There it is: "Let's Make a Deal: Obama Poised to Break Campaign Promise and Extend Tax Cuts"

[stevedeshazer]

In Exchange, Obama May Get Extension of Unemployment Benefits

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-poised-break-campaign-promise-extend-tax/story?id=12319088

President Obama appears poised to break one of his biggest campaign promises and agree to extend tax cuts to all Americans, not just those who make $250,000 or less, something Republicans have been demanding for months.

The payback for the president: he will get an extension of unemployment benefits.

"I think it's pretty clear now taxes are not going up on anybody in the middle of this recession. We're discussing how long we should maintain current tax rates," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said this morning on NBC's Meet the Press.

In exchange, McConnell said he could agree to an extension of jobless benefits as part of a tax cut package.

----

So, maybe a few billion in temporary unemployment benefits for $800 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy?

I didn't vote for this, dammit. Did you?

[BzaDem]

1. If he let middle class tax cuts expire, he would also be breaking one of his biggest promises. n/t

[stevedeshazer]

7. We'll get about 500 bucks. Bazillionaires get big bux, no sacrifice.

So, you're sticking up for this stickup?

Wow. How can you possibly defend it?

[leftstreet]

11. Hell, that wouldn't even pay for half a dental crown

:grr:

[ProSense]

13. This is pure media speculation

There is no deal yet. They're going to speculate until one is announced.

[BzaDem]

26. It's 310 billion per year. A family of 4 making 40k total would lose over 2500/year.

About a thousand difference due to the child tax credit, another 500 difference due to changes in the earned income tax credit, and about a thousand difference in tax owed before any credits. You should at least pretend to look at the facts.

The middle class tax cuts only are 310 billion per year would take 2-3% of GDP out of consumer demand. That would be very harmful to the economy at this point.

[Serial Mom]

43. Your facts were a little off..

What about the poor with no kids or those renting instead of owning a home? taken directly from barackobama.com

"Single Parent making $40,000 with two young children and childcare expenses. $2,100 (includes $500 making work pay; $500 universal mortgage credit, and $1,100 from Obama expansion of the child care tax credit)"

So really the cash tax savings is $500 for a SINGLE PARENT with 2 kids

[BzaDem]

49. I'm not sure why you pick a completely different example, and then claim my numbers for my example

are wrong.

But even in your example, you quote $2100 of savings and then you say its only $500.

[Serial Mom]

50. The savings are CREDIT for people with kids...

What if you are poor and don't have kids or a home and don't get CREDIT on your taxes for Child Care or Earned Income... then the tax savings to the poor are ONLY in what they receive in their weekly paychecks which amounts to approx.$500 a year.

[BzaDem]

52. Oh yeah, I don't disagree with you there. My examples were for families, not single adults.

I'm not sure how it is a good thing for families to have to pay 2k-2.5k/year more in taxes just because single adults only have to pay 500/year more.

[Serial Mom]

42. Exactly...

Poorer people KNOW how to get by with $500-600 less a year, so letting the tax cuts EXPIRE FOR ALL really wouldn't hurt... Obama is wrong on saying that the middle class has to keep these cuts... he must not remember how it was to be less fortunate and survive.

[Winterblues]

56. No he would not

He campaigned on giving the Middle class a substantial tax cut while repealing the Bush* tax cuts for the wealthy..Once all the Bush* tax cuts have expired Obama can then fulfill his campaign promise of instituting a middle class tax cut..Could be his first act of the new year...He NEVER ONCE said he would keep the Bush* tax cuts in place.. He said He would give Americans a middle class tax break not Bush*..

[neverforget]

62. Obama could introduce his own middle class tax cuts and have the Republicans vote

against them. There's more than one way to play politics.

[Catherina]

2. Nope. Rec'd n/t

[somone]

3. Yeah, it's a helluva deal that sensible Democrats should support

NOT

Just let the damn thing expire.

[ProSense]

4. That's some hefty spin.

His promise was about middle-class tax cuts.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

45. Here's some non-spin:

This tax policy is antithetical to progressive/liberal/left politics.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Shit.

He caves......AGAIN, and the Republicans walk all over him.

He even brought the barrel they now have him over.

:eyes:

[Owl]

10. +1

[FirstLight]

6. gah!

