President Obama and the Democrats - Punished For Governing Rather Than Posturing...

[TomCADem]

...while the Republicans are rewarded politically for refusing to govern, and posturing for two straight years. Worse, trying to make the federal government ungovernable with a record number of filibusters. Sadly, the corporate media has conditioned us all to give Republicans a free pass for their unprecedented efforts at partisan ubstructionism. Even now, some Republicans are threatening to torpedo the passage of the START treaty because they are upset about the possible repeal of DADT. Yet, groups like the Log Cabin Republicans continue give them a free pass.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/us/politics/17bai.html?scp=1&sq=triangulation&st=cse

... o disdain pragmatic compromise is to become unyielding and self-satisfied in the service of theory, rather than creative in the service of your agenda. You could argue, in fact, that this is precisely what happened to George W. Bush. By contrast, one of the Clintonian compromises that most offended liberals — the 1996 deal with Republicans to balance the budget — is an achievement that Democrats routinely tout now while bemoaning the fiscal recklessness of the Bush years.

Perhaps Mr. Obama could have won a more progressive resolution to the tax-cut debate had he and Congressional Democrats taken up the issue earlier this year, when the deadline wasn’t so close and when the president could have mounted a sustained public campaign. But as it stands, the deal Mr. Obama got, while no one’s idea of perfect, will pump hundreds of billions of dollars in consumer and business tax breaks into a languishing economy, while also aiding the unemployed and easing the tax burden on a strained middle class.

On the other hand, had Mr. Obama held the line on principle and allowed all the cuts to expire, as some Democrats would have preferred, the public debate in January would most likely have come down to which of the two parties was responsible for letting middle-class taxes rise during a recession. It’s an argument that Democrats, historically vulnerable on taxes and already fending off charges of expanding government, would probably have lost.

Such compromises, ideal or not, are the building blocks of responsible governance. If that makes Mr. Obama some kind of triangulator, then it could also make him a successful president.

[OHdem10]

1. In this instance, I believe Obama did the best he would with the

cards he was holding.

However, I haope both the Dems on the Hill and Obama
have got the Message. The Politics are as important
as the bill often . Get themselves on TeeVee and
toot their own horn. Do not just say, It is important
but rather state and explain why it is important.

[tblue37]

19. Good luck with that, since the MSM is just as bad as FOX News about

stuffing their programs with Republican talking heads and including few, if any, Dems--and the ones they do include are inevitably the blue dog DINOs who reinforce the Republican talking points rather than countering them.

[Clio the Leo]

2. kickers nt

[Exilednight]

3. Unre. Obama is not governing, he's running for re-election. n/t

[ProSense]

4. Here:

This is what governing looks like.

Have fun.

[Pisces]

5. So many on this board claim he is not running for re election. I think you are confused at what

governing looks like since we haven't seen it for so long.

[Exilednight]

6. Governing requires doing what is best in the interest of the nation. These tax cuts go against

everything that is in our best interest. You can wrap it up with a red bow, deliver it around the holiday season with a beautiful card that says bipartisanship compromise, but compromise does not always equal governing - especially in this case.

[Pisces]

7. I am sure the unemployed, worried about their benefits differ with you in how it helps them.

[Exilednight]

9. The benefits are only temporary. There's nothing in this bill to

actually prime the pump or stimulate the economy.

This is fine for the short term, 18 months max, but what about after that when unemployment is still hovering around 10%? This is the question that Obama can not answer.

Tax cuts reward the rich for laying off more people. Why keep six people when you can get rid of three and make the other three work twice as hard and all the while knowing that you can pocket the difference and not have to worry about it being taxed?

[ProSense]

12. "This is fine for the short term, 18 months max,

...but what about after that when unemployment is still hovering around 10%?"

So you're arguing that this is good in the short term, but bad based on speculation that the unemployment rate will still be around 10% a year and a half from now?

[ProSense]

8. No,

"These tax cuts go against everything that is in our best interest."

The tax cuts for the rich do, and the biggest complaint against them is they are unneccessary and will add to the deficit.

In fact, had the middle class tax cuts been made permanent they would have added $1.4 trillion more to the debt over ten years compared with the tax cuts for the rich.

