On 2010-11-15, at 2:29 PM, Miles Jackson wrote:
> On 11/15/2010 9:35 AM, Doug Henwood wrote:
>> On Nov 15, 2010, at 11:53 AM, Carrol Cox wrote:
>>
>>> My point, I'm afraid, also involves some guessing at hidden intentions --
>>> but that merely puts the two hypotheses (delusional or "crazy like a fox")
>>> on an even keel.
>> Does this notion of rationality including losing the 2012 election?
>>
>> Doug
>
> That's what I don't get; it's a losing political strategy. A little FDR-style "they are unanimous in their hate for me and I welcome their hatred" rhetoric would be politically astute right now.
Heh. Some "fox". More like the gift that keeps on giving to a Republican opposition which was given up for dead after the 2008 election. A tougher Democratic politician would have taken the latest tax cut issue and run with it. It makes political and fiscal sense. The surest indication that it was a winning issue is how eagerly and uncharacteristically the Republicans, not least tea party champion Jim DeMint, have leapt at Obama's offer to compromise.
* * *
Republicans urged to compromise on Bush-era tax cuts Financial Times By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington November 14 2010
The Republican leadership should settle on a compromise with the White House for a temporary extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, says an influential conservative senator.
When asked whether he could agree to a two- or three-year extension of the tax cuts for families earning more than $250,000 a year, Jim DeMint, a Republican lawmaker from South Carolina, said: “If that’s all we could get out of the president, then he is the president, so we’ll work with him on that.”
The remarks on Fox News on Sunday were significant because Mr DeMint has gained stature within the Republican ranks as the de facto leader of the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement.
There is broad agreement on both sides of the aisle that the tax cuts should be permanently extended for middle-class households. David Axelrod, chief adviser to US president Barack Obama, on Sunday reiterated that there would be “no bend” on the proposal espoused by some Republicans that the tax cuts should also be extended permanently for the wealthy.
Such an extension would add $700bn to the US deficit over 10 years.
In the immediate aftermath of Republican victory in this month’s congressional elections, it looked like the new majority in the House of Representatives was prepared to play hardball with the White House, digging in their heels for a big fight to extend all of the cuts permanently.
Initially, incoming House Speaker John Boehner said extending all the tax cuts would “reduce uncertainty”. But the Republican stance has softened slightly and the White House has repeatedly said it is open to negotiations.
The parties will meet at the White House this week to discuss a potential deal. Mr Obama could also seek to make inroads on a plan to limit so-called “earmarks” – lawmakers’ pet projects that are tacked on to legislation. Republicans in the House are expected to vote this week to put a temporary moratorium on earmarks even though Mitch McConnell, Republican leader in the Senate, has said such a ban would not have a marked effect on spending.
Mr DeMint on Sunday said he disagreed with Mr McConnell and that there were enough Republican votes in the Senate to defy the party leader.
Mr DeMint said he was a “recovering earmarker” who had gone “cold turkey” four years ago. “Thankfully, there’s support groups all over the country, and they’re called Tea Parties.”
Mr McConnell has sponsored or co-sponsored $113m in earmark requests in 2010, including a $12m allotment for a BAE defence project in his home state of Kentucky.
Separately, Mr Axelrod said he planned to leave the White House in late winter or early spring to prepare for Mr Obama’s re-election campaign.