Democrats Gird for Tax-Relief Battle

[mfcorey1]

By JANET HOOK

Congressional Democrats, under pressure from their liberal wing, are preparing to put up a fight over tax relief for wealthier Americans before they agree to any compromise with Republicans that could extend the Bush-era breaks.

With the lame-duck Congress reconvening Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) may hold a vote mid-week on legislation that would extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts only for families with income less than $250,000, while allowing the upper brackets to expire.

But Senate Democrats are still divided over their party's endgame strategy. Some Democrats are ready to accept a temporary extension of all tax cuts. But there is also growing interest among other Democrats in a compromise that would keep them in place only for families with income up to $1 million. Administration officials, for their part, have opposed making upper-income tax cuts permanent, but are widely viewed as being willing to accept an extension of a year or two. Republicans are unified in opposition to allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to lapse for any income group.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703785704575643070454688564.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLETopStories

[WinkyDink]

1. "willing to accept an extension of a year or two": Newest definition of "pusillanimous."

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Appeasement is hard work

Requires a lot of girding.

[vi5]

3. It's not the appeasement that's difficult...

..that comes easy to them.

It's the Orwellian wordsmithing that is required to appease, while at the same time somehow try to message it as a victory and then figure out a way to get that message into fundraising letters telling us all about how they need our help in "the fight" against the republicans.

[FreakinDJ]

4. They will eventually raise Taxes on the Middle Class

Sure there will be some "Hub-bub" about extending the Tax Cuts for the wealthiest 1% of this country. The RATpubliCONs will echo the LIE "Tax Cuts for the Wealthy create jobs" even thou every reputable source and history has shown us other wise. But in the end the DEMs will cave in

Then the Cat Food Commission's recommendations will arrive and the 1st order of business will be to eliminate the tax deductions for Health Insurance

[Eddie Haskell]

5. Give em a KISS

The Republican plan is simple. It's a plan people can understand.

Lower taxes for the rich
Lower income for the rest of us

Why not use it against them?