Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.) argued many Senate Democrats will have "major heartburn" over the level of tax increases currently being proposed by the president, in an interview with Fox News Thursday.
Thune noted that while Senate Democrats could push through a plan similar to the president's, he doubts there is even enough support among Senate Democrats to pass such legislation:
BILL HEMMER: To your point, it showed a greater majority of people we polled said if you give Washington more money they will spend it and not pay down the deficit. Getting back to what Speaker Boehner says, $1.4 trillion in revenue can't pass the House or Senate right now. Democrats control the Senate. Is that true?
JOHN THUNE: It's possible with a Democratic majority in the Senate they might get something like that through. There are a lot of Democrats in the United States Senate who will have major heartburn over level of tax increases being talked about and the people they will hit. You're talking about raising taxes on nearly a million small businesses who employ 25 percent of the American workforce. Millions of middle-class Americans and their families whose bosses, whose employers would be impacted by these higher taxes. There will be a lot of problems with a number that high. No way it will pass the House of Representatives. It certainly wouldn't get any Republican support in the Senate. I doubt there would be enough Democrats to pass it either.
Full interview: