I've just read something that allows me to define very clearly one of the main reasons that I, and I think a lot of others, are extremely angry right now.
I just read Dana Milbank's Washington Post column entitled: "Obama Finally Stands His Ground".
Some choice quotes:
This is a hopeful sign that Obama has learned the lessons of the health-care debate, when he acceded too easily to the wishes of Hill Democrats, allowing them to slow the legislation and engage in a protracted debate on the public option... Things began the same way this time. The White House left matters up to congressional Democrats, who postponed a vote on taxes until after the election. But when lawmakers continued their foot-dragging, Obama cut them out of the negotiations.
The delaying until after the election is true, but the Democrats passed bills in both the House and Senate, bills cutting taxes for the first $250,000 dollars of wealth for all Americans, which is all of the wealth of 98% of Americans. That could have been signed into law already - so much for footdragging.
He then says
The rift isn't about ideology; Obama knows as well as DeFazio does ( the Representative who authored a resolution against the proposed Obama/McConnell bill) that cutting the estate tax is a dumb way to stimulate the economy.
acknowledging that we are throwing away money towards job creation that we can ill afford to waste, in the name of political strategizing.
Milbank ends with this gem:
Obama will almost certainly prevail. There are enough votes in the Senate to pass the compromise, and House Democrats will then surrender - or face long-term minority status as the ones who raised taxes on all Americans and sent the economy into a double dip. The symbolic protest will be the sad last act of Nancy Pelosi's speakership.
Let me repeat. The Democrats already voted in both houses to block tax hikes on all Americans, for wealth up to $250,000. The Senate even voted to block a hike on taxes on wealth up to $1,000,000 ! It is the Republicans who have voted to raise taxes on all Americans, for wealth up to $1,000,000 !
It is pure propaganda to say Democrats woud raise taxes on all Americans, when letting tax cuts on high incomes expire affects the wealth of a tiny fraction of people. It is the other party that is raising taxes on everyone! If this is what ultimately happens, and they apparently are willing to let it happen if they don't get their way, then it is on them! Why does Milbank, and the rest of the media get to frame the issue in a way that blames it on Democrats? If you make a compromise that goes 99% of the way, then that isn't far enough? It is a complete reversal of reality!
Ok, I've been bombarded with the "it takes 60 votes" cold water reality bath - although Bush got to impose trillions of debt without a supermajority. But selling this to the American people as being the Democrats' rather than Republicans' responsibility for the damage being wrought allows them to wreak their havoc almost invisibly. You wonder how they can get policy enacted that clearly will damage the economy, and is clearly not what Americans want? This is how! The mainstream media has us all living in a fantasy land!