As any seasoned fisherman will tell you, the right bait makes all the difference in catching fish or, in this case, in gaining House Republican support in tax cuts, unemployment benefits and payments to physicians.

As of this writing House Republicans are holding up withholding tax breaks for 160 million Americans, unemployment payments for 3 million out of work Americans, and fair if modest Medicare payments to physicians for services rendered.

Now, to be fair, House Republicans will argue they are just waiting for the Senate to return from vacation to deal with their newest demands to vote for the current bill.

But history has its own memory, and many Republicans were against the Social Security withholding reductions for 2012 before they were for them.

Then, when they were for these tax breaks they wanted favors for supporting tax cuts…much like an addicted smoker only willing to take an offered cigarette if accompanied by a free dinner and tickets to a movie.

Yes, the very same elected officials who were for the economically damaging Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003; the same Republicans who have insisted we continue Big Oil corporate welfare to the tune of $6 billion a year; and the same Republicans who insist we continue to tax Hedge Fund managers like John Paulson (earnings in 2010 $5 billion) at 15 percent while taxing you at 25 percent; those selfsame Republicans want something in exchange for granting working Americans even the smallest tax break.

So the Senate bill, passed by a large bipartisan majority, now sits in the House waiting to the year to end and the tax cuts to expire.

As the clock ticks it seems the House Republicans have no motivation, to act. After all, it is not as if they could be less popular with voters. But maybe what everyone has failed to realize is the House Republicans just needed the proper bait to get this bill passed, and no one offered that bait.

It seems clear that if you added to the bill anything for the richest Americans, then House Republicans would fall all over themselves to give the gift of giving.

Say a cut in capital gains taxes for example…a benefit mostly for the rich and doubtlessly one Republicans would approve. Or maybe just lowering the top tax rate on the rich so they could secure even more of the nation’s wealth … that would earn Republican votes.

But just a tax break for the middle class? Yawn, hardly worth doing, especially if it helps the economy and that helps the president.

Still, based upon the 2010 elections even tax cuts for the rich might not be enough for the Tea Party House members. They need some additional bait.

You may remember their exceptional steadfastness in securing the cut in the credit rating for the U.S.

The cost and the damage to the nation did not trouble them in the least; indeed, it was, dare it be said, inspiring in a “Braveheart” kind of way.

What the Tea Party Republicans need is damage to the nation, nothing less can satisfy their blood thirst for inflicting pain for gain, the gain of small government and lower taxes.

Baiting for their votes can only be failure to extend the tax breaks, damaging the fragile, recovering economy, and harming nearly every American family.

So don’t count on catching this fish for Christmas, or on the Republican House passing any extension of the Senate bill.

Without tax breaks for the rich and suffering for everyone else there is just no incentive to pass the bill.

Merry Christmas.

 

Jim Crawford is retired educator and political enthusiast living here in the Tri-State.