Is this a for sure deal? and how in the FUCK can he (Pres Obama) possibly allow himslef to be put over the barrel on these issues?

:banghead:fuckfuckfuckfuck!!!:nuke:

and how the HELL can unemployment be a fucking bargaining chip? isn;t that a given for chrissakes? (oh yea, not with the corps and banks owning the govt)

we are so fucking screwn i am so fucking pissed i could chew nails

[QC]

8. Shocking.

Well, not really.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. No. I am no longer what I voted for.....but it was not this...

So now the deficit will be lowered by taking food and clothing from the poor and the middle class. Just f**kin' wonderful..

What a load of crapola.

[stevedeshazer]

12. Somewhere in D.C., an olive forest has been clearcut and denuded.

The President couldn't possibly find more olive branches to extend.

[Jamastiene]

60. Yes he can.

He's pulling olive branches out of thin air at this point. I wouldn't be surprised no matter what he caves on at this point.

[Safetykitten]

14. I think the average person would be happy that the wealthy did not make out like bandits, even if

they themselves have no insurance extension.

The magnitude of the giveaway is staggering.

At least the government would get the cash from the wealthy.

[blueknight]

17. i told you guys

like it or not, we helped get a fucking republican elected. fool me once...

[BlueJazz]

30. Yep...how right you are. I think of all the work I did to help get this guy elected...

...and now, all I can think of is: "You Fucking Fool, you bought the crap hook, line and sinker"

[gateley]

18. In theory, yeah, but when you have not one single dollar in your wallet to feed

your kids... :shrug:

[Safetykitten]

23. The economy is not improving. It will be worse in the spring, then he can ram it down their throats.

By then maybe he will have bought a clue.

[hughee99]

15. On the upside, he's running out of promises to break. n/t

[CrispyQ]

66. Love your optimism!

Thanks, I needed a laugh today.

[gateley]

16. Even though I HATE this, there's no way he'd go for it without assurance of Unemployment

benefits extension. They'll gladly give that because it's a drop in the bucket compared with the taxes they won't have to be paying.

I don't know what I'd do in his position -- the most important thing is making sure those in need are helped, but it comes at a steep and bitter price. It should never have come to this.

[stevedeshazer]

19. This price is way too high.

$800+ bn versus maybe $8 bn or less in economic stimulus and relief for the unemployed.

Paying a hundred future bucks to get one is no bargain. Payday loan joints give better terms than that.

[ProSense]

21. It was going to come to this

The tax cuts are going to expire. That was decided in 2001. The President and most Americans do not want taxes on the middle class to go up. Senate Democrats need Republican votes. It was going to come to a compromise because the option to allow them to expire is not the President's goal.

That said, the deal has not been announced. Republicans don't care about the unemployed so Democrats have to do what they have to do to secure those benefits. People are not going to look upon Democrats kindly if benefits aren't extended soon.

That's the reality.

[olegramps]

44. Obama thanks you for your blind support.

[cascadiance]

54. And most of us will pay for the huge loss of revenue from the billionaire tax GIVEAWAYS later!

This is all part of the plan! They get their big giveaways. Less revenues coming in. We're in bigger debt! Then it will fuel the excuses of the Republican-lead House to do that much more cuts on programs that we all benefit from. So in effect we're cutting those parts of our livelihood to give away more money to these THIEVES! And Obama's letting in the foxes in to the hen house! Thank you FAKE Democrat! We need another candidate in 2012! Need to start today. I wanted Russ Feingold to run in 2008. Maybe now he'll no longer say he needs to stay in the Senate and run for us like he probably should have then!

[somone]

20. But Wait, There Is More

http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/1210/McConnell_wants_to_negotiate_with_Obama_on_deficit_commission_reccomendations.html

McConnell wants talks with Obama on deficit recommendations

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday that he’s prepared to meet with President Barack Obama to figure out which of the deficit commission recommendations could move through Congress...

[ProSense]

22. Wait

are people salivating over every ridiculous thing McConnell says now?

This is the guy who was whining that President Obama hasn't given him a one-on-one meeting in two years.

He's a clown.

