While I oppose the whole tax cut for UE deal,

[Jackpine Radical]

the way I see it is that the way it went down, i.e. through negotiations between the WH and the Republican leadership without involving the Legislative branch, had the effect of putting a lot of good liberals in a terrible bind, and many felt it was best to swallow their objections and vote for the bill rather than see people starve. I think Kooch, Franken and a number of others voted their consciences on this issue.

I recognize that there are going to be times when their decisions are not the same as the ones I might make, but that doesn't mean they have sold anything out or that they have lost their principles. They just see things somewhat differently than I do, and make the best choices they can.

I reserve my ire for the people who made the deal without involving Congress until it was time to present them with a fair accompli. Obama gave away the store for reasons I can only (darkly) speculate about before even involving Congress.

[dkf]

1. It was Congress's job to put together something.

Obama had to bail them out after the house couldn't pass something the Senate would.

It is the Congress who couldn't find a compromise that would work.

[sasha031]

2. The Bush-Obama tax cuts

The President own this now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush-Obama_tax_cuts

[MindandSoul]

3. And I* reserve my ire for the real culprit: the Republicans who forced

every well meaning person to compromise their integrity by forcing them in an impossible morale conflict.

[nevergiveup]

4. This should have all been taken care of way before the election.

The United States Senate with its presents rules is dysfunctional and throw in the fact there are also a bunch of week-kneed chicken shit Democrats who were terrorized of doing anything before the election and this is what we get. If it makes us feel better we can blame the White House but it is rather disingenuous as the real problem from the start has been in the senate.