The Gordian Tax Bill

Leadership: “House Democrats were forced to delay consideration of the president’s tax bill on Thursday as party leaders figure out a way to mollify the bill’s opponents.”

How bad is it, really? Read on:

The decision to delay the debate is mired in procedural arcana, but the underlying issue is that Democratic opponents of the bill want to vote for an amendment changing the estate-tax without voting to approve the bill itself.

Did you catch that? Liberal Democrats are, to borrow a phrase, holding hostage those middle class tax rates so that they can support the bill without voting for it. Or maybe to vote for the bill without supporting it. Or maybe there’s some clever maneuver where the House can “deem it sucks” and send everybody home for Christmas.