Did you just hear Jonathnt Alter om MSNBC? He said "What nobody is talking about

[napi21]

if that the Bush tax cuts WILL expire at the end of 2012 and there's nothing the Pubs can do about it. Even if they get t through Congress somehow, Obama will still be in office, whether he wins the election or not, and he will veto an bill that would prevent them from expiring."

Maybe they're no talking about it because that would prevent many Pubs from vting for this bill, but they'll finally e GONE! I think that's GREAT NEWS!

[The Magistrate]

1. Unfortunately, Ma'am, There Is Serious Doubt He Has The Intestinal Fortitude To Do This

[texanwitch]

2. We have seen this before.

He will cave again.

[Snoutport]

9. I don't know...that seems exactly the kind of politics he likes...

flip around, flop around, make me worry he isn't gonna follow through and then, "Whap". It is done. I think Obama has the potential to make up for all of this in his second term when he doesn't have to worry about the middle as much.

[lyonn]

20. True, about the time i am so disappointed in his decisions he

improves the direction of the country. Osama was pretty darn gutsy, not letting Pakistan know what we were up to as it seems they knew where he was. We shall see, I have butterflies and fear over this whole situation. I was wanting him to invest more into economic growth, stimulus, but it seems the repubs cut him off at the pass all the time with the required 60 vote requirement to pay Anything! As I recall, he didn't let the bush tax cuts expire due to keeping the unemployment checks coming since the repubs were trying to cut them off. Who knows if that was a good bargain or not.

[readmoreoften]

10. +1 Thank you for your honesty.

[smokey nj]

11. My thoughts exactly, sir.

[Poll_Blind]

24. +1

This is a real possibility, IMO. I real possibility that he extends them again.

PB

[Dappleganger]

26. Unfortunately, Sir, you are probably correct.

[jeffrey_X]

51. He won't be running for re-election...

so I'm still holding out hope that things change if/when he wins in 2012.

[spanone]

3. he coulda/shoulda done that last year.

[WCGreen]

7. In deference to president Obama....

I believe he felt increasing taxes by letting the Bush tax cuts expire would have taken money out of the economy when it was needed. I believe he felt he could not get any more public spending through so that is why I believed he decided to extend the cuts...

I don't agree, but that is why, I believe, he extended those cuts.

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Yes, because putting all that money into "the economy" did such great 'job creation'

Oh, wait. You mean the wealthy is hording their cash in equities and savings vehicles and not spending it?

Well, at least its still in "the economy", right?

I am so depressed.

[Cali_Democrat]

59. But they're jobs creators!

Look at all the jobs they've created since the Bush tax cuts were enacted.

[KittyWampus]

21. WTF? This is blatant historical revisionism. Republicans forced the extension

for Unemployment Benefits.

That is why CONGRESS extended those tax cuts.

[EFerrari]

28. So, did Congress extend those cuts or did Obama get benefits extended?

LOL

[WCGreen]

39. I believe they had to work in concert....

[EFerrari]

45. Of course they did, as all Congresses work with

presidents. And iirc, it was Obama's package. I find it amusing that the benefits are sometimes attributed to Obama alone while the down side is always Congress.

[WCGreen]

38. It's not blatant historical revisionism....

It's merely how I believe president Obama justified going along with the extension.

I know it's always tempting to write something before you actually read it and I have been guilty myself, but I was going to his justification and not his explanation.

I am not an historian just someone making an observation so it really isn't as dire as you make it out to be...

[treestar]

50. And to keep them for the middle class

[EFerrari]

22. WTF? And that's how that money created jobs and solved unemployment, right?

[WCGreen]

37. Did you actually read what I wrote....

"I don't agree, but that is why, I believe, he extended those cuts."

This is what I believe he used as justification to agree to the extension.

[EFerrari]

44. Yes, I did read it. I saw that you didn't agree. n/t

[Auntie Bush]

49. I thought he extended the cuts in order to get a year's worth of unemployment benefits

for the 99ers. Or was that just an excuse?

[WCGreen]

58. I believe that was the deal...

But I also believe that he used this thinking to justify the trade off...

Again, I was just supposing, looking at how I think he approaches stuff.

[KoKo]

43. Yep....shoulda done it last year...

[Change Happens]

4. Yes, he is 100% right! I said the same in my earlier posts...

[boston bean]

5. Wasn't this true even before this deal. Weren't they set to expire anyhow at the end of 2012? nt

[LonePirate]

6. I will believe those tax cuts have expired on 1/1/13 if it actually happens.

More than likely, Obama will cave again and extend them a second time or Congress will wait three or so weeks and pass them for his successor to sign if he loses re-election.

[Tansy_Gold]

14. You mean his successor.

His predecessor was boooooooosh.

[LonePirate]

18. Yes, I meant successor. Thanks. I have made the correction.

[alsame]

8. And I'm sure the GOP won't create another crisis and hold

something hostage so that the tax cuts have to be renewed.

