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Subscribe to RSSSome liberals see President Obama’s concession to Republicans on the Bush tax cuts as the latest in a series of failures: the public option, card check legislation, the list goes on. But how much is his agreement to extend the Bush tax cuts for two years really hurting his 2012 chances? Plus, Mark and Domenico discuss the strategy behind Obama’s passing an extension now, so that Democrats can campaign against it in two years.
Special thanks to Mixed Bag and Salt Grass for the questions!
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Don’t forget to submit questions for the Boiler Room segments next week. Write questions below, post them on our Facebook page, or tweet it, to @NBCFirstRead or @mmurraypolitics or @DomenicoNBC.
Edited by Ali Weinberg. Video was shot by Alexandra Moe and Ali Weinberg.
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Its' not hurting. What will the Assh... uh, Republicans have to use against him in the run up to 2012?
Won't 'reach accross the aisle'?
Wouldn't support a tax policy that everyone KNOWS will bring back the jobs?
What?? Oh, and if the tax breaks (continuances) DO bring back jobs, then unemployment improved on HIS WATCH, right? I guess it will be back to campaigning around teleprompters and birth certificates.
Maybe that he's INCOMPETENT
Maybe that he's EASY TO ROLL Republicans had their way with Obama
You guys are such Drama Queens at MSNBC keep stirring the [political discontent and discourse. I use to think FOX NEWS was bad you guys are getting worse by the day!
Capt.Smash
You guys are such Drama Queens at MSNBC keep stirring the [political discontent and discourse. I use to think FOX NEWS was bad you guys are getting worse by the day!
I couldn't believe they would deviate from the reality. Maybe next week they'll answer why the media and journalist don't hold the Republicans accountable; particularly FOX.
The House Democratic Caucus VOTED NO to Obama's SURRENDER on Taxes
The House Democratic Caucus was heard changing 'JUST SAY NO'
The House Democratic Caucus was heard chanting 'NO WE CAN'T'
HA ! HA !!
INTERCOURSE YOU, Barack !!!
Hope and Change is Really Hoax and Chains
Just say NO to Obama
M.Sierra. In the real world, even your beloved Hillary Clinton would be doing the same thing as President Obama. It isn't the President and it never has been. It isn't the current democratic House because they were able to pass everything they and Obama wanted. It is the fact that the Senate cannot deliver the best version of any legislation because it is being held hostage by the minority. Stop thinking about it being one person's fault because you don't like that person and start putting the blame where it rightfully belongs--the US Senate where the minority rules because of arcane rules that, if continued to be abused, will result in no president, republican or democrat, ever achieving their agenda or even a portion of it--and who suffers, the American people.
The fake filibuster must be removed, the real filibuster must be restored.
Democrat or Republican our Congress was not elected to "Rubber Stamp" anyone's recommendations or Deals. That's the problem with our political it seems if you are a Dem or Republican you must all sing out of the Same Hymn Book
What happended to doing what's right for the American people regardless of which side of the side you sit?
America's Political System has become a Big Game One against the other. Hopefully Americans will see that this system is clearly not working and needs work. Bipartisanship means working together for the best interest of the American people not playing games for Power against the disadvantaged, the least of them.
It's good to see the Dem party have a difference of opinion,, actually it's great for a change. That does not make our President Weak or the Dems angry they are just Doing what we pay them to do.
This is A far cry from just sitting on the sidelines for 2 years Just say No collecting our Tax money to pay their salaries and now holding America's political system Hostage.
I don't agree with My President on this particularly, but that does not change my respect and continuing support him to suceed and for the entire system.
Disagreement is good it makes one reconsider, become team players all the while looking out for the American people.
If we want our congress to be a Rubber Stamp or sing in one Chorus then America is in a lot of trouble.
We pay politicans to lie and we fire the ones that tell the truth
Thanks for answer.
I took the handle Salt Grass form the Salt Grass trail legend. It is a tough grass that can withstand salty environments and is not a reference to any herbal grass, any business or organization with similar names.
I could not think of a pen name as smart as Mark Twain.
Thanks, Mark and Dom for addressing my question.
I saw a breakdown on the spending in the President's tax cut extension proposal, and quite frankly, I can't believe Democrats aren't grabbing this deal while they can.
In this $900 billion piece of legislation, roughly $125 billion goes to extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and the inheritance tax provisions; all the remaining money goes to extending the lower and middle class tax cuts, 13 months of additional unemployment benefits, and a package of measures intended to stimulate the economy.
