President Obama Will Seek to Reduce Taxes for Middle Class

[SunSeeker]

141. It is not false. I did Google it. Kennedy did not have a "placeholder."

Dems didn't make Lieberman a douchebag--he was born that way. Kennedy's decline was sudden, after he initially responded to treatment. Dems did not hatch some nefarious plot not appoint a "placeholder" just to subvert their own agenda. If you are going to present such paranoid conspiracy theories, post supporting links.

Lieberman would never have voted for this tax increase. 

It is NOT false that there were only 24 working days of a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. Here is a summary: 

1. 1/07 – 12/08 – 51-49 – Ordinary Majority. 
2. 1/09 – 7/14/09 – 59-41 – Ordinary Majority. (Coleman/Franklin Recount.) 
3. 7/09 – 8/09 – 60-40 – Technical Super Majority, but since Kennedy is unable to vote, the Democrats can’t overcome a filibuster 
4. 8/09 – 9/09 – 59-40 – Ordinary Majority. (Kennedy dies) 
5. 9/09 – 10/09 – 60-40 – Super Majority for 11 working days. 
6. 1/10 – 2/10 – 60-40 – Super Majority for 13 working days 

Total Time of the Democratic Super Majority: 24 Working days. 

http://mauidemocrats.org/wp/?p=2442 

Obama already passed middle class tax cuts. This is not the most liberal thing he has ever done. The right decried his stimulus package and the auto bailout as outright socialism. Obama pushed those through during the precious few days he had a filibuster proof majority. This latest initiative is being brought now because we have such strong growth now, yet the increases in wealth is going to the 1%. This addresses that income inequality, that is why the package includes the proposal to raise $320 billion over the next 10 years in new taxes targeting wealthy individuals and big financial institutions to pay for new programs designed to help lower- and middle-income families. The Washington Post did a much better job of laying out the proposal than the OP's link: 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-likely-to-make-economic-recovery-a-centerpiece-of-state-of-the-union-address/2015/01/17/22ecec32-9cd6-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html?hpid=z1 

Obama could not propose such a tax increase and stock trade tax when we were in the depths of the recession and the stock market was cratering--and that was when he had those 24 days. He correctly used those days to address what was most urgently needed--to stabilize the economy and stop the massive job losses. The stimulus package and auto bailout did that.

Of course this tax proposal will hit a Republican brick wall, but I think he is doing this to stake a position that Dems can then carry into 2016. As the Washington Post notes at the above link: 

The economic recovery has freed the president to push for more ambitious domestic policies, many designed to help those in the poor and middle class who are still lagging behind. In the past week alone, Obama has announced new proposals on paid sick leave, free community college tuition and expanded broadband access. And while he might have trouble pushing those through the GOP-controlled Congress, Obama could still end up defining key issues for the elections in 2016.