Tweet
Here’s the official White House agreement fact sheet on the deal (PDF).
While the White House is claiming official victory, there seems to be no shortage of Democrats who think the President blinked and left them in a weak position for the upcoming fight over the debt ceiling.
Brian Beutler reports about an “unease among Democrats that Republicans will treat Democratic concessions in the fiscal cliff fight as an indication that the Obama administration lacks the resolve to stare the GOP down in a debt limit fight…. A senior Democratic aide said some members have ‘diminished confidence’ in the administration’s willingness to stare down the Republicans in two month’s time.”
The HuffPo says that “Coming out of the meeting with the vice president late Monday night, many Senate Democrats conceded they were displeased with aspects of the deal but agreed with the vice president’s larger point.”
Krugman calls Obama the “conceder in Chief.”
MoveOn says “We just finished an election in which the American people made clear that they want the wealthiest 2% to finally pay their fair share of taxes, but this agreement fails to meet that test. Voters gave President Obama a mandate to end the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $250,000. He has not delivered.”
Even the ever-faithful Noam Scheiber says “I think the president made a huge mistake by negotiating over what he’d previously said was non-negotiable (namely, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts on income over $250,000). Then the White House compounded that mistake by sending Biden to “close” the deal when Harry Reid appeared to give up on it. As a practical matter, this signaled to Republicans that the White House wouldn’t walk away from the bargaining table, allowing the GOP to keep extracting concessions into the absolute final hours before the deadline.”
Not exactly the glowing headlines one wants for resolving a manufactured crisis.
There is some joy to be taken in the fact that nobody was able to harpoon the elusive white whale of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and that somewhere Pete Peterson weeps.
But we are, as the HuffPo notes, in a permanent state of “cliff crisis” now. Timothy Geithner says the debt limit has once again been reached, and Peterson can take solace in the fact that Obama’s resolve not to negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling is indeed just as strong as his commitment not to negotiate over taxes for the rich.
72 Comments
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
Sold out again. No suprise there. That said, Happy New Year FDL!
President Origami. The outcome may look as graceful as a crane, but it’s still just a lot of folding.
Not what we were hoping for here. There’s that freaking word again.
Capitulator in Chief giving new life to a GOP clearly hell bent on suicide. To say we are disappointed would be to suggest that we had expectations of a different outcome. Alas, because we are not learning impaired such is not the case. Just deepens the sadness.
Thanks for the post Jane.
Maybe the “good” part in this POS is that the feral children in the House (h/t Charlie Pierce) won’t pass the deal and then they can go back to passing tax “cuts” instead, since the Bush cuts will all expire.
In what universe is $250K “middle class” anyway?
It’s just a matter of time before that changes.
He made a mess out of health care two years ago. All his friends are Wall Steeters. I voted for Jill Stein.
The funniest part of the coverage of this ‘deal’ is how the WaPo and other organs are lauding the dealmakers, Biden and McConnell, as old Washington hands who saved the Republic with what they wrought, with only passing references to their last such ‘deal.’
That was, if you’ll kindly recall, the August 2011 debt ceiling ‘deal’ that birthed the fiscal cliff. And the one they achieved through their magic — the one before that? It was the ‘deal’ to extend the Bush tax cuts to, um, today.
What statesmen they are.
If I’m not mistaken, the Senate deal raised it to $400,000! “Middle class” my ass ;-)
Obama does damage in an eleven-dimensional way, always setting us up for more pain down the road.
But, but, … surely the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Doormatwill stop this insanity.Thank God o got done gutting us so he’ll have a clear mind today while going over his kill list to decide who o doesn’t think, in his due process type of way, deserves to live in this new year.
If it’s Tuesday it’s kill list picking time. Wonder if they skipped that little meeting last Tuesday, Christmas Day ?
Hopefully Boehner and the Baggers (if that’s not an indie band name it should be) kill this today.
We need to stay over the cliff and energize the people who will be hurt by this more than have this deal today and then watch this happen all over again with the Debt Ceiling fight where Republicans have already admitted they will extort serious cuts to entitlements and social programs.
No more toleration of the Right’s salami tactics – now is the time to fight.
Obama did not capitulate. The Republicans are happily carrying him where he wants to go and neither he nor they will be satisfied until all social spending is squeezed out of the budget, the state supports only police and military functions, debt, and its repayment, floats anything and everything else.
