Congress needs to act before the end of the year.

[ProSense]

Democrats could have held the tax cut vote prior to the election. The House rejected that strategy. Now, it's time to deal, and the best they can do is be upset by the deal.

Not holding the vote before the election was likely a fine strategy for the House because, after the election, they did pass the middle-class tax cuts only.

The problem is that before the bill goes to the President, it has to pass the Senate, which last Saturday was unable to pass the middle-class tax cut only (four Democrats voted against. Even when they raised the threshold to $1 million it failed with five Democrats voting against it.

A better strategy, if they wanted a deal at this late stage, would have been to try to identify what a better deal would look like to gain the votes needed in the Senate.

So Congress has to either negotiate a better deal now or later.

Later, means the deal will be negotiated by Republicans. They will not need a single Democratic vote in the House, and there will be five more Republicans in the Senate.

They will ensure that all the things that are currently being held hostage by them are still held hostage in the next Congress.

They will negotiate a deal that includes more tax cuts for the rich, middle class tax cuts, a lesser deal for the unemployed and none of the stimulus provisions.

The President will have to sign or veto a bill with relief for the middle class and unemployed. It's unlikely that the GOP will change their package to accommodate the President and Democrats when they are the majority in the House.

Republicans are assholes, and they are not going to act otherwise. This is not shut the government down, this is about tax cuts for the middle class and stimulus provisions. Any package that Republicans negotiate will be accepted by Americans as "the best we can do," especially when they are calling the shots in Congress.

The Democratic Congress needs to make the deal better now because it's unlikely to get better in the next Congress.

[dennis4868]

1. And remember...

the WH begged the house/senate to vote on middle class tax cuts only before the election but they were wimps and did not vote at all....now they leave a mess for Obama to clean up with not much time on the clock and no timeouts left.

[DURHAM D]

2. "The Deal" in total SUCKS - end of story. nt

[ProSense]

3. Do you think the deal the Republicans negotiate is going to be wonderful? n/t

[DURHAM D]

5. At least the Fuck You will be from our known enemy.

I have no idea who that guy is who is in the WH.

[ProSense]

7. Yes, because the goal is

to give Republicans the opportunity to say "Fuck You" to Americans while still achieving tax cuts for the rich.

[ClassWarrior]

11. And this stinkhole of a deal is going to stop them from doing that?

:rofl:

Come back to reality, Mark...

NGU.

[ProSense]

14. Which deal do you think

will be better: the one negotiated now or the one negotiated next Congress?

[ClassWarrior]

15. The point is, we have the time to try to force a better deal. And no matter what...

...we do now, they're going to do whatever the fuck they want after Jan. 1 anyway. So we might as well stand up for a great deal, and let the Republicons tear it down. Then we've done our due diligence.

NGU.

[ProSense]

19. "they're going to do whatever the fuck they want after Jan. 1 anyway"

If a deal is signed into law, they can do whatever they want when they take over because it will not impact the deal in place.

[ClassWarrior]

20. Are you really that naive, Mark?

NGU.

[ProSense]

21. What are you thinking

that with a deal in place there will be a need on the part of Democrats to override it?

Republicans would love to get their hands on full control of negotiating the deal.

[Gothmog]

24. Dems will still control Senate and White House

The House repugs can whine all they want but will not be able to change the deal without the Senate and overcoming a veto

[ProSense]

25. So you

envision Senate Democrats blocking the bill? How does that get unemployment passed? Do you think Republicans would relish watching Democrats repeatedly block middle-class tax cuts and unemployment benefits?

A hunch, Republicans will find enough Senate Democrats to go along with the deal.

[FBaggins]

28. +1

[niceypoo]

9. Don't negotiate with them

GO on the offensive against the GOP. Ending ALL the bush tax cuts will balance the budget by 2014, it's a no brainer.

[Imajika]

26. Didn't we just go on the "offensive" against the GOP in November...

And the result wasn't pretty.

House Democrats lost 63 seats and Senate Democrats lost 6 seats.

This is not nearly so simple as you make it seem - especially now that Obama has endorsed the "deal" with Republicans. There is no taking that back now. If everyone's taxes go up in January and the UI extension ends, Democrats WILL be blamed.

[niceypoo]

27. Obama has always given up without a fight

He has never and will never fight for us.

[badtoworse]

4. Your analysis is spot on

We can kiss DADT and the Dream Act goodbye. The UI extension will be on their terms.

This has the potential to be a train wreck

[niceypoo]

6. Pelosi should send everybody home

Let the GOP congress own it.

[badtoworse]

12. You can't be serious

Do you seriously believe we'll get a better deal from them? This place is dancing in a burning building.

[Phx_Dem]

8. The House is too busy dicking around with something that won't pass the Senate.

This is what happens when you wait until the lame duck session to do you fucking jobs. When you're looking for someone to blame, House Dems, look no further than yourselves.

During the HCR negotiations, the Congressional Dems were beside themselves, saying Obama "wasn't involved enough," in other words, he wasn't doing our jobs for us!. Now they say he's doing too much without us! Uh, maybe because he beseiged you to do something before the elction, but you wouldn't. Someone has to be a grown up. Jerks.

[ClassWarrior]

10. In other words, the Prez wasted the opportunity to cut a good deal over the next three weeks by...

...folding our hand prematurely.

NGU.

[ProSense]

13. In other words

Congress isn't helpless, they can act.

[ClassWarrior]

16. Yeah, but it'd help if the leader of their own party had their back and honored our platform.

NGU.

[Life Long Dem]

17. No kidding

Despite Congressional Dem. opposition to tax plan, White House unaware of any alternative ideas from Reid/Pelosi, Gibbs says
http://twitter.com/WestWingReport

[Uzybone]

18. Democrats in congress seem totally rudderless

They act as if they do not know the narrative that will happen if this bill is not brought to the floor before 1/1/11.

The media (including MSNBC) will say: House Democrats let the Bush tax cuts expire and raised taxes on all Americans in a recession. They also failed to pass Unemployment benefits to those out of work.

[JoePhilly]

22. Ding Ding Ding!!!

And not only that ... the media framing will spin 180 degrees, from "Obama let the rich get a tax cut, hey liberals, isn't he evil!!", to the much worse framing ...

"Obama broke his main campaign promise and let the tax breaks for 95% of Americans expire, thus raising taxes on those making under $250,000 ... and THAT central promise is one he made over and over and over ... and now he's broken it ... so now let's go to a person in the middle class (not from DU) who's taxes just went up $2,000 and ask them what they think of Obama breaking his promise ... "

Roll the tape.

[FBaggins]

23. Glad to see you coming aroung.

:-)

[ProSense]

29. We'll see what happens.

Messy as this is, it comes to an end soon.

[ibegurpard]

30. no...they do not

this is the same old shit they've been peddling on all the other disasters they've shoved down everyone's throats.
We will go back to Clinton era taxes, which everyone lived with just fine and then we'll have more money to avoid the catfood commissions' recommendations (kind of makes me wonder if that's why they're so desperate to push this bullshit).
And you know full well the unemployment extension won't make one whit of difference to the 99ers...the ones who are in the most desperate straits of all.
LET THE FUCKING CUTS DIE!!!!

[Warren Stupidity]

31. Capitulationism forever!

I'm with you bro! What else can we capitulate on?