2-faced. Democrats in the House and Senate want to have it both ways (and the media is letting them get away with it). Inslee supports his own $51.2 billion in tax hikes (as he himself admitted, it was easy because he only had to convince himself). The 48 Republicans in the House and the 25 members of the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus adamantly oppose Inslee’s tax hikes.
But Democrat legislators refuse to say where they stand on Inslee’s tax hikes. They have spending plans that assume $51.2 billion in higher taxes — $3000 for a family of 4 — but they haven’t voted for any of them.
So the Republicans in the Senate are scheduling floor votes to find out how many Democrats are willing to vote for Inslee’s tax hikes. Now they’re squealing like stuck pigs about it. They’re whining that it’s not fair, that it’s a stunt, that it’s premature.
Democrats are totally 2-faced: they want to buy a round of drinks for everyone in the bar but have no way to pay the tab.
Republicans have a tax plan that they’ve already voted off the floor of the senate. Their tax plan has a referendum clause which means they will only increase taxes if the voters agree — they are letting the voters decide.
The Senate Republicans are doing the right thing by forcing floor votes on Inslee’s tax bills. This session will never end until we know if the votes are there for tax hikes (if the votes AREN’T there, then the Legislature can start working on a budget that uses existing revenue). It’s put up or shut up time for the Democrats.