Representative government is a thing of the past in America. My hopes are better placed with Occupy than anything the clown car called congress and O will ever do. The recently released FOIA F.B.I. papers show the 1% sees Occupy as a real threat to the status quo. They have nothing to fear from their fellow 1%5ers in elected office. The last 3 days have made. That perfectly clear.
This is from the President’s desk:
That could have been a Reagan quote. Divides the generations. Promises more cuts. Instead of resolving the sequester cuts, they have left them to be the next hostage taking crisis.
In a NYTimes Editorial thread, a commenter from India said something to the effect that instead of a deal to avert a fiscal cliff……(they created)…..an ordeal for the common man.”
This really is the perfect time to contact your Senator and tell him or her to support Senator Merkley’s filibuster reform.
http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=279&tag=1231blog
Tom, to me that is an in your face F.U. and a promise to slice up any social program he wants. “Debt on our kids” is just a lie, a damned lie. He had a strong hand to finally start taxing the rich and leveling the field between rich and poor and IMO he gave it up. He was in a panic to negotiate before today when he could have waited until next week and stared them down. And the sequestration is just extended a few months to await more cuts and probably C-CPI.
After everything in print by Buffet and Krugman that were essentially the same guide map on what to do, this debate should have never happen. I am not only disappointed in the WH, I am sickened the GOP even created a budget conflict.
I must be looking at this the wrong way. Only three dems voted “no” on this bill in the senate. Harkin, Carper and Bennett must have had it all wrong. Well, either that or they didn’t get the memo.
I think I will tweet that later today.
Some details of import.
(1) It wasn’t the deal that raised taxes or started a sequester. That was the result of the 2011 negotiations.
(2) The highly promoted agreement last night is not a done deal until the House votes. That means that Pelosi will have to whip all the Democrats, and Boehner will have to whip enough Republicans for it to pass. But if Boehner fulfills his promise of not bringing to the floor anything with less that 50% plus 1 vote of the Republican caucus, he also has to whip that vote.
Happy New Year, Jane and all. What I find most disconcerting is that every year whenh debt ceiling is reached we will “have” to have more cuts and “everyone will have to share.” The Rs were really smart, almost brilliant, from their prospective, for dusting off the long ignored debt ceiling and tying the very future of the republic to it. Obama, in my view< didn't "fall for it," but rather was good with it–the only challenege for him was to go along with the debt ceiling fear mongering and also placate the base-which he did well enough to get reelected. The long term damage of the precedent he set (and I blame him because, ultimately he could have stood up and opposed this last year) is probably enormous- the only thing to prevent that might be a Democrat with balls becoming president and they are in short supply. Jeez. I usually avoid the know-it-all- rants. (and I thin k I'm really just stating the obvious, just trying to wake up, here) Resolved: Won't do it again til next year.
No problem for Pelosi if the vote in the senate is any indication.
On the sequester, they will now add to it during the next cave in.
i told you this was a done deal……and what you got is massive tax increases on average people for higher tax rates on the super rich…
but…this is only a charade because the REAL deal is coming a few months from now….(i do believe it hit a snag so boner asked for time)
the real deal..already agreed to is exactly what obama wants..
cuts to SS the CPI is! coming as well well as massive cuts to medicare
now..these cuts MUST BE done because obama has promised a huge tax cut to corporations and these cuts and about (100 billion yearly more) are not only coming but have already been agreed to.
isnt it funny how the dems in the senate ALWAYS tell you AFTER the fact how they are not pleased??
if you think a single one of them is sincere you deserve what you are getting.
I didn’t vote for Obama in 2008. I knew he had been a democracy activist for proportional representation. I certainly planned to vote or him. Out of curiosity I searched his campaign site for the word democracy. No hits – the word did not even exist on the site. Even Hillary and some `make it easier for poor people to vote` rhetoric on her site. That is when I reverted to my standard 3rd party voting behavior. Remember: Those without power tend to suffer – everything else in politics comes second.
Only among The Villagers is $200,000 or $400,000 middle class. The Census Bureau, OTOH, offers some more sobering numbers (2011 figures):
median family income: $60,974 (half the households have more, half have less)
# families with income above $200,000: 4,425,000
# families with income below $10,000: 4,276,000
# families with income above $200,000 and age of householder 65+: 461,000
# families with income below $25,000 and age of householder 65+: 2,468,000
# families with income above $200,000 who did not work: 502,000
# families with income below $25,000 who did not work: 7,959,000
[Note that if you have more than $200,000 in income and did not work, it's a lifestyle choice that involves a lot of capital gains and dividends. If you have less that $25,000, it's a matter of survival and likely not a choice at all.]
