Liberal Attacks, Republican Obstruction

"While Liberals Attack Obama, The Real Story, Ongoing Republican Obstruction, Is All But Ignored" by v. johns

I wanted to wait until after Keith Olbermann’s show to write this post. But after listening to a full day of mostly pointless jabber on Obama’s press conference and his tax-cut deal with the Republicans, I just can’t take it anymore!

As I have stated before, I don’t believe that people should be so caught up in their own ideas that they can’t consider other people’s ideas. That goes not only for the tea party, and the Republican establishment that uses them to cull power, it also goes for Democrats and Liberals, as well. After watching Obama’s press conference today, on my favorite TV news program, News Nation with Tamron Hall, I’ve had to sit through a whole day of analysts and pundits missing the entire point of Obama’s press conference. His sincere effort to explain and define what separates Democrats from Republicans, on the Bush tax-cut debate, was all but ignored by the liberal media, while his deal with an otherwise uncooperative Republican leadership was lambasted and denounced as a shameless giveaway to the rich.

From my point of view, Obama spent most of the press conference drawing a stark contrast between the himself and the Republican leadership by painting Democrats as champions of the middle class and the poor and referring to the Republicans, indirectly, as “hostage takers.” Folks, this is some strong language! Yet, the minute Obama finishes his press conference, the people who support the Republicans are grinning and smirking and claiming some sort of victory, while the people who side with House Democrats are labeling his press conference as a chastising of his progressive base? You’re kidding me, right?

Before going any further, let me list some things that will benefit the middle class and the poor, should this bill proceed. They are:

• A 13-month extension of unemployment
• A 2% payroll tax cut
• An extension of Bush’s tax cuts for the middle class
• An earned income tax credit which Obama says “helps families climb out of poverty.” 
• A child tax credit which Obama says “makes sure (that) families don’t see their taxes jump up $1000 per child.”
• An American Opportunity tax credit for college students which Obama says “ensures over 8 million students and their families don’t suddenly see the cost of college shooting up.”

(Ref: B. Obama, via MSNBC, Dec. 6, 2010)

ALL THIS, listed above, in exchange for what Obama calls the most important item EVER for Republicans: Tax cuts for the rich (along with a reduced rate at a higher level of income on a reinstated estate tax). BIG freakin’ deal! I might add that Obama said that these things, small as they may seem to some apparently happily employed Liberals, will help the “folks hardest hit by the recession.” So, what’s the damn problem?

It really pains me that a press conference designed to address an emergency situation, while exposing and amplifying the Republican’s unabashed support for the rich, has been turned into an alleged “Obama tax cut for the rich” proposal (that will add another 900 billion dollars to the deficit). All of a sudden “big, bold progress” Liberals are concerned about a 9-years old budget deficit. You mean to tell me that his deficit obsession nonsense, which no one is really serious about, has gotten so far out of hand that Democrats and Liberals are out-obsessing the tea party folks over irresponsible borrowing that Began in Bush’s first year in office?

I agree with Obama. Now is simply just not the time for an unnecessarily long and protracted debate over something that can better be addressed down the road. Christmas is almost here and for 4-7 million people to have to be going into a sensitive major holiday with no unemployment coverage and into a new year with immediately increased taxes, on Jan. 1, that would threaten consumer spending, is something I never imagined that the Democrats and Liberals would even entertain playing with. This is not ‘94. Sixty votes RULE! And the unemployment rate has inched up from 9.6 to 9.8 as of THIS November! This is NO TIME for arguments and games!

There’s an old saying in the African American community, here in the South: “Sometimes you’ve got to take the good with the bad.” Obama’s reluctant – reluctant - compromise with those who dare rob others of their meal proves this and shows that, at the end of the day, the only thing that counts is food on the table! I wasn’t so sure if he really understood this before, even though I voted for him in ‘08, but I’m thoroughly convinced that he does now. As far as I’m concerned, Obama seems to be the only adult in the room, as of late.

What happened today, in the Liberal media, amounts to three people being tied up in chairs (Obama, Liberals, American public), with one (Liberals) cursing and swatting at another (Obama) even though he’s found a way to escape, get medical attention for one of them (American public) AND club the bad guys (Republicans) over the head. I’m severely embarrassed that on a day when the President of the United States has taken a solid position and come up with a workable alternative to a potential “protracted battle” over taxes and unemployment coverage (GOING INTO THE HOLIDAYS), I have to watch analysts, pundits, activists and lawmakers, on MSNBC and elsewhere, ignore the President’s potential victories, on behalf of the middle class and the poor, and paint the whole press conference as an issue of… Obama vs. his “base?”

Obama’s “base” is not simply Democrats and Liberals. His base is who he keeps referring to: the American people. We’re tired of ideological debate. We want results! We want them NOW!

While I understand and support the arguments and concerns being presented by House Democrats and Liberals, to present Obama’s attempt to protect the middle class and the poor, as much as possible, before Republicans take over the House next year, as an attack on or admonishment of his own base as a headlining issue is simply misguided and irresponsible. Obama, in his press conference, not only painted a picture of middle-class oriented Democrats vs. “For-the-rich” Republicans, he also signaled that he’s got something up his sleeve for how he’s going to deal with them when they come back into power next year (Put up or shut up on tax reform and the deficit). Not only did he make a valid case for compromise, he also laid out a viable strategy for how to proceed once the suddenly fired up Congressional Democrats become reduced in numbers and in power after this month. How could anyone with a brain have missed ALL THIS?

With all the confusion, squandered votes and silly mistakes that have been committed by the present Democratic majority, in Congress, in the last two years, despite their majority, I don’t want to hear another word on Obama’s faults. Because, while the President is playing three-dimensional chess and thinking light years ahead, on behalf of the American people, his cohorts are stuck on dominoes-and-checkers politics. Rather than echoing Obama’s fleshing out of the for-the-rich Republicans, and saying “Yeah! We agree! The Republicans are why we have to have this bum deal!” Liberals have instead chosen to attack him and threaten him with abandonment and primary challengers.

Oddly enough, as Obama seems to silently understand, the Republicans are the ones who are going to get screwed in the long-run. They didn’t require their tax cuts for the rich to be extended permanently. Big mistake. BIG mistake! And when it’s time to roll up some sleeves and actually get the deficit under control for real – for real, for real - the Republicans are going to look even more foolish and out of touch than they (and their Congressional Democratic counterparts) look now. It’s my humble calculation that Obama is calmly and silently preparing to mount a serious and thoughtful challenge to Republican political tom foolery, in the next two years, as the American public becomes less and less tolerant of gridlock and games. 

Come State of the Union, the game is going to change and those who choose rhetoric over results are going to have to explain themselves. And whether Boehner or McConnell know it or not, they haven’t been given a mandate, they’ve actually been put on notice. The American people’s patience is wearing thin!

This is all I have to say on this matter, for now. Bravo to Chris Mathews on recognizing the political reality behind the President’s decision. Keith has said his piece. Ed as well. Rachel too. I respectfully disagree with them, and others, as well, just on this one issue, but I do feel their pain. And upon completing this post, at this time, I’m happy to see that Lawrence O’Donnell, in addition to myself and Chris, supports Obama’s position, as well.

So… Bravo, Mr. President! Bravo!