Democrats to draw line at estate tax after Obama’s deal with Republicans

[Babylonsister]

Democrats to draw line at estate tax after Obama’s deal with Republicans
By Russell Berman and Mike Lillis - 12/07/10 07:49 PM ET


House Democratic leaders unhappy with the tax-cut deal President Obama struck with Republicans are signaling they will try to draw the line at a GOP-favored proposal for the estate tax.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday escalated the Democratic criticism of the agreement and said the estate-tax provision was “a bridge too far.”

The comments by Pelosi and other party leaders reflected widespread anger among House Democrats at the president for caving too early, by their characterization, and essentially leaving them out of final negotiations with Republicans.

While Pelosi retains the Speaker’s gavel for nearly another month, the tax-cut endgame offered a sobering glimpse at life in the House minority, and House Democrats entered a Tuesday night caucus meeting unsure of their leverage in the tax debate.

more...

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/132551...epublicans

[sandnsea]

Well I suppose they have to have something when Republicans start hacking away. It would be nice if they'd, just for once, acknowledge that this is a pretty good short term deal, pass it and move on to DADT.

[Babylonsister]

It gets worse...

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-r...to-wealthy

Labor calls tax deal an 'unconscionable' giveaway to wealthy
By Michael O'Brien - 12/07/10 02:11 PM ET


The AFL-CIO's president condemned President Obama's deal on tax cuts as an "unconscionable" giveaway to wealthy interests.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka slammed the tax deal and joined the ranks of liberals who have expressed disenchantment with the president for having agreed to the two-year extension of all expiring tax cuts.

"Two years ago, working Americans had high hopes that we would ultimately emerge from the deep, punishing financial debacle with a sharp focus on a fundamentally stronger, fairer and more balanced economy," the labor leader said. "Today, that vision has dimmed."

Labor groups have continually sought to pressure the administration to stick to its guns on issues over the last two years, especially when it's come to issues like stimulus spending, healthcare reform and Wall Street reform.

"It is unconscionable that the price of support for struggling middle-class families and workers who have been unable to find jobs for months and months and months is yet more giveaways for our country’s wealthiest families," Trumka said. "Millions of jobless workers have lived in fear for months while Senate Republicans had the gall to use their hardships as political leverage for the benefit of the rich."

[PoliticalTiger]

(12-07-2010 08:03 PM)Babylonsister Wrote:  It gets worse...

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-r...to-wealthy

Labor calls tax deal an 'unconscionable' giveaway to wealthy
By Michael O'Brien - 12/07/10 02:11 PM ET


The AFL-CIO's president condemned President Obama's deal on tax cuts as an "unconscionable" giveaway to wealthy interests.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka slammed the tax deal and joined the ranks of liberals who have expressed disenchantment with the president for having agreed to the two-year extension of all expiring tax cuts.

"Two years ago, working Americans had high hopes that we would ultimately emerge from the deep, punishing financial debacle with a sharp focus on a fundamentally stronger, fairer and more balanced economy," the labor leader said. "Today, that vision has dimmed."

Labor groups have continually sought to pressure the administration to stick to its guns on issues over the last two years, especially when it's come to issues like stimulus spending, healthcare reform and Wall Street reform.

"It is unconscionable that the price of support for struggling middle-class families and workers who have been unable to find jobs for months and months and months is yet more giveaways for our country’s wealthiest families," Trumka said. "Millions of jobless workers have lived in fear for months while Senate Republicans had the gall to use their hardships as political leverage for the benefit of the rich."

I hate to say this, but when I hear reactionary stuff like this, one word comes to mind: JEALOUSY!

It's not like this deal doesn't have anything in it to help the "struggling middle-class families and workers" and the "millions of jobless workers!" Quite the opposite.

The AFL-CIO wants to weaken this Democratic president who has done so much to help labor? That's what I call "unconscionable!"

So the rich get another two years of tax breaks - what's important is that the "struggling middle-class" get tax breaks and jobless keep getting their much needed benefits.

[Babylonsister]

(12-07-2010 09:59 PM)PoliticalTiger Wrote:  

(12-07-2010 08:03 PM)Babylonsister Wrote:  It gets worse...

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-r...to-wealthy

Labor calls tax deal an 'unconscionable' giveaway to wealthy
By Michael O'Brien - 12/07/10 02:11 PM ET


The AFL-CIO's president condemned President Obama's deal on tax cuts as an "unconscionable" giveaway to wealthy interests.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka slammed the tax deal and joined the ranks of liberals who have expressed disenchantment with the president for having agreed to the two-year extension of all expiring tax cuts.

"Two years ago, working Americans had high hopes that we would ultimately emerge from the deep, punishing financial debacle with a sharp focus on a fundamentally stronger, fairer and more balanced economy," the labor leader said. "Today, that vision has dimmed."

Labor groups have continually sought to pressure the administration to stick to its guns on issues over the last two years, especially when it's come to issues like stimulus spending, healthcare reform and Wall Street reform.