:sarcasm:

[lyonn]

30. Hell, that's the only game they know

No good ideas only obstruction. They never gave Pres. Clinton a break even before the election. Dirty dealing from the beginning. I expect nothing less in the future. It's tough being a Dem.... too much money working against us.

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. Just like he vetoed their extension in 2010?

Rest assured, there will be another hostage crisis before they come up to expire.

[truedelphi]

33. It's certainly hard to believe otherwise. n/t

[RickFromMN]

13. Obama will cave. Let's hope enough Democrats, in the Senate, filibuster any attempt to extend them.

[AlabamaLibrul]

15. Allegedly. nt

[fishwax]

16. we'll have to wait to see what actually happens when they're about to expire, though

They've gotten one extension of the cuts through this term, after all. This time, though, I think they'll expire.

[Waiting For Everyman]

19. Unless they take another hostage. (or more likely, the same one)

[dkf]

23. They would have to make up for $3.8 trillion.

Good luck with that.

[ellenfl]

25. i'm afraid repubs will just find something else to hold hostage for those tax cuts. eom

[indurancevile]

27. they were supposed to expire in 2010.

[leeroysphitz]

53. Really? What happened? n/t

[indurancevile]

54. you're joking, right?

[leeroysphitz]

56. When have I EVER? n/t

[leeroysphitz]

29. Do you REALLY trust Obama to veto such a bill?

I remain unconvinced. To say the least.

[Cleita]

31. Maybe if he's a lame duck and has nothing to lose by then?

One can hope.

[cascadiance]

40. And as a lame duck, I don't know whether to trust him either!

Things have gotten that bad with this man that doesn't show ANY spark to stand up for progressives. If he's playing chess with us, he sure is telegraphing that he's taking us for granted.

I think it's time for a primary challenge, if nothing else but to keep a bully pulpit slot open to tell Obama what he needs to do if he expects us to do any work for him in the coming election, even if he wins the nomination.

Without any gestures towards us, I'm more focused on getting a job, and getting a progressive candidate elected to replace my outed congress critter David Wu, amongst working for other progressives to help take over our congress again with some REAL clout.

[Cleita]

42. I agree about a primary challenge.

Bernie Sanders suggested just that if for no other reason than to pull him back to the left. The challenger would have to be a Paul Wellstone type of guy though. Do we know any?

[cascadiance]

47. RFK Junior comes to mind...

Feingold could do it too, but at this point I think he's in a better position to replace Scott Walker in a recall for governorship (or to take the other Wisconsin Senate slot that will become open then).

Howard Dean would always be someone I'd support.

Alan Grayson, but he'll be focused on running for congress then.

I think Bernie himself could, but I think to be practical about it, he'd need to join the Democratic Party to do it right (to just primary challenge him and not do so in the general election). Also trying to defend against perhaps both a Democrat and a Republican in his Senate election too would be difficult without being a Democrat and getting rid of a Democratic challenger in the primary first).

Ironically Helen Thomas said in an interview with James Zogby that I think that RFK, Jr's father in effect predicted that a black would be president when Obama got elected not long before he was assaassinated. If it were RFK, Jr. to face him in a primary, all the more ironic then.

[leeroysphitz]

48. Ok, I hadn't thought of that but you have a point.

Still nervous about it though...

[bobdawg]

32. He already gave the bully this particular lunch money once before.

When they were set to expire in 2010.

Their expiration would be great, but we obviously have no government anymore. Instead we are ruled by those who benefit from those tax cuts.

[truedelphi]

35. Ah, life in a Banana Republic.

Though the charades they play do entertain many.

[Imajika]

34. So if Obama loses and ends the Bush tax cuts...

...the next Republican President's economy will benefit!

Somehow I can't get too excited about this.

[JVS]

36. Those tax cuts aren't going anywhere.

[Nimrod1]

41. Bush Tax Cuts would most likely be extended....

They are tied with the expiration of unemployment benefits, so no revenue over there.

[Enrique]

46. how is that news?

everyone knows the tax cuts are due to expire. Its reasonable to expect they will be extended again, imo. If Alter thinks it might unfold differently this time he should give a reason. And no, Obama saying he doesnt like the tax cuts of course doesnt count as a reason.

[Kahuna]

52. I heard him. I was encouraged. Jonathan usually has a good read on things. nt

[Greybnk48]

55. Yes he does. I like him too, even though he has pissed

me off at times over the years. He's a liberal.

[jimlup]

57. Actually - I think we draw the line here...

If the Bush tax cuts stand through 2012 we go on GENERAL STRIKE. Seriously if we don't draw the line somewhere they'll just keep fucking us over until we do.

[cbdo2007]

60. This has been his plan all along. They can't say he won't extend them....

cause he's already proven he did extend them, so they'll say it but he'll just say "I DID extend them."

It really was a brilliant strategy to end them for good.