I dunno. This sounds like caving to me.

[stevedeshazer]

Or cratering.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/us/politics/06cong.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

WASHINGTON — White House officials and Congressional Republicans said Sunday they were closing in on a deal to temporarily continue the Bush-era tax cuts at all income levels, while bitterly frustrated Democratic Congressional leaders began exploring whether they would have the votes for such a package.

A day after the Senate rejected President Obama’s preferred tax plan, officials said the broad contours of a compromise were in focus.

Rather than extending the tax rates only on income described by Democrats as middle class — up to $250,000 a year for couples and $200,000 for individuals — the deal would also keep the rates for higher earners, probably for two years. In return, Republicans said they would probably agree to extend jobless aid for the long-term unemployed.

Senior Democrats on Sunday said that they were resigned to defeat in the highly charged tax debate, and they voiced dismay.

“We’re moving in that direction,” Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat said dejectedly when Bob Schieffer, host of “Face the Nation” on CBS, asked him if the 2001 and 2003 tax rates would be extended even for the wealthy. “And we’re only moving there against my judgment,” Mr. Durbin added.

------

Perhaps a strongly worded letter is in order from the Democratic leadership in the Senate.

Jeez, could they possibly be more weak??

[villager]

1. The Democrats are pretty much entirely useless as a political party

n/t

[Catherina]

10. It's kind of hard to live up to your self-description

as an opposition party if you don't actually oppose anything.

[thunder rising]

12. Opposition .. hell we we are the majority.

[rhett o rick]

15. "We" who? Who is in the majority? Not representatives of the middle class.

The ruling class is in the majority. Some are called republicans and some are called Democrats.

[rhett o rick]

13. You couldnt be more wrong.

They are providing a very necessary function. Without their token resistance, people might think we lived in tyranny.

[leftstreet]

17. Useless?! Hell, the Republicans could NEVER have pulled this shit off!

:grr:

[JDPriestly]

2. Could they possibly be more weak?

No. And the Republican arguments are nonsensical. Ask Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.

[ProSense]

3. Well, no one can accuse the media of milking a talking point

Sunday shows make for great all-day spin.

Wish more of them would spotlight the points Kerry made, but those don't fit the meme.

[stevedeshazer]

11. I watched the segment with John Kerry. I thought he was great.

Unfortunately, he's not the President.

He should be in his second term right now.

But, he quit, too.

[politicasista]

36. He didn't quit being a liberal, progressive, senator doing real work

He's great, but he quit? LOL! :rofl: Thanks for letting McAwful and Democrats off the hook.

[politicasista]

37. They're too busy screaming at him and holding on to 2004

It doesn't matter. The Kerry haters will still complain, that he did good, but ________________. Same with Obama everyday.

[Skittles]

4. they're "dismayed", Steve!!!

it's all, er, "against their judgement". Sound like REAL FIGHTERS, don't they? :rofl:

[napi21]

5. At this point they have no choice. If they stand tough and say no to

lettig the rich get their tax cuts they lose the opportunity to get unemployment extended for millionns of people. If it weren't for those people, I'd be all for saying let all the damn Shrub cuts expire, but we really can't do hat to them. When the new congress convenes in Jan. Boner won't even propose anything for the unemployed or the middle class, and whatever they would propose would most likely be worse than the expired ones. They really should have had this fight months ago.

[Skittles]

9. they're always a day late and a dollar short

*FAIL*

[thunder rising]

14. Stand strong and the PEOPLE WILL stand with you. If you suck nobody like you.. EVER

[wtmusic]

20. It's a bluff, and the Republicans just have bigger cojones.

Boner's up for reelection in 2012 too, and there are quite a few Ohioans out of work.

Once, just once, Democrats should stick to their guns.

[napi21]

25. Boner doesn't GAS about the unemployed in his district. I'll tell you,

I was a buyer for a large co. for quite a few years and negotiating is quite tricky. When you set your bottom line you have to be willing to lose the deal. Granted, it's coming down to who is willing tolose...the Pubs or the Dems. Remember, the Dems have more to lose in this battle. If they refuse to agree the unemployed get nothing and the Pubs only go bac to the tax es of the Clinton years. It's not an easy decision. I sure wouldn't want to have to make it.

[wtmusic]

26. Studies have shown that if a party enters negotiations with demands

which are unrealistically high the results are better, on average, than coming in with a "reasonable" offer.

No, it's not an easy decision but one that has to be made. Clinton balanced the budget, ferchrissakes...all that's missing here is a massive PR assault and some will.

[treestar]

34. True, how is it "caving" unless you hold all the cards?

All of these caving posts presume that the votes are there for all of it.

[politicasista]

+1 n/t

[Subdivisions]

6. That's it. I'm looking for a way out of the Democratic Party, which I have

been a member of for my entire voting life.

[leftstreet]

7. The Ruling Class Emergency Asset Protection and Relief Bill

K&R

[tabatha]

8. They don't have the votes.

They don't have the votes because they don't have the message.
They don't have the message because they allow the RW Noise machine to feed the voters nonsense.
Big FAIL.

[thunder rising]

16. Then let the Bush cuts expire .. at least they could do nothing when they need to.

[tabatha]

19. But a lot of unemployed people are going to

become homeless or worse.

[Winterblues]

27. Why are they unemployed?

If the Bush* tax cuts for the wealthy are so damn good they would not be unemployed. If we keep those same tax cuts for the wealthy there are going to be a lot more unemployed than there are now...You don't fight a cold by shooting your self in the head with a bullet.

[tabatha]

29. I agree with you.

And they are also unemployed because companies are sitting on vast amounts of cash and are not hiring, thus blackmailing the administration. I do not know hoe we are going to get out of this.

[rhett o rick]

18. This is a class war, not a war between Demo's and Repukes.

Most, if not all, of Congress-critters belong to the ruling class. Why should we expect them to represent the middle class when they are members of the opposition class.

[somone]

24. Yes, it is a class war

And that's the only logically consistent way to view this fiasco.

[rhett o rick]

35. And our president just gave the other side $800 billion of our money. nm

[aquart]

21. Sunset!

[stevedeshazer]

22. That's all I ever wanted.

Sunset.

[pa28]

23. Republicans would "probably agree"?

Maybe they are going to push for some additional corporate or capital gains cuts to finalize the deal.

You can't really blame a shark for being pushy when you've already thrown half your own blood in the water can you?

[Bluebear]

28. Yup, that's what we got for caving in on this. A "probably"!

[Buns_of_Fire]

30. "Probably agree" = "It's a done deal, don't sweat it"

I wish I'd gone ahead and gotten my real estate license several years ago. I could've made MY fortune selling prime waterfront property -- located just a half-mile offshore from Ft. Lauderdale -- to these people.

[LeFleur1]

32. If They Are Going to Make This Mistake

Why don't they at least have something in the bill that requires those making over blah blah to contribute jobs to the US. Why don't they tax those who have moved their jobs out of the country? If they want a tax break they can bring the jobs home and forget about that third Corvette for their kid.

If this blackmail procedure by the Republicans is successful I'm through with the Democratic Party. In 2012 I'll write in the name of my neighbor's yellow dog. He's loyal to the neighborhood, he appears to know the difference between right and wrong, and he's a fighter.

We have been betrayed.

[Enrique]

31. so is Durbin going to filibuster it?

IL DUers, please call him and ask him.

[DainBramaged]

33. Republicans said they would probably agree

MEANS NO, BUT THE aDMINISTRATIN DOESN'T GET IT

[kgnu_fan]

38. That is why we need to break from two party system, how many time do I have to say it?