are taking some unconventional steps to keep town halls civil, the Hill reports. Rep. Betsy Markey plans to hand out copies of George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior to attendees, in a nod to their patriotic zeal. The first rule? “Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.” Markey parses it thusly: “Respect one another. Don’t yell at people.” More»

She'll be minority leader, he'll be speaker

(NEWSER) - Nancy Pelosi won the position of House minority leader today, but her uphill battle to retain a leadership role revealed a fierce split within the Democratic party, Politico reports. The vote (150-43) was far from unanimous, with the opposition holding Pelosi responsible for Democrats' crushing defeat in the midterms. "She is the face that defeated us in this last election," summed up Allen Boyd, a defeated Florida Democrat. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans, as expected, unanimously elected John Boehner to fill her role as House speaker. More details on that vote here . More»