It is the nature of American politics and our modern media environment that presidents almost always win political standoffs