As is typical with such exercises, the idea that this money is actually already spent is not interesting, and so they go and spend it again as if it was candy.

UT, I posted this to give people an idea of the amounts of $ involved.

This action by Obama is major, as seen by the reaction of some Democrats,
but more importantly... Merc has now started defending Obama ;)

Did you feel that earthquake ?

Pelosi got lots of good things passed in the House, but at what point was her say given more weight than that of conservative Democrats in the Senate?

She is an interesting mix of liberalism and old "boy" networking. Instead of honestly fighting for a true single payer system she chose the political expediency of a system that will eventually destroy employer-based private health insurance which imho will be much more painful in transition than an honestly planned change-over. She presided over a bank bailout without improved anti-monopoly rules. I know you have a bone to pick with conservative democrats and they had their part to play but she was the leader. Her tone has always been to placate the left with their unrealistic visions of how economies work so her face-time in front of the cameras always helps the GOP.

If Obama can show himself to be a middle way between the factions of true-believers, he could pull a Clinton and actually get some of America's work done.

The House versions of bills have almost invariably been better than the Senate versions. And then the House is pressured to just accept the Senate version instead of going through conference because of how awful Senate procedure would be if they had to vote on the conferenced version. She's only the leader of the House, which has been completely sidelined in this Congress.

She has been given hardly any say. I know that some people hate her so much that they don't want her to have any, but I'm not sure how anybody else could think that she's been given to much.

Won't Senate Majority Leader Reid be surprised if one or more of them pass ? :right:


In political gamble, Reid seeks votes that are sure to fail
By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 8, 2010; 3:22 PM

I don't know if this should be here or in the oxymoron thread.

Now while the Obama-Republican tax-cut Bill is being written up,
there is a lot of turmoil among the congressional members.
The TV talking heads are interviewing members on both the Dem and Rep sides.

One Republican said, We should be less polarized :D

Yeah, they tend to get all magnanimous and cutesy when they kind of get their way. Like children.

Fox News
12/09/10

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
House, Senate on Collision Course After Dems Reject Tax Cut Bill
Go Oregon ! :biggrin:

I've cited Fox News a couple of times... now comes The Young Turks:

And if everyone's taxes go up 1 Jan 11 it will all be in the lap of the Dems. Another nail in the coffin.

David Brooks expresses a middle right view...

The fact is, Obama and the Democrats have had an excellent week. The White House negotiators did an outstanding job for their side. With little leverage, they got not only the unemployment insurance, but also an Earned Income Tax Credit provision, a college scholarship provision and other Democratic goodies. With little leverage, they got a package that could win grudging praise from big-name liberal groups like the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Center for American Progress.

Moreover, Obama has put himself in a position to govern again. The package is popular. According to the most recent Gallup numbers, 67 percent of independents and 52 percent of Democrats support extending all the tax cuts. Higher numbers support extending the unemployment insurance. Obama is reminding independents why they liked him in the first place.

The US is in too fragile a place for partisan politics. Some politicians in both major parties get that. I also read that Obama is going to work on the tax code, which needs major revamping.

Heard Obama on the radio this morning saying he wanted to tackle the US Tax code next year. Of course the devil is in the details, but that's very interesting and encouraging.

I heard this too, seems like a way to get the dems who want to extend unemployment but not tax cuts for the wealthy "hey, just vote it through and we'll fix it all properly next year"

NY Times
Republicans Block U.S. Health Aid for 9/11 Workers