Let's (take) a (tax cut) deal

[Proud Liberal Dem]

There was, of course, no bigger story this past week than the agreement reached between President Obama and Congressional Republicans regarding the soon-to-expire tax cuts previously passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Bush in 2003. The tentative agreement essentially preserves tax cuts for all income levels and also extends unemployment benefits that will be lapsing soon as well. Needless to say, the plan has not been met with much enthusiasm let alone friendliness by many Congressional Democrats and progressives. In fact, it has caused uproar among Congressional Democrats and the larger progressive community the likes of which hasn’t really been seen during this Congress. On Thursday, the House, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), responded to the plan by passing a resolution refusing to support the plan its current form and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took to the Senate floor, accompanied by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), yesterday for several hours to condemn the plan. The larger progressive community has been outraged as well, probably even more so than congressional Democrats. Many progressives are accusing President Obama of “betrayal” and/or “caving” to the Republicans with some even going so far as publicly calling for an as-yet-unidentified progressive Democrat to challenge President Obama for the nomination in 2012 on the hope that a more progressive candidate either gets nominated for President or helps pull President Obama more to the left and away from what many progressives see as his general rightward ideological bend.
I have been and continue to be a staunch supporter of President Obama and I personally believe that he did not make the decision to accept this agreement lightly. I also do not believe that his decision to accept this plan constitutes a “cave-in” as so many people on the left are characterizing it because he did manage to get some good things included in the package, not the least of which was an extension of unemployment benefits for those whom need it. The fact that there are even a few on the right whom are also unhappy with the overall package (albeit for different reasons) makes me feel that this was more of a genuine compromise than an outright capitulation. The White House has made the argument that we may even be getting more out of the package than the right is. Such assurances, however, have done very little to encourage Congressional Democrats and progressives to get behind the plan the way they ultimately got behind the final health care reform legislation........

More at: http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-indianapolis/let-s-take-a-tax-cut-deal

[elleng]

1. Agree.

'any new plans that come out of the next Congress, which will be full of anti-government “Tea Party” members, are going to arguably be far worse and that this is realistically going to be the last chance during the next two years (at least) for President Obama and the Democrats to have any real say in and/or ownership of a package.'

[Number23]

2. I've seen several reports asking why the REPUBLICANS caved so much on this issue

So the howling from "liberals" over this makes even less sense than usual.

[elleng]

3. Right, and it does, indeed, suggest a real COMPROMISE!!!