Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said he voted against both tax cut bills in the upper chamber yesterday — the extension of some of the Bush tax cuts from the Democrats and the extension of all cuts by the Republicans — because they were “symbolic votes that are a waste of time.”
Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) Middle Class Tax Cut Act passed 51-48. The Republican plan was defeated 45-54.
“They are either partial political nitpicking or posturing or they’re kicking the can down the road,” Lieberman said on Fox News yesterday.
The independent senator agreed that this isn’t the time to be raising taxes on anyone. “And that’s one reason why I’m voting against the Democratic proposal, which would effectively raise taxes on people making over $250,000,” he said. “And that includes a lot of small businesses. It’s also a very partial answer to a much bigger problem.”
He addressed potential criticism that he’s trying to keep friends in both parties by letting down all of his friends.
“I think the prospect is I may tick off my friends in both parties. But I am an independent. And this is not what our country needs,” Lieberman said.
He advocated a plan that deals with entitlement and tax reform and cuts spending.
“If we are not getting that done by the end of the year, then I will vote for something to avoid the fiscal cliff on January 1, because again, I repeat, with this economy stumbling as it is right now, really, it is not the time to raise anybody`s taxes,” Lieberman said.
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