From Alan Grayson To Kent Conrad, Many Ds I Respect Think This Is A Good Deal

[stopbush]

I've been really pissed about the Rs driving this tax cut debate, and I'm not happy about giving more $ to the mega rich.

But then I turn on the TV machine tonight, and many Ds are supporting Obama, Ds I respect like Grayson, who said this was as good a deal as BO was going to get.

Lawrence O'Donnell had a number of progressive economists on who said the same thing and who pointed out more than a few things Obama got in this bill that they would have never thought he could get.

Maybe the Rs were blinded by the tax cuts for the rich and accepted some major progressive things just to make sure their rich buds got their tax cuts.

I was for Obama making a stand. I was for letting all the tax cuts expire (easy for me to say - I have a job). But maybe Obama robbed the Rs of some of their thunder. After all, why didn't the Rs just let it all die, then come back next year and use their majority in the House to get er done? They could have painted the Ds as impossible to work with in the lame duck. They could have had bragging rights going into 2012 that they - not the Ds - cut taxes for everybody. Instead, they compromised with the illegitimate Kenyan!

They didn't do that because they knew that if the tax cuts expired they'd need to write all new legislation and go through the whole legislative process again, only this time, they'd need to meet a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

I need to see how this shakes out. My initial reaction was that we caved again. The commentary I've heard since has me questioning whether this was really the huge loss for the Ds that we all seem to think it is.

One thing I learned tonight - the two-year extension on the tax cuts for the rich will add $140B to the deficit, NOT $700-B.

[BzaDem]

1. Add Anthony Weiner and James Galbraith to the list.

Anthony Weiner said that there were many things in the package that he liked, and seemed to criticize the style (fight! etc) as opposed to the substance. Galbraith came right out and said it was a good deal, and much better than he expected.

All of this drama here does not reflect reality.

[ddeclue]

2. Sometimes you shouldn't make a deal. This is one of those times.

It's better to go down in flames rather than cave in on a point of principle.

[stopbush]

5. I'm for going down in flames politically if you can avoid dragging down the unemployed

in your auto da fe.

The Rs are heartless jerks. I don't like giving more $ to the mega rich, but Obama was facing a Hobson's choice with the Rs. It was tax cuts for the rich or nothing at all for everyone else.

Obama may have made a purse out of a sow's ear on this one. Not a silk purse, but a purse none the less.

[ddeclue]

8. no he didn't he caved in. The unemployed would rather have FDR who would fight for them.

[stopbush]

14. I was unemployed from last October until this April.

Without the $ I got on unemployment my family would have been on the streets.

Sorry, but were I unemployed right now, I would be happy to have my benefits continue, even if it meant that Bill Gates got another million dollar tax break.

BTW - do you have kids you're supporting? I doubt it. Are you unemployed right now? I doubt that too.

[catgirl]

16. So you're the spokesperson for the unemployed?

Obama DID fight for the unemployed! Duh.

[Cant trust em]

9. I think I'm going to start keeping a tally on all of the big ticket items around here.

I'm going to start polling to see if we should keep fighting and get nothing, or compromise and keep inching the ball forward.

It will be interesting to see where DU lies over time.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. They're wrong. They're all wrong. They're just wrong, ok?

They lack the clarity of insight, the purity of intent, the sheer rightness of DU.

Primary them all!

[bluestateguy]

4. Dick Grayson supports the deal?

If there is going to be a so-called liberal revolt in the House against this bill, it won't get off the ground without him.

[stopbush]

6. Trouble reading the topic line where Alan Grayson is identified by name?

Or do you think Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne represent Gotham City in the House?

[the redcoat]

7. Forget what others think. What do YOU think?

You have the power of the internet and DU to look up the positives and negatives of the tax cuts. You have no pressure from a political standpoint. Form your own opinion.

[stopbush]

15. As I said, I need to see how it shakes out.

[bbgrunt]

10. I preferred Ed's show to O'Donnell's.

[backscatter712]

11. It's about $200B of jury-rigged fiscal stimulus.

Granted, most of it is the $140B of tax cuts to the wealthy - that's not especially effective stimulus. The rich will just squirrel it away in their hedge funds, and the money won't be seen again until after Obama's term is up.

But the unemployment benefits and the payroll tax holiday will have more of an impact. Actually, unemployment benefits are one of the best fiscal stimuli to the economy - the bang for the buck is big!

Overall, it'll help. A little.

[Ramulux]

12. Alan Grayson does not think this is a good deal

He was just on the Ed show talking about how fucked up it is. I dont know where you get your information, I am guessing you just make it up. Wiener also said it was terrible and that we needed to fight on this issue.

[saracat]

13. Funny how some don't believe what they did this morning. That must have been some Christmas party!

Reminds me of the Kucinich plane ride on Air Force One. Pity the influence doesn't extend to the libersl agenda.

[sendero]

17. If we hadn't lost the house..

... we wouldn't have to settle for "the best deal we could get". Oh wait, this is probably what we would have gotten anyway, Obama probably thinks this is just fine.

Listen to the Republican hue and cry about the deficit and then let then get away with giving more money to people who don't need it. Great.

[TexasObserver]

18. When your lead fighter doesn't like to fight, this is what you get.

He's just not cut out to lead. It's really as simple as that.