[rug]

27. What do you call someone outwitted by a clown?

[olegramps]

46. Yes, inded they are all clowns and laughing their heads off at Obama.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. No. But, it's what I expected from a centrist professional politician.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ThinkerFeeler]

28. Did you see Glen Ford's article?

Concerning Obama, did you see Glen Ford's article Psycho-Babbling Obama? In it Ford explains why progressives should face the facts about Obama. “Rather than face the fact that Obama is not a friend of the people, leftish commentators insist on conducting a psychological analysis of the president. .... Still unwilling or unable to admit that they were “psyched out” by Barack Obama and his corporate handlers, Lefties search for psychological reasons that the First Black President has been such a disappointment. It’s the failure to fight thing, or the lack of vision thing, or the failure to communicate thing, they say. it isn’t that Obama has trouble conveying his vision, it’s that his actual vision is unacceptable to progressives.... As for his willingness to fight, Obama fought his own left wing, and “stomped their butts into the dirt” over his corporate health care plan."

Nor is it a failure to communicate. "Of all people, Barack Obama doesn’t need communications lessons."

I've given up on him.

[somone]

29. Good find

Thanks!

[Hydra]

31. Welcome to DU

And it's very simple. We even did it with Bush. It's far more palatable for some of us to think that Bush was stupid rather than evil.

It was also a very wrong assessment.

Everyone wants to cut President Obama slack. It's much easier than seeing the knife in all of our backs.

[Laelth]

48. A very sad +1 for the truth. n/t

-Laelth

[Bluebear]

32. He never campaigned on that if you were paying attention!

:cry:

Oh wait, he did.

[philly_bob]

33. Hold fire until he actually does it. (nt)

[Alcibiades]

41. Actually, that's the wrong approach

We need to raise hell about this before it's done, because it's too late to do anything about it after the fact.

[olegramps]

47. I would suggest that in the case of health care it wasn't a good strategy.

[Individualist]

34. Voted for torture Ford said it all last month...

"Yes, we can collaborate."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45020.html

Before some start playing their "shoot the messenger" game, they should know this article was referenced on DLC's website - http://www.dlc.org/

[tnlefty]

35. So Yertle the Turtle and his merry band of fuckheads

win again. The middle class is pretty much used to getting fucked over...it's more blatant now, but what the hell.

It's unemployment insurance, but again, what the hell, give the obscenely wealthy the whole damned country, oh wait...

[Toucano]

36. Oh, House of Representatives!

The duty falls on you to become the fly in the ointment.

[BzaDem]

39. Why? So the next Republican house can pass the tax cuts, but this time without unemployment? n/t

[Toucano]

40. Yep. n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. Come on, people...McConnell is negotiating in public

Each of his public statements is a private signal in the ongoing negotiations.

Why either ABC News or ordinarily savvy DUers would take them as anything other than McConnell trying to improve his negotiating position is beyond me.

[pipoman]

38. I'll bet the 'unemployment benefits extension'

is only a ruse...I think it is payback for the Michelle's 'ban on school bake sales' bill.

[AlinPA]

58. I don't think the republicans will allow the extension of UE Benefits. It is something

the President wants. They won't give him antything. Remember "No Compromise"?

[shawn703]

51. And they will expire in 2013 just so they can be a 2012 campaign issue

And it's an issue that won't help Obama, because he loses all credibility on the issue if he caves.

[disillusioned73]

53. Do the f'n math Dems...

if I didn't know that independents were for the most part low info. voters and my state didn't have closed primaries I'd be changing affiliation... :shrug: what to do

[Lorien]

55. So, 33 billion for the poor in exchange for 800 Billion for the uber rich

what a deal! :sarcasm:

Fuck you very much, Mr. President, and those friends of yours in the GOP! :grr:

[AlinPA]

57. What will happen when the republicans renege on the extension on UE Benefits

just before the vote?

[Jamastiene]

61. It'll still happen.

I've seen enough slight of hand in the last two years to now know when they are getting ready to pull another last minute magic trick to give the Republicans what they want.

I wish we could get actual progressives instead of this bunch of corporate lapdogs.

[Poboy]

59. the sell out continues.

[Dinger]

63. Do You think he Really Cares?

I don't.

[myrna minx]

65. Well, we officially know know who's side he's on.

:-(

[myrna minx]

64. I can't believe this is what I voted for.

:cry:

[CrispyQ]

67. "Tax cuts don't matter if you don't have a job."

Bumper sticker I sported on the back of my truck during the bush years. The more things change . . .