DIVERGENCE

Not All Dems Stand With Obama

Some with seats at stake have a different approach to taxes.

Yesterday President Obama called on Congress to renew Bush-era tax cuts for just one year for Americans making under $250,000. He was expecting trouble from Republicans eager to keep the tax cuts for wealthiest Americans around forever, but he’s also getting some push-back from his own party. Embattled members of both the House and Senate, such as Sen. Claire McCaskill from Missouri, Senate hopeful Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Rep. Shelley Berkley of Nevada, say they’d either prefer to raise taxes on people making more than $1 million per year, or permanently extend the Bush-era cuts for anyone making less than that. This divergence exemplifies a group of Democrats who are more concerned with winning or preserving their seats in Congress than appeasing the president.