What do you think will happen in the 2012 election if Obama extends the top 2% tax cuts

[coti]

and also cuts or plays around with Social Security benefits?

These both seem likely now. He has signaled he's open to the high-end tax cuts, and also seems on the hook for any recommendations the "Fiscal Responsibility" Commission makes.

Stealing from the poor to give to the rich....

[readmoreoften]

1. Absolute disaster.

Plan on your parents moving in with you. If you're older, plan on your kids moving in with you.

[madrchsod]

17. our kids are living with us...

our 36 yr old son just moved out and our 24 yr old daughter is moving back in...

[Dappleganger]

30. That's our new reality...

our 19 yr. old daughter is going to school and living at home, the next one up will do the same. Thank god they all have a place to stay, that's what we're here for but good grief...

[w8liftinglady]

31. same with my 20 year-old...and it's a squeaker,I'll tell ya

[Dappleganger]

33. We were just talking a few days ago...

about many of her friends who moved out right after they graduated and have already moved back home due to finances. There are a number of families in our 'hood with 3+ kids who are at home going to college or just working because it's so expensive. Thank goodness we have a big driveway, too! BTW, we have 4 kids ages 19, 17, 14 and 13.

Is yours going to school or working (or both)?

[EFerrari]

45. I read the other day that 85% of new college grads move back home

right now. Tough on a lot of families. :(

[TomCADem]

2. Well, We Are Going To Give The Republicans Who Insisted On Such Changes A Free Pass, Of Course

Duh!

[coti]

4. Why would he let that happen on the simple insistence of a bunch of corrupted

people?

[DesertFlower]

3. sigh.

[SoCalDem]

5. all the rich people will swoon & vote for him?

well..not so much

[the redcoat]

6. A left "tea party" type group will emerge

The difference: we'll be funded by facts, not corporations.

Yes, I said we. I'm including myself.

[Scuba]

15. Count me in.

[stillwaiting]

23. I'm im too. nt

[Naturyl]

29. In like Flynn

Sign me up and put me down for the T-shirt.

[FrenchieCat]

7. I guess what we can expect from you is endless speculative questions

in order to attack this President some more, based on what maybe might happen if he does this and that.

But folks here like that shit. They are their very own little pundits.

That's all we do these days, isn't it?

What if the President decides to raise the wage limit on Social security to keep it solvent,
and doesn't keep the Bush tax cuts....what then? How much time will you have wasted
talking about nothing, and doing nothing as well? While everyone responding to this thread
piling on to your imagination keeps themselves that much more mad that much longer.

Smells like reconstruction to me......
Give someone a chance at governing, but not really.

[Kablooie]

8. The Republicans will be so grateful they will want him re-elected, right?

:sarcasm: of course.

[Lasher]

9. In that case Obama will get primaried.

And it looks like that's going to be the case.

[lob1]

10. I heard today Obama says he'll be willing to compromise

with the republicans. Is this for real, or am I time-traveling again? I mean, it just can't be real.

[WVRICK13]

19. Oh Boy

like that is something new. Obama has been the best friend the Republicans have had in a long time. The Democrats compromise and the Republicans control the outcomes. The public wanted change not half assed compromises that were actually worse than scrapping the issues totally. Health care reform gave a few items but is so fractured it can be used to upset both liberals and conservatives. A population is mandated to purchase items from private industry, how is that progress? Everything that is broken is broken because we compromised. I think we saw how well that worked for us during this election.

[quinnox]

11. He will lose in a landslide and some Obama supporters will blame

either the Left, or say all America is stupid, or some other lame excuse. Above all, It won't be Obama's fault

[Individualist]

36. +1

[dkf]

12. The top 2% tax isn't nearly enough to fix the demographic challenges of social security.

Probably one way to help social security is to rescind the tax cuts for everyone.

[coti]

25. Of course it's not enough to fix it- the point is, one can't take money from poor people on the

reasoning that it will reduce the deficit and debt and at the same time make special arrangements for the rich to ensure that they DON'T pay their fair share.

Well, not without being completely morally bankrupt.

[bullwinkle428]

37. If they just lifted the income cap (somewhere around $104K now)

for SS tax, it would be solvent literally FOREVER!

SS solvency really doesn't have all that much to do with the income tax rates.

[rug]

13. People will vote for the real Republican.

[PADemD]

14. He will have a primary challenger.

[Pab Sungenis]

16. The Republicans will keep peddling the lie that he raised taxes

and he will lose. If he lets the top 2% tax cuts expire they will say that he raised taxes and he will lose.