Rich people shouldn't be given a tax cuts.

Still, the purpose of this deal on the Democratic side was to extend relief to millions of low-income, middle-class and unemployed Americans.

Why is that being ignored in favor of no deal? Why is the tiny change in the amount to low-income Americans being hyped as a real negative in relation to no deal?

No deal, letting the tax cuts expire, would have been a much bigger burden on low-income Americans and not good for the economy.

[JoePhilly]

10. Some on the left agree with the GOP ... do nothing at all times.

Thst is after all what the GOP has tried to do for 2 years ... nothing.

Block everything.

And many on the left agree with them. If we don't get a perfect bill, do nothing.

Think about it. Every piece of legislation that the GOP has tried to block, parts of the left also wanted stopped. Neither wants to govern, both want to spite the other by doing the exact same thing ... nothing.

[Pisces]

11. Great observation.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[JoePhilly]

15. Some of them are for sure. Not all.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[treestar]

17. +1 million

they end up in the same place.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

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

[TheKentuckian]

18. The intent of the tax cuts is and always has been to funnel money to the top.

It was never just the arbitrary 2%'s cuts that was a drag on the economy but on the whole, the entire package.

The "middle class" cuts are mostly the other 18% of the top 20% and crumbs for the rest.

You want stimulus then you target the bottom 40% who is desperate and has no choice but to spend about every dime and then we may see some impact.

[avaistheone1]

28. Indeed. "Governing" is the media's spin word for why we are supposed to swallow

these absurd tax cuts for the wealthy.

I say that is total bullshit.

Furthermore, I think Obama's payroll tax holiday is criminal given it breaks down the wall between Social Security and the General Fund.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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

[TomCADem]

22. Huh? What Is Wrong With Democracy and Elections? They Are Essential..

...in our form of government. I am not about start demanding some sort of enlightened despotism. Indeed, if the re-election chances of President Obama and other Democrats are helped by this vote, then the more power to them!!!

I think it would suck if their re-election chances were hurt by this vote, because what would it say about the views of the American people?

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

Sir Winston Churchill
British politician (1874 - 1965)

[Exilednight]

23. There's nothing wrong with election. The problem is

when you abandon your platform in favor of political expediency. Sometimes governing requires making not so popular decisions, like threatening a government shutdown, in favor of long term solid decisions. The bigger problem is in the fact that many presidents go after short term gains at the peril of long term losses and damage to the well being of the country.

Elections are great, no argument there, but Obama ran on a platform of "words matter". Some of his words were, and I paraphrase, included: he would rather be a good one term president than a bad two term president; it's okay to compromise, as long as you don't compromise principal; and transparency is the best form of government.

I won't bother going through how each of those promises were broken, we all know the list. But either words matter, or they don't.

[TomCADem]

24. I Thought The Repeal Of DADT Was Part Of President Obama's Platform?

If so, what is the problem? Frankly, I think the formal repeal of DADT is much better than an Executive Order to ignore the prior laws, which Republicans would have probably used to try to impeach President Obama.

[Exilednight]

25. There's nothing wrong with DADT being repealed, but this thread is about more

than DADT. In fact, I applaud the repeal of DADT. It's not the end of the battle for gay rights, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Edit: I just realize that you wrote the OP, which is about tax cuts, not DADT. Did you forget what you wrote?

[TomCADem]

26. I Was Responding To Your Post Suggesting That President Obama Has Not Kept Any Promises

My OP was about how President Obama, in fact any President, will need to compromise or modify his promises in response to political reality. Heck, Ronald Reagan raised taxes and negotiated with the evil empire, yet he is hailed as a person who stuck to his principles!

