Obama's "Read my Lips" moment

[letterwriter]

Politically Obama extending the Bush tax cuts is equivalent to Daddy Bush's "Read my Lips" moment. This issue was the centerpiece of what Obama stood for.

[FrenchieCat]

1. The issue was NOT raising taxes on the Middle Class......

That was his promise......

He's kept it thus far.

[uponit7771]

4. FUCK FACTS!!!! /sarcasm

[Angry Dragon]

11. Just wait and see how the states fare with this mess

[nashville_brook]

19. wow. that's rich.

[FrenchieCat]

21. no...it's just true.

[nashville_brook]

22. actually, FC, it's not true. Obama's campaign CENTERPIECE was no tax cuts for this upper percentiles

repeatedly. over and over again. it was a talking point, and a talking is called a talking point b/c it gets said repeatedly, and in over and over again so that there's no way on gods green earth that it will ever be forgotten which makes it extra difficult to "manage reality" at this point in time.

but, big points for heart. no one can say you don't "believe."

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Funny--that exact thought crossed my mind.

[letterwriter]

7. Great minds

think alike

[uponit7771]

3. Bushs raising of taxes was permanent Obama's isn't, I don't blame him KKKons would make sure the...

...economy falls down before they give him anything.

Now they have nothing to run on regarding budget sense they voted to increase debt and deficits by handing the wealthy their tax cuts.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Yes, Obama assured us he'll fight for this in two years

I feel better.

[uponit7771]

15. I don't, but it was the best of two worst choices. I'm not going to win a fight against Mike Tyson

...and it would be a waste of my time to try

[Jackpine Radical]

10. That's weak.

With all the money and media they have behind them, they can pushe whatever story they want and the public will suck it up. They can claim that the tax cuts were intended to create jobs but the unemployment benefits ran up the deficit so far that all the businesses got scared, so it was all Obama's fault for extending the dole to those lazy fuckers.

Things don't have to be true. They just have to be repeated.

[aquart]

14. Nothing so permanent as a temporary tax.

So pull the other one, kiddo.

[nashville_brook]

20. this spin is so lame it's fallen and can't get up.

[jefferson_dem]

5. Actually, he ran on the pledge to NOT raise taxes on anyone who earns less than $250k per year.

If the cuts are not extended, those rates would go up. Even though it wouldn't be his fault, rest assured the Repuglican bastards would try to drape that around his neck like an electoral albatross.

[BzaDem]

6. Actually, one of Obama's central campaign promises was that middle class taxes wouldn't rise by one

penny.

Of course, that promise is conveniently not mentioned.

[griffi94]

9. yeah i think that may be right

he really made a big deal out of not extending the taxcuts for the top 2%. so now he either looks weak, or like a liar, or both.

[bluestate10]

16. You touched on the central aspect of the problem.

If our General is not going to do anything but retreat, democratic senators and House members must draw a hard line and not bulge one inch from it. Let blue dogs vote however they will, republicans in the Senate showed us that first 40, then 41 senators could stop progress dead in it's tracks. Now it's time for democratic senators to turn the tables and stop the regressive legislation that will come out of the republican controlled House dead in it's tracks. President Obama has chosen to make himself irrelevant in this fight by not standing up for core values that are important to his party, even if he got defeated by the Legislature while trying. House members must force republican House members that won in blue states into votes that if they go with their leaders on, will endanger their reelection in 2012. House members must paint legislation in the starkest terms and keep pounding consistent sound bites until every citizen know them buy hard. If our Legislators succeed as they certainly can, we will have a hard fighting democrat at the Presidential level leading us in 2016.

[Scurrilous]

12. ROFL

:spray:

[gateley]

13. Except Bush had to come before the people and raise taxes admitting he didn't

know how bad it really was until he got into office. I gave that to him and as a matter of fact I often use that as an example of how I think most people who win the Presidency walk in the door and go = Holy Shit -- I had no idea!

This, even though I'm still an Obama supporter, is something he could and should have dealt with far earlier, he knew it was coming.

[quinnox]

17. It goes to his credibility, as the reporters repeatedly pointed out

When he said during his campaign, and also in recent months, how he was dead set against giving the rich the tax cuts. Now he reversed himself by doing this deal.

If he is willing to bend like this, whats to keep people from believing anything he promises in the next campaign? Further, how can people trust anything he says if the political realities will "force" him to do the opposite?

Obama never really addressed the question.

[Ozymanithrax]

18. It is not the middle class tax cuts that count...

It is not the 13 months of unemployment benefits...
It is not the holiday on payroll taxes that goes directly to the working poor and middle class...
It is not the other parts of the agreement that, if passed, will do some good things.

It is the compromise of a bribe to the wealthy that made it possible.

Back when Pappi Bush made his no new taxes pledge, he did not dream he would face raising the debt ceiling. In those days, raising he debt limit was considered anathema, so he raised taxes to bring the budget back in control and was never forgiven.

Since then, no one blinks at raising the debt ceiling.

Right now the left refuses to compromise. There is a strong belief from Olberman and Rachel, to Bernie, to a majority here at DU, if he just stood firm Republicans would have buckled and given him everything he wants. It dosen't matter whether that is the truth.