Reply #38: Don't buy it.

[JoePhilly]

First, the Republicans do not care about the unemployed at all. Period. And, most of the middle class doesn't really care either. What they wanted more than anything else was to keep their personal tax cuts. And anything else in there is only interesting to them if it effects their personal bottom line, today.

The Republicans would have simply let the tax cuts expire, and then push a new, even worse compromise bill through the GOP controlled House. The Dems in the Senate, now only a statistical majority, really a minority when we count blue dogs, would work out an even worse deal to pass in the Senate.

They would dare Obama to veto it, holding that pledges to not raises taxes on those under 250k again.

As for his expecting a quid pro quo ... ridiculous.

Obama doesn't expect the GOP to act any different today, than they did before he signed this bill. It is only folks on DU pushing that meme. Its a weak straw-man that doesn't stand.