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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans got what they so desperately needed early Saturday when an ugly process and a series of last-minute concessions put them within reach of a significant legislative victory in the form of major tax legislation. But it remained to be seen whether the result — a convoluted measure that would cut corporate taxes and have mixed benefits for individual taxpayers — will spare Republicans from an emerging political backlash that was evident in Democratic election victories around the country last month. Democrats said Republicans were sacrificing their core claim as the party of lower taxes for middle income Americans, while populist voters allied with President Trump may be unimpressed with deep cuts to the corporate tax rate, added protections for multimillion-dollar inheritances and other breaks for the rich. Still, after an epic failure in their efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act and little else of legislative note to show for their control of Congress and the White House, Republicans breathed a sigh of relief after they rounded up enough votes to approve the measure and send the Senate into final tax-cut negotiations with the House. The satisfaction was evident in the wide grin sported on Friday by Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader, as he prepared to celebrate on the floor with his colleagues — a stark reversal from his downcast demeanor when the bill momentarily teetered Thursday evening in ... Link to the full article to read more