How much worse can the tax cut deal get?

[Lorien]

GOP-style deal-making: Unemployment benefits must be paid for, but handouts to the rich are free

President Obama's negotiators, we are told, are seeking a one-year extension of unemployment benefits in return for keeping all the Bush tax cuts in place.

Put aside, for the moment, any ire you might feel bubbling over at the notion that extending benefits should be part of any kind of "deal" in the first place. As Friday's jobs report, with its distressing numbers on the plight of the long-term unemployed, underlined all too clearly, extending benefits is simply the right thing to do right now. Not only is it fundamentally humane, but it makes for excellent bang-for-the-buck stimulus spending. Unlike wealthy Americans who are likely to put their tax cuts in the bank, unemployed Americans tend to spend their benefit checks immediately. A political party that controls the White House and both branches of Congress shouldn't be "negotiating" over this kind of policy action -- it should just do it.

More: http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/index.html

[tabatha]

1. If that is so, Obama will not be reelected.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. "I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further!"

Republicans=Darth Vader
President Obama/Democrats=Lando Calrissian

:eyes:

That's what this whole reminds me of. Of course, Lando and his team pulled one over on Vader at the end............

[donco]

3. If the tax cuts get kicked down the road

I look for Hillary to resign her job as SOS and start campaigning for 2012.

[eridani]

4. Really? Her economic agenda is no different from Obama's n/t

[donco]

5. Really?

Of course I thought I knew his but its turned out that I didn’t.

[eridani]

6. All you have to do is look at contributions from banksters

Both Obama and Clinton got more than McCain, even.

[awoke_in_2003]

8. no doubt...

and both match Bill's.

[beforeyoureyes]

7. Great analysis. Obama is a corporate front man for the 'good cop' party

...side of the one party/two headed coin...

Republicans get to openly work for the corporate leeches. Dems have a tougher job of trying to appease a base who can't fathom why they keep getting sold out by the party leadership...

[Laelth]

9. Imajika, in another thread, says what we're seeing now is all theater.

Imajika argues that the deal has already been made, and this is what it will be:

this is all theater and everyone who understands the situation already knows that Obama is going to agree to extend the Bush tax cuts for at least 2 years. He will get his own tax cuts and business credits extended and the Republicans will go along with the a UI extension for probably 1 year.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9689428#9690342

Evidently, that's how bad the tax deal will get. fwiw

-Laelth