Senate Democrats Are Divided On President Obama's Cliff Proposal, Vote Would Highlight Deep Fractures Within Their Party

Divisions On Tax Rates: Dem Says $250,000 Limit Is 'Unacceptable'

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): "Sen. Schumer Expresses Reservations About President Obama's Tax Plan … Schumer said the $250,000 limit is unacceptable since it will hit the metropolitan area disproportionately because of the high cost of living here. '$250,000 makes you really rich in Mississippi but it doesn't make you rich at all in New York and there ought to be some kind of scale based on the cost of living on how much you pay,' Schumer said." ("Sen. Schumer Expresses Reservations About President Obama's Tax Plan," CBS New York, 9/19/11)

SEN. KAY HAGAN (D-NC) & SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): "…North Carolina's Kay Hagan and Louisiana's Mary Landrieu, say they aren't ready to commit to President Barack Obama's proposals for boosting tax revenue. Instead, Hagan isn't ruling out support for extending the George W. Bush-era tax cuts for top earners. Landrieu said she opposes eliminating tax breaks for oil companies." ("Red-State Senate Democrats May Be Hard To Corral On Cliff," Bloomberg, 11/19/12)

SEN. BILL NELSON (D-FL): "Sen. Bill Nelson's (D-FL) 'favored' position 'is to permanently extend the Bush-era tax cuts for those making less than' $1M, 'according to his office.'" ("Numbers Game: SEN Candidates Not In Agreement On Obama Tax Proposal," National Journal, 7/10/12)

SEN. JIM WEBB (D-VA): "Retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) is holding fast to his position that tax rates should not be raised on any income brackets… 'We shouldn't raise [rates] on ordinary income.'" ("Senate Dems Balk At Ending Bush-Era Tax Rates On Wealthy Without A Deficit Deal," The Hill, 6/19/12)

SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): "My druthers is to extend the tax cuts for everybody…" ("Senate Dems Balk At Ending Bush-Era Tax Rates On Wealthy Without A Deficit Deal," The Hill, 6/19/12)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (ID-CT): "Count Sen. Joe Lieberman as a 'no' on President Barack Obama's tax plan." ("Joe Lieberman To Oppose Obama Tax Plan," Politico, 7/11/12)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): "'I don't begrudge anybody and I'm not going to raise taxes, I'm going to collect what taxes are owed to this country,' he said." ("Manchin Meets With Dem Leaders," Parkersburg News And Sentinel [WV], 10/10/12)

Forty Current Senate Dems Voted To Extend All Tax Rates In 2010

40 Current Senate Democrats Voted To Extend Current Tax Rates In 2010: Akaka (D-HI), Baucus (D-MT), Begich (D-AK), Bennet (D-CO), Boxer (D-CA), Brown (D-OH), Cantwell (D-WA), Cardin (D-MD), Carper (D-DE), Casey (D-PA), Conrad (D-ND), Coons (D-DE), Durbin (D-IL), Feinstein (D-CA), Franken (D-MN), Inouye (D-HI), Johnson (D-SD), Kerry (D-MA), Klobuchar (D-MN), Kohl (D-WI), Landrieu (D-LA), Lieberman (ID-CT), Manchin (D-WV), McCaskill (D-MO), Menendez (D-NJ), Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Nelson (D-FL), Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Reed (D-RI), Reid (D-NV), Rockefeller (D-WV), Schumer (D-NY), Shaheen (D-NH), Stabenow (D-MI), Tester (D-MT), Warner (D-VA), Webb (D-VA), Whitehouse (D-RI). (H.R. 4853, Roll Call Vote #276, Motion Agreed To 81-19: R 36-5, D 44-13, I 1-1, 12/15/10)

Divisions On Death Tax: Dem Says 'There Is No Way, No Way'

"…a notable handful of Democratic colleagues, parts ways with the White House on one increasingly thorny issue: the president's call to raise the estate tax…" ("Plan To Raise Estate Tax Divides Democrats," The Wall Street Journal, 12/1/12)

• "…Senate Democrats feel 'very, very strongly' that the rate should remain at 35%" ("Plan To Raise Estate Tax Divides Democrats," The Wall Street Journal, 12/1/12)

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): "'This particular tax is inherently unfair,' Ms. Landrieu said, adding that she would oppose any year-end deficit-reduction package that raises the estate tax. 'That's a make-or-break for me.'" ("Plan To Raise Estate Tax Divides Democrats," The Wall Street Journal, 12/1/12)

SEN. MARK PRYOR (D-AR): "I really don't think we should change the estate tax." ("Plan To Raise Estate Tax Divides Democrats," The Wall Street Journal, 12/1/12)

SEN. KAY HAGAN (D-NC): "Sen. Kay Hagan spoke to the North Carolina Farm Bureau meeting in Greensboro. … 'I understand the issue with the estate tax. I know that it affects you tremendously,' Hagan told the crowd. 'I am definitely concerned about this and there is no way, no way we can let that estate tax revert back to $1 million…'"
("Hagan Gets Her Wish On The Estate Tax," Greensboro News And Record [NC], 12/6/10)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): "…Baucus is working to preserve a reduction in estate taxes that exempts the first $5 million of an estate's value for individuals and taxes the remainder at 35 percent..." ("Baucus Pushes For Rural Priorities In Face Of 'Fiscal Cliff,'" Great Falls Tribune [MT], 11/25/11)

• "A spokesman for Baucus - the Senate's top tax law writer - said he will seek as much estate tax 'relief' as he can get." ("Obama Estate Tax Push Undercut By Discord Among Democrats," Huffington Post, 11/30/12)

Divisions On Energy Tax: Dem Calls Them 'A Non-Starter'

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): 'not going to fly' "'That offset is not going to fly, and he should know that,' said Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu from the energy-producing Louisiana, referring to Obama's elimination of oil and gas subsidies." ("Hill Dems Pick Apart Obama Jobs Plan," Politico, 9/14/11)

SEN. MARK BEGICH (D-AK): 'a non-starter' "The president's call for eliminating incentives for oil and gas production is a non-starter and could hurt Alaska's energy industry." (Sen. Begich, Newsletter, 2/10/11)

FEBRUARY: Sens. Begich, Bingaman, Conrad, Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Pryor, and Webb voted against the Levin amendment. (S.Amdt.28 To S.223, CQ Vote #7; Amendment Rejected 44-54: R 0-48; D 42-7; I 1-0, Begich, Bingaman, Conrad, Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Pryor, & Webb Voted Nay, 2/2/11)

• "Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) offered another amendment to repeal the [1099] provision but paid for it by issuing new taxes on oil..." ("Senate Repeals Part Of Health Care Law," Politico, 2/2/11)

MAY: Sens. Begich, Landrieu, and Ben Nelson voted against the S.940: "A bill to reduce the Federal budget deficit by closing big oil tax loopholes, and for other purposes." (S.940, Motion To Proceed Rejected 52-48: R 2-45; D 48-3; I 2-0, 5/17/11)