On Saturday, the Senate held a rare session for what Republican Whip Jon Kyl called “a political catharsis on the Democratic side,” which amounted to holding show votes on two plans to allow taxes to go up in January for some Americans.

 Indeed, neither of the Democrat plans was able to garner 60 votes and both had bipartisan opposition. The first plan, offered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), would have raised taxes on Americans making over $250,000 per year. All Republicans and 5 Democrats voted against it. The second plan, offered by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and based mainly on “focus-group and polling data,” would have raised taxes on Americans making over $1 million per year. Again, all Republicans and 5 Democrats voted against it. In fact, according to The New York Times, even the White House opposed Schumer’s plan.

Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson also understood what was going on today. The NYT reports, “Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, who supports a temporary extension of the tax rates at all income levels, criticized his own party’s leaders for dithering. ‘The truth is, it’s widely believed that neither has the votes to pass,’ Mr. Nelson said of the two proposals Democrats are bringing to a vote. ‘When the dust settles Saturday we’ll probably see no tax cuts for any Americans.’ he said.”

 And it’s unfortunate that this is where Congress finds itself with less than a month to go before taxes go up on every American. Following the votes today, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell expressed his frustration with the political show put on by Democrats. “Today’s votes were an affront to the millions of Americans who are struggling to find work and a clear signal that Democrats in Congress still haven’t gotten the message of the November elections,” he said. “Two years of out-of-control spending and big-government policies have led to record deficits and debt, chronic unemployment, and deep uncertainty about our nation’s fiscal future. Meaningless show-votes and anti-business rhetoric won’t do anything to make the situation better.”

 Sen. McConnell concluded, “There is strong bipartisan opposition to these attempts to raise taxes on small businesses across the country. Americans don’t want political posturing; they want jobs. Today’s votes were the clearest signal yet that Democrats in Congress do not take our nation’s jobs crisis seriously.”

 It’s long past time for Democrats to get serious, stop playing political games, and work with Republicans to prevent taxes from going up on Americans in the midst of a recession come January.

Related:

Rasmussen Reports:

66% of Consumers & Investors Say U.S. Still in Recession

Americans Question Whether Extended Unemployment Benefits Do More Harm Than Good

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