[snappyturtle]

21. Sad that it comes down to a polical decision....obviously letting the tax cuts expire

would be best for the nation but the pesky 2012 election may get in the way.

[DailyGrind51]

18. We will have no reason to support his re-election.

[BzaDem]

20. If the top tax cuts get extended, it will only be for a year or so. He wouldn't make them permanent.

If he can get a deal where the Republicans pass a bill extending middle class tax cuts permanently but tax cuts for the top only temporarily, he'll probably take it.

[snappyturtle]

22. In the meantime the treasury loses beaucoup and the repubs will

get what they want and will continue planning how to keep the tax cuts for the next deadline. imho

[frylock]

24. and in two years, another extension

[coti]

27. Why wouldn't they get extended again, with Obama as President?

He's apparently afraid to say that only the middle-class tax cuts are acceptable. Would that change, for some reason? Would it work out differently two years down the road, when the Republicans play this very same card yet again?

[BzaDem]

32. It depends. If he can get a deal where the middle class tax cuts are extended permanently, but the

wealthy tax cuts extended only temporarily, he could just let the wealthy tax cuts expire without any danger to the middle class tax cuts.

I doubt Republicans would give him such a deal. But if they do, he will probably take it.

[coti]

35. Wouldn't the Republicans just come up with MORE middle-class tax cuts to intermingle

with their looting, next time around?

[Naturyl]

26. Game over

Welcome to One-Term Ranch, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.

[TheKentuckian]

28. He'll be blamed for blowing up the deficit and finally deservedly so

The whole thing should expire save the bottom rate.

[coti]

34. Kick nt

[gkhouston]

38. Why didn't you include murdering puppies on live television while you were at it?

:eyes:

[coti]

39. You don't think doing something like this could fairly be called a "dick move?"

Telling those with nothing or next to it that "we've all gotta make sacrifices right now," then turning around and giving millionaires and billionaires more money?

[gkhouston]

40. I think pushing RW talking points is a dick move.

Thus far, the President has said he's willing to discuss extending the tax cuts. He hasn't said he'll actually do it, and he hasn't said jack about cutting Social Security. You're condemning him for positions he has not yet committed himself to and then linking them to 2012. What's your rush?

[coti]

41. THIS is right wing? Fighting for the poor? Calling for the top 2% cuts to NOT be extended?

Pardon me, but exactly WHAT do you THINK "right-wing" means?


Unless something has drastically changed in politics, my arguments are about as left-wing as they come on these issues.

[gkhouston]

42. I don't have an issue with calling for them to not be extended. I don't want ANY

of the tax cuts to be extended because we can't afford any of them. I take issue with conflating his willingness to discuss the possibility into a commitment to cut Social Security and then tying that into speculation about the 2012 election. That's exactly the sort of crap the Republicans are floating right now.

If you're truly dissatisfied with the President's policies when the primary season rolls around, well and good. I just don't see a need to jump on the bandwagon this very instant.

[coti]

43. My approach is different. When he starts giving signals like this, I prefer to get ahead of him

on the issue, especially after the public option debacle where we trusted him too long and didn't make enough of a stink before he started making deals with the industry.

[TheWebHead]

44. taking less of someone's money is not stealing

if anyone in congress uses that language, it is harmful for their political viability. If government is going to take more of any income group's money, giving more of it to the growing group defined as poor (47%) who pay no federal income tax, they're probably going to have to explain what they're seriously going to do to handle our medium and long term deficits and that we're going to do something about defining liabilities for social security and medicare as life expectancy rises and innovation continues to drive up medical costs/successes. In many ways it's trying to keep our tax structure globally competitive while addressing our gigantic debt obligations, in contrast to faster growing, more capital friendly emerging market countries with better demographics. It's a very difficult path to navigate and there seems to be nuances both the left and right ignore.

[coti]

46. We're talking about taking money away from those on Social Security, not "taking less."

If you don't like the word "stealing," I suppose I could rephrase it as "Taking money from poor people to decrease the deficit and debt, while taking less from the rich in spite of the deficit and debt."

I don't think phrasing matters that much, the concept is the same- making the poor make due with less during hard times, while those who have more than enough get even more money.

[Raine]

47. He's done for nt

[B Calm]

48. It's past time to draw that line in the sand. He has to stand for the

working class or it's the end of the democratic party!