In January, Democrats lose control of the House with the arrival of 63 new Republican members. Many of these new members ran for office on the issues of debt and deficit spending, and will be much less likely to approve an bill that adds almost $1 trillion in new deficit spending.
The bill you see next year from the new Congress involving reinstitution of the Bush-era tax cuts will be far less favorable to Democrats, with far less spending on their priorities.
If Democrats haven't already gone completely mad...they will when they finally realize what they've done by turning their backs on their own President.
So they'll have to support tax increases and spending cuts while they claim to be about creating more American jobs. Looks like the American electorate will get to see them, the new Republicans, for the liars, and failures, that they are.
Whatever the American electorate thinks of the new Republicans, it clearly prefers them to the record numbers of defeated incumbent Democratic members of Congress the voters are sending home for good in January.
The dems who are going home are the lucky ones. They'll be counting their blessings soon.
You really have to be very good at heart to be a Democrat !!!! Seemingly, it is a God given gift.
Minding about the well being of every individual regardless of whether they are middle class or rich is a difficult task to many people, especially when you as an individual is already rich.
As a rich man, one is likely to fight for his own continued well being just the way rich republican representatives are fighting for their own tax cuts at the expense of the middle class.
Why is it that only these already rich and successful Democrat representatives keep on fighting for tax cuts for the middle class and are ready to have their own taxes go up just to make sure that only the middle class get tax cuts?
Why is it that only these already rich and successful Democrat representatives are always ready to sacrifice their financial circumstances by always agreeing to have their taxes go up for the sake of the middle class?
Why is it that they do not take advantage of their being in Congress to fight for their own tax cuts (tax cut for the already wealthy like them) the way republican representatives do?
Why is it that only Democrat representatives, despite their being wealthy and successful, keep on spending sleepless nights thinking of how the middle class and the low income class can be given tax breaks and not themselves the way republicans do?
Sorry Sam... There are dem's that are voting in their best 'millionaire' interests also. This isn't really a political issue. It's a Gordon Gecko issue. For years, we've been told 'Greed is Good'...
Until it breaks the entire system.
I guess I must be a Socialist. I wish we had a law that said no CEO could make more than 50 times that of their average employee. In the 50's it was 40-1... Last count in '09 was 640-1
And we wonder why car & homes sales have gone south. Only CEO's and Upper Management can afford them! Remember when everyone could afford something new?...
And, your kids will rule the world, cuz we can't afford to educate ours anymore?...
Yup... Great Plan...
Thank you for the interesting stats Lyn. Some years back, the plastics plant I worked in was taken over by a larger outfit that owned four other plants, ours became part of their family. The CEO, Dale, dropped by from time to time to talk to us. Dale was a very nice guy with a happy, positive attitude and everyone liked it when he came by. He didn't understand our operation as well as he thought, however, and made terrible decisions which turned our previously profitable plant into a liability for the family. All the workers in the plant KNEW the things he wanted to try wouldn't work but Dale could not be talked out of then even by our plant manager. Because of Dale's incompetence the plant closed costing all of us our jobs, but Dale carried on, collecting his huge salary as CEO of the remaining plants. Now, I realize that most CEO's do perform their job to acceptable standards but the jobs these upper management types perform is not rocket science, most are no more "talented" than others stuck in lower positions. The worker on the factory floor who learns the shortcuts in his job and learns the quirks of the various machines he operates is often the one who, more than ANY manager, is able to maximize the quality and quantity of production. These CEO's and upper management types often do little more than attend endless, pointless meetings and go golfing with others like themselves, then give themselves huge bonuses, arrogantly assuming they are the be all and end all of the companies' success. The workers on the factory floor are pushed harder and harder, the excess is always in the front office. The incomes of these useless "suits" are also protected by the republicans' refusal to do anything for the country until the tax cut is extended, not just the small business owner.
I did not vote for Obama, but he got a ton, in a very bad position, and he was put into the corner before December by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Neither did their jobs. They should have negotiated months ago, before 11/2, and they should have offset ui months ago with cuts, in order to not have it run out just after the shellacking they took.
I agree. Pres Obama urged Congress to get the tax issue resolved BEFORE the election. They wimped out and now they're whining because Pres Obama was forced to compromise with the GOP when they were the ones who forced that compromise.
Valid points Bob and Jody but that doesn't mean it is the right thing to give in to the thugs now. Obama has a long history of cowering in the face of adversity, there were voices warning of this even as Obama campaigned.