More here.
Yes.. they did. Obama and Biden did. Why would Reid take such political abuse by the White House? If he knew he had a better hard line negotiating, why not back this sell-out leader into a corner or expose him..his bad plan, and fan the outrage of Senate Dems to get a deal for the people?? Why walk away and punish the country? I can’t believe he would willingly abdicate all of his power, only to get WH blame. The WH makes it safe for the rich and sets up big trouble for the folks. Aren’t these Dems able to tell this phony leader to sit down or get in line? Or does he indeed have power, uses it over them- just never uses it to help the common man, despite his blame game?
Did anyone here actually expect Obama not to cave in????
This is a disaster.
With this vote Senate Democrats have permanently underfunded Government and the Republicans have essentially won on the Tax Rate question. They have just cemented George Bush’s tax rates into place forever. My congrats to Grover Norquist for a game brilliantly played and a historic win which was 99% complete. Now we are one step closer to Greece because there is no way to ever pay for the Government we have and ultimately must cut essential Federal Government services.
Just wait till we get to the debt ceiling debate – the Republicans are gonna cut Obama a new one and he totally deserves it!
Absolutely! Since the Democrats have agreed to permanently underfund Gov the only logical thing to do now is to cut Federal Services. Face it the Republicans and Grover Norguist have won.
The US is f’d. If you have the opportunity to move abroad to a country on the rise or that is at worst stagnant but still among the top in the world (northern European countries), go for it. The US has no alternative in the election system and anything outside of that people do to try to make things better brings on the overwhelming force of the state. Just like in the USSR, China, North Korea, people will go along with the way things are rather than risk their future to rebel against a foe who is hell bent on crushing any resistance with all the power it can (okay, the US government isn’t out killing protesters, though that rarely happens in China anymore either, they use just enough force, surveillance, and harassment to deter people). In addition to a dysfunctional government that can only agree on helping the wealthy, we have an economy that truly isn’t showing any signs of real recovery (a bunch of new low paying part time jobs doesn’t help), an unemployment rate that makes it easier for companies to exploit workers, unaffordable, but necessary, college, fast rising rental prices across the US, cities dominated by the same few mega-chains, the worst health coverage system among developed countries (and in 2014, even those who can’t afford health coverage now will be forced to pay for it…keep in mind how much profits these companies make and will make, as well as the pharmaceutical companies who get away with their high prices). Happy New Year!
I didn’t expect him to “cave in.” I expected him to do exactly what he wanted to do, which is what happened.
Do you think Obama is essentially a good-hearted guy who cares about poor and working Americans, but gosh darn it, he just didn’t have the spine and finally “caved?” If so, you’re thinking the way Democrats want you think: they’d prefer you consider Obama to be weak rather than what he really is: cruel, evil, and dishonest.
I would just like to chime in to say that the real failure in all of this is CONGRESS. Last I checked our worthless Commander in Chief has no vote in Congress. He can make deals until the cows come home, but the real authority here is CONGRESS. Whether Democrats or Republicans, members of Congress are elected to represent their CONSTITUENTS, not the fucking executive who has decided to behave like the supreme ruler of the land.
Why is it that Congress takes it marching orders from the King rather from the constituents in their districts who they are explicitly charged to represent? Oh, I know, it is because we no longer live in a representative democracy.
Until we find a way to change Congress to make it representative of the people again, we will be subject to the whims of every aristocratic sovereign who wakes up in the White House.
Don’t get me wrong, I loathe Caesar Obama, but I hate his Roman Senate even more.
Peterr,
I use household income or personal money income tables a lot – these work.
One table you’ve referenced in your linked to diary is finc07 – I think The Story of the Jelly-Bone of the Democratic Party is in these numbers –
appx. 59,076,000 families are below $100,000 a year,
appx. 21,453,000 families are above that $100,000 a year line
appx. 48,082,000 families are below $75,000 a year,
appx. 32,447,000 families are above that $75,000 a year level.
when you’re 1 of 21 million or 1 of 32 million, you actually live around lots and lots of people just like you! it is REAL easy to not see the millions working the junk-mart-barista jobs – these neo-lib sell outs that cost your family a few hundred here and a few hundred there —
all so cheney’s buddies at exxon or timmy’s buddies at goldman can rip you off —
you can ‘afford’ those f’king sell outs – oh yeah, and when you look at money income of individuals, if your 1 of the millions making over 75 or over 100k a year, you really really really can’t rock the boat, cuz if you do and if you’re tossed over the side, you’re fucked.
happy new year!
rmm.
