Jon Kyl

Sen.


The top Republican vote counter in the Senate says extending the expiring payroll tax holiday is a terrible idea and he’ll only do it if Democrats agree to major concessions — in particular, simultaneously extending all the Bush tax cuts, which are scheduled to expire just over a year from now.

On the Senate floor Monday, Sen. Jon Kyl argued that reducing the payroll tax doesn’t stimulate the economy — a claim most economists disagree with — and criticized the Democrats’ plan to offset the cost of the tax holiday with a small surtax on millionaires.

We should therefore only do it under circumstances that in effect override these objections, one of which would be to extend all of the taxes that expire at the end of next year — at the end of 2012,” Kyl said. hat would be a good idea.

That would be more hostage taking, further than any other GOP leadership figure has been willing to go. Probably because most of them at least have a inkling of how hugely unpopular that position would be. This isn't really the best political climate for extortion of the 99 percent on behalf of the 1 percent.