Are Blue Dogs still blocking the AMT patch? Looks that way.

[madfloridian]

Max Baucus lights into them about it. I thought it was done already.

Baucus confronts Blue Dogs

Don't ever let it be said that Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) wasn't realistic about how Congress intends to pay to prevent millions of Americans from getting hit with the alternative minimum tax next year. (Here's a hint: It doesn't.) But the House Blue Dogs are pushing for offsets, which forced House leaders to pass their version of the bill last month without the so-called AMT patch.

(Senate Republicans blocked Baucus' efforts to move the AMT patch through the upper chamber Tuesday, but all sides consider the patch to be must-pass legislation this year.)

Speaking Tuesday morning at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, Baucus announced that he has no intention of finding offsets for the AMT patch, and he added a short plea to the Blue Dogs to abandon their fiscal conservatism for the sake of legislative expedition:

"They want to, ostensibly, pay for it, but frankly it's just kabuki. We all know it's not going to be paid for, so why go through all the motions, in my judgment. Let's just get on with it."

Also they are willing to fund the war forever, but won't fund veterans' education with proof they will find the funds. I call that hypocrisy.

[Lasher]

1. The expansion of the AMT was intended by Congress to make the Bush tax cuts more affordable.

If we now believe the expansion was not such a good idea, why don't we revisit the Bush tax cuts?

OK, rhetorical question. Maybe next year.