Exactly. Obama was strategizing as to the best fiscal cliff deal that would make greater cuts to social spending more likely in the next round of budget negotiations. He really is a smart fellow, that Obama, consistently fooling a huge segment of the voting public as to his real intentions. The eleven-dimensional chess meme is not false, it’s just that he’s not playing the game on the side of the people who use this phrase.
And great article by Krugman. I’m glad he’s finally seeing Obama for who he really is. (If only Krugman had had this attitude during the negotiations on the Affordable Care Act, during which he consistently signed off on the president’s hideous concessions, and still refuses to see the legislation in its reality as a corporate sell-out).
Yes to all here it is a New Year but Austerity is the winner and Main Street not so much. Then will come the fight over the debt ceiling another false theme then Amerikan citizens will see SS and other net programs cut.
I do not see this deal as a bad one either in terms of the economy or politically.
As for What it portends as to future political dealings, I do not know. I do know this: we live in a world where accurate prediction is rarely possible, where history is not a reliable guide to the future and the most important events cannot
be anticipated.
Happy New Year Jane and Firedogs -
Jane – Matt Stoller was tweeting some interesting tidbits around 10 pm cst last night – tying changes (shall we call them tweaks ?) in WH public posture to various unreported events of the last two weeks – eg, a WH visit from Robert Ruben two weeks ago
yes, thanks to FDL we all knew this was going to be the deal, but interesting nonetheless
Lesser of two evils?
Capitulator in Chief giving new life to a GOP clearly hell bent on suicide.
Kind of like a boxer holding up a beaten opponent to keep the fight “going” more rounds.
Well, time to play my new favorite game, Pin the Chin on Mitch Mcconnell.
Sure glad “we” voted for Obama as opposed to Romney. Not that I am a proponent of his views, but at least then the Democrats (theoretically) would at least have to pretend to be the opposition party.
Now, we just have 4 more years of “What could I do? I had to give in because the Republicans wouldn’t negotiate!” or the typical, give away half the farm before negotiations begin and then work towards compromise of giving the opposition 75% of what they want for 25% of the ideals that he theoretically supposed to be representing.
What a sham. 4 more years of crap followed up by lemmings going “Go Hillary” or whatever nonsense. Yeah, more empowered interests that we can blindly trust believing somehow that they represent our world view. Give me a break.
As much as we’d hate to admit it all the fearmongering each election cycle is hollow. The Republicans would very unlikely would have been unable to put taken women’s rights, ban abortion and put “them” back in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant nor would they rob everyone on Social Security. We hold onto those things as justification for the “lesser of two evils”, which is all nonsense.
Happy, happy, everyone!!!
Well, we’ve a new year, let’s see what we can make of it.
I wish the very best to each and everyone … although I consider that we will all be very fortunate to experience something genuinely better than many have experienced of late.
And, in the words of that wise Hamsher woman, “Can We Please Stop Pretending Obama is ‘Capitulating’ …?” Or, caving?
Perhaps, that understanding, that realistic perception, is among the most important that we might seek to share with our fellow human beings in this new year? Obama is getting precisely what Obama wants … and the “cover” to do it.
There are those who suggest that nothing in this world may be reasonably “anticipated” … yet the “drift” of “things” must be clear to those with the honest eyes to see and the active conscience to perceive the “nature” of the likely consequences, should “things” continue as they are; for the many, the people, for the planet, and for the future.
Namaste
DW
Do you really believe the PTB, our masters, would allow any candidate, R or D, otherwise ? Why ?
I did not vote for Obama. Stewart Alexander’s was the only program that made sense to and for me.
Obama graduated at the top of his class at the distinguished ‘Neville Chamberlain School of Negotiating’.
At his press event yesterday Obama reminded us (starting at about 6:50) that he intends to to hurt seniors, students, and the middle class but will need the fig leaf of a mild inconvenience (he calls it equivalent sacrifice) for the wealthiest people and corporations.