But, if the measure of success are promises kept, then President Obama is doing well on that front as well:

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/

1. Create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes.
2. Increase minority access to capital.
3. Require economic justification for tax changes.
4. Implement “Women Owned Business” contracting program.
5. Change standards for determining broadband access.
6. Establish a credit card bill of rights.
7. Expand loan programs for small businesses.
8. Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch.
9. Close the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plan.
10. Expand the Senior Corps volunteer program.
11. Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.
12. Give tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums.
13. Require large employers to contribute to a national health plan.
14. Require children to have health insurance coverage.
15. Expand eligibility for Medicaid.
16. Expand eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP).
17. Require health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care.
18. Establish an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information.
19. In non-competitive markets, force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care.
20. Eliminate the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans.
21. Expand funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners.
22. Increase funding to expand community based prevention programs.
23. Reinstate executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
24. Increase the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals.
25. Fully fund the Veterans Administration.
26. Assure that the Veterans Administration budget is prepared as ‘must-pass’ legislation.
27. Expand the Veterans Administration’s number of “centers of excellence” in specialty care.
28. Appoint a special adviser to the president on violence against women.
29. Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act.
30. Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq.
31. Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq.
32. No permanent bases in Iraq.
33. Send at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan.
34. Strengthen and expand military exchange programs with other countries.
35. Make greater investment in advanced military air technology.
36. End the abuse of supplemental budgets for war.
37. Make U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts.
38. Give a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration.
39. Allocate Homeland Security funding according to risk.
40. Create a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan.
41. Increase funding for local emergency planning.
42. Stand down nuclear forces to be reduced under the Moscow Treaty.
43. Appoint a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security.
44. Initiate a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime.
45. Improve relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds.
46. Launch an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA).
47. Create a rapid response fund for emerging democracies.
48. Grant Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba.
49. Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program.
50. Establish an Energy Partnership for the Americas.
51. Expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers.
52. Release presidential records.
53. Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
54. Provide affordable, high-quality child care.
55. Recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession.
56. Reduce subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers.
57. Encourage water-conservation efforts in the West.
58. Increase funding for national parks and forests.
59. Increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
60. Expand Pell grants for low-income students.
61. Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires.
62. Push for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors.
63. Restore funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
64. Reform mandatory minimum sentences.
65. Fully fund the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
66. Establish ‘Promise Neighborhoods’ for areas of concentrated poverty.
67. Create an artist corps for schools.
68. Add another Space Shuttle flight.
69. Increase spending to prepare for longer space missions.
70. Establish school programs to highlight space and science achievements.
71. Establish special crime programs for the New Orleans area.
72. Rebuild schools in New Orleans.
73. Fund a major expansion of AmeriCorps.
74. Appoint the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer.
75. Provide grants to early-career researchers.
76. Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear.
77. Create a national declassification center.
78. Create new financial regulations.
79. Increase funding for land-grant colleges.
80. Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees.
81. Sign health care bill into law by the end of the first term.
82. Create new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud.
83. Raise fuel economy standards.
84. Invest in all types of alternative energy.
85. Enact tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars.
86. Create a ‘Green Vet Initiative’ to promote environmental jobs for veterans.
87. Create job training programs for clean technologies.
88. Require states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption.
89. Invest in public transportation.
90. Equalize tax breaks for driving and public transit.
91. Double federal spending for research on clean fuels.
92. Increase funding for the Environmental Protection Agency.
93. Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits.
94. Reverse restrictions on stem cell research.
95. End Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

[Exilednight]

27. I never suggested that Obama has not kept any of his promises. What I am

saying is that he hasn't kept any of his major promises.

I stated in another thread that there were three big issues for me, and most Americans, going into this election.


HCR: No public option and Rx drugs from countries like Canada. Nothing in this bill addressed the core issue of problems with our health care system.

Iraq: Yes, he drew down combat troops, but only at the expense of replacing them with private military contractors. It's a bait and switch, plain and simple. The problem is people will accept the governments excuse that they pulled out all "combat troops" as promised. Nevermind the fact that they were replaced with private military contractors who earn six times the average soldier and whose deaths and injuries don't get counted.

Economy: Larger deficits that are creating larger debts. Unemployment hovering around 10%. Foreclosures happening in record numbers. And no sign of anything improving in the short or long term.

It's not that he hasn't kept any promises, he just hasn't kept any of his major promises that will have a healthy long term effect on this country.

[ClassWarrior]

13. President Obama and the Democrats - Punished For Failing To Recognize That Posturing Is An...

...Essential Facet Of Governing In Today's Media-Saturated Day And Age.

NGU.