The Senate opened a rare weekend session Saturday to cast test votes on two Democratic tax-cut measures that were widely expected to fail.
But Senate Democrats, who are eager to create a contrast with Republicans over the Bush-era tax cuts, pushed for the doomed votes as it became clear that they would ultimately need to accept a deal that ran contrary to their campaign promises over the last 10 years.
Republicans have stood firm in insisting on an extension for all the Bush tax cuts, including for the wealthiest Americans, saying the economy was too fragile to raise taxes on anyone. And administration officials have spent the past week trying to break the impasse on Capitol Hill.
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