He told us he plans to hurt seniors, students, and the middle class through spending cuts. The mild inconvenience to the wealthy will be achieved by “closing loopholes.”
He didn’t mention how much those who are already poor, homeless, hungry, or still unable to afford healthcare or medicine will continue to be hurt. Their share of the sacrifice is apparently now just a given.
Of course, except for his new-found consideration for those earning $250K-400,President More-effective-evil made his position clear on all this before the election too.
He didn’t fold or cave or concede, and in the next round, and the next, and the next, we know he also won’t fold, or cave or concede. Not when he goes on national television and tells us exactly who he plans to hurt and how he wants to do it, and then does it.
The so-called Democrats in Congress who support this agenda aren’t caving, or folding, or conceding either. They’re just pathetic.
LINK to yesterday’s press event:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/obama-fiscal-cliff-agreement-sight-18102359
Obama is a neolib. He’s in the pocket of the bankers. Was that ever at question? He has presided over as large a transfer of wealth from the working class to the wealthy as has occurred in nearly a century. We have to go back to the nineteenth century to see anything on as grand (bargain) a scale as this. The “fiscal cliff” is a hoax. The debt ceiling is a con. The simple fact is, we are a sovereign nation. We have no debt ceiling.
The Scorpion and the Frog
http://www.aesopfables.com/cgi/aesop1.cgi?4&TheScorpionandtheFrog
jane, you called this from the beginning before the zero even took office when he “caved” to the corporate powers on “retroactive immunity” (it was’t really a cave, it was his plan”)
well the same thing is true with this “negotiation” he didn’t negotiate, he wound up giving up more grounds then the dems would have allowed if it were romney elected
he is the benedict trojan horse in sheep clothing
Median household income is not at the level you mention. It’s much lower: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/household-income-stagnates-again/
Missing in all the chatter is Defense spending. The chirping of crickets. Not even a mention. It’s very much as if they’ve just given up trying to cut there.
I don’t get it. It’s half the budget.
Thank you. I thought those numbers sounded high.
SUCH a good post!
I don’t believe I implied that. I wrote that the Democratic Party would prefer people think of Obama as a spineless, helpless, caving twit than what he really is: cruel, evil, and dishonest.
Obama should be prosecuted for his assassination program or going to war in Libya without the consent of Congress. There is a long list of things Obama for which Obama can be legally prosecuted. Perhaps the PTB will decide he’s outlived his usefulness one day, and since he doesn’t have the means or connections to fight prosecution like the powerful Bush family, maybe he’ll be cast to the winds if the populace shows signs of real unrest. One can only hope he will get his just desserts one day.
However, it won’t be long before we’re subjected to the merits of voting for the Blue Team in the 2014 midterms, and like the lemmings they are, frightened Democratic Party Loyalists will hop on board the D Train for their next beating.
I love the smell of hyperbole in the morning.
Krugman.
Let’s be fair! It’s not easy to stand up to the White House, FDL is living proof.
My Fiscal Cliff Notes on last night’s Senate vote. Even those of us who’ve been critical of the president have to give him and Biden some props on their back room dick-twisting.
Suprised yet? The big O is setting the stage for another “Grand bargain” and the snipping you hear is the safety net being cut away – when is America going to stand up and say enough? And, I am really getting tired of the people that voted for the big O sounding disappointed – you get another 4 years of BS from a repulican in the white house. It is only going to get worse people!
Those numbers you point to are for October 2012. I quoted from the final 2011 Census Bureau report (follow the links back from my earlier comment).
The median has been going down in 2012 because the wealthier folks have been recovering their capital gains and dividends, not because the ordinary folks have been slowly climbing up the financial ladder.
Yet another piece of life in a “jobless recovery.” See the Ugliest Chart in US Economic History” at the top of my post last Saturday.
Also, the numbers you cite are inflation adjusted. Thus, to compare them with the figures I cited means you have to adjust the 2011 figures downward to put them in Oct 2012 dollars.
How much more evidence are people going to need before they realize that their true enemy isn’t the Repugs, but the Dims?