"It is unconscionable that the price of support for struggling middle-class families and workers who have been unable to find jobs for months and months and months is yet more giveaways for our country’s wealthiest families," Trumka said. "Millions of jobless workers have lived in fear for months while Senate Republicans had the gall to use their hardships as political leverage for the benefit of the rich."

I hate to say this, but when I hear reactionary stuff like this, one word comes to mind: JEALOUSY!

It's not like this deal doesn't have anything in it to help the "struggling middle-class families and workers" and the "millions of jobless workers!" Quite the opposite.

The AFL-CIO wants to weaken this Democratic president who has done so much to help labor? That's what I call "unconscionable!"

So the rich get another two years of tax breaks - what's important is that the "struggling middle-class" get tax breaks and jobless keep getting their much needed benefits.

I think Trumka has been a strong defender of Obama for a long time, but this crossed the line for him, as it did for so many liberals. Maybe they are righteously pissed, or didn't think it through. I don't know. But I would have a difficult time bashing Trumka for his opinion; he could have been more measured in suggesting some of the positives, very true.

[Born_A_Truman]

Didn't the estate tax go from zero this year to 35% next year? Congress didn't want to deal with this before the mid-term election, but now they want to spend the last month of the lame duck session playing chicken using the unemployed and middle and lower income tax cuts. Now they are brave?

[Kindness of Blue]

It's just incredible to me that more people aren't focused on the enemy. The Republicans' focus is Democrats and Democrats' focus is on the president. How on earth do we fight an enemy that few like Grayson acknowledge? I mean I totally understand the disgust of this tentative deal but really, shouldn't the argument be look at the position we're in because of Republican obstructionism and what they want will actually cause, instead of attacking the president? Jeez, I want congressional leaders to just admit that the president delivered for the poor and middle-class and stop acting like he made a buddy deal with the Republicans just for the helluv it. This is absolutely sickening.

[Cha]

(12-07-2010 08:41 PM)Kindness of Blue Wrote:  It's just incredible to me that more people aren't focused on the enemy. The Republicans' focus is Democrats and Democrats' focus is on the president. How on earth do we fight an enemy that few like Grayson acknowledge? I mean I totally understand the disgust of this tentative deal but really, shouldn't the argument be look at the position we're in because of Republican obstructionism and what they want will actually cause, instead of attacking the president? Jeez, I want congressional leaders to just admit that the president delivered for the poor and middle-class and stop acting like he made a buddy deal with the Republicans just for the helluv it. This is absolutely sickening.

Sounds brilliant to me, Kindness of Blue~

[Babylonsister]

Kindness of Blue, thank you!! You are absolutely correct; the left is so pissed off, no one seems to be mentioning why these measures had to be taken in the first place. And again, the rethugs skate away unscathed. Sucks, doesn't it.

[Kindness of Blue]

(12-07-2010 09:03 PM)Babylonsister Wrote:  Kindness of Blue, thank you!! You are absolutely correct; the left is so pissed off, no one seems to be mentioning why these measures had to be taken in the first place. And again, the rethugs skate away unscathed. Sucks, doesn't it.

Babylonsister, I hate to hang such high hopes on Townsend-Bock's American Bridges, but we really need a focus in the media against the Republicans and the chaos of governing caused by these despicable people. We have to draw the line to galvanize those Independents who only hear Obama-bashing. Watching KO and RM tonight, a little bit about Republicans and the lion share of criticism on the president on what the deal will not do - as if it's a done deal and when Congress couldn't even get itself this far to discuss any damn thing. Now they're acting all big and bad when the president breathed life back into it.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/12...group.html

[SeattleGirl]

I would like to suggest to the Democrats in Congress who are angry about parts of the deal that Obama struck with the Republicans that they use that anger to go after their not so angry counterparts on both sides of the aisle and try some arm twisting.

[Kindness of Blue]

(12-07-2010 09:12 PM)SeattleGirl Wrote:  I would like to suggest to the Democrats in Congress who are angry about parts of the deal that Obama struck with the Republicans that they use that anger to go after their not so angry counterparts on both sides of the aisle and try some arm twisting.

And it's the perfect time to do so, SeattleGirl. The Republicans only compromised thus far because they don't want the label of causing the unemployed to go hungry this holiday.

[SeattleGirl]

(12-07-2010 09:27 PM)Kindness of Blue Wrote:  

(12-07-2010 09:12 PM)SeattleGirl Wrote:  I would like to suggest to the Democrats in Congress who are angry about parts of the deal that Obama struck with the Republicans that they use that anger to go after their not so angry counterparts on both sides of the aisle and try some arm twisting.

And it's the perfect time to do so, SeattleGirl. The Republicans only compromised thus far because they don't want the label of causing the unemployed to go hungry this holiday.

Yep, it is the perfect time. To the extent that the Republicans can be cowed, they are right now, so it's a good time to go at them. If, that is, the Democrats aren't too busy criticizing Obama.

[Willinois]

After two years of being mostly useless, Senate Democrats are finally starting to grow a pair. Good job President Obama!