In about 45 minutes, the next election cycle will begin with the familiar refrain that as “flawed” as the Dims are, they are the only thing standing between you and the abyss, so join hands with the Dims and step into the crater. After Barry and the Dims exposed themselves with giving more to the rich, expanding the Imperial wars, taking more from the least, giving Wall Street a get out of jail free card, the Dudd-Flop do nothing reform, and the Heritage Healthcare Profit Enhancement Act, they “lost” the 2010 elections. Two years of fear mongering about the buffoonish Repugs, and the sheep earned themselves a victory by returning the very people who betrayed them at every opportunity. Remember when you don’t vote for them in 2014 why you did in 2016, until this abysmal excuse for an opposition party is relegated to the dustbin of history we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Hi Jane:
Krugman should read your article, “Can We Please Stop Pretending Obama Is ‘Capitulating’ On Social Security?” IMHO, Obama deserves an Oscar for his role as “conceder in Chief.” He is the Meryl Streep of getting what he wants through capitulations. Or, in your words, keeping his finger prints off the corpse.
As with this good strong post, it is my hope for this critical year that finally FDL can take up the important task you reference at the end of this comment. We need to be clear that if there are not appropriate taxes being paid by the rich, our government cannot do what it must do.
Let’s listen to all comers into the congressional battleground,( and keep pointing out the failures!) for what they will bring to the crucial considerations – and forget party – vote issues. Not the issues you would like to see addressed in the best of all possible worlds, but the ones we must address for our very survival.
The Tea Party newcomers may have just saved Social Security – good for them! We need that kind of independent thinking to percolate through all of the issues above, or, as is pointed out on this thread, entitlement programs will remain on the chopping board.
If the PTB could have done CPI this time around, they would have. Savor this victory.
Right!
The Huffington Post and this diary are spreading misinformation regarding the status of Social Security and Medicare. They have NOT been protected, on the contrary – Obama and Republicans left it so they will almost certainly be cut in 3 months time as they go back to the table for debt limit talks and Obama no longer has any leveraging power re taxes left.
Obama was giddy for a reason when he announced the ‘deal’ yesterday – he’s very close to achieving his longtime objective of putting Social Security and Medicare on the path to privatization per the wishes of his neoliberal benefactors. He was practically screaming “SUCKERS!! I can’t believe you’re letting me pull the rug out from under your feet yet again and enabling me to not only permanently ensconce the Bush tax cuts but to set in motion the shredding the remains of the Social Safety Net!”
Perhaps Obama was not thinking SUCKERS, but COWARDS; for always voting for the lesser of two evils. I might also mention that it is hard to take a response to a `virtual` post from a poster called `jest` very seriously. :>)
I so agree with what you wrote, and serious citizens simply have to quit being so tribalistic and condescending of other’s beliefs. Someone in another comment section wrote, in a patronizing tone. that we should probably thank Tea Party politicians. I will say right now that I do thank them. They seem to be the only ones who have figured out how to hold their politicians accountable. Liberals have no right to act superior to the Tea Party crowd: I read liberals right here who approved of Obama going to war in Libya. Since when to liberals approve of unprovoked war? That’s just one example of liberals going against their own long-held beliefs because they preferred to think tribally rather than independently. I hope they can rid themselves of tribal politics now that Obama and the Democrats are openly showing their true colors.
Only by discussion with other groups can we accomplish any of our goals. Would that we embrace our similarities in 2013, and put an end to the ridicule and nastiness toward entire groups of our fellow citizens.
x10
Michael Bennett (D/Plutocrat/DSCC head – CO) voted no because there wasn’t enuf austerity in it. He’s working hard for gutting SMM.
They’ll go after the safety net insurance programs during the debt ceiling theatrics.
Then we’ll see why the Republican demise after the election was over stated. During the next to years the Democrats will sell out the majority of their constituents, as planned, and do nothing that will economically benefit the majority of their constituents. Instead, they’ll dangle human rights issues in our faces like a carrot on a stick (rights that aren’t really for any government to give or take away) while Democrats vote against their own economic interests. Exactly what they claim working class Republicans have been doing.
Me too. No more voting for a party which no longer represents me.
Everybody’s been watching the income tax deal and not paying any attention to the dividend taxes (unearned income) – these were going to go back to pre-Bush tax rates of 39.6% for those earning more than $450,000, but were negotiated down to 20% (up from 15%). These rates plus offshoring his money was what allowed Romney to enjoy tax rates of 14% on $13 million income (almost all unearned income).
Great News, Rich Americans! Congress Just Raised Taxes On Workers While Saving Investors Billions: http://www.businessinsider.com/dividend-taxes-2013-1
Whatever…
Yep. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cuts are still very much on the table.
Please take me with you. ;-)
Wise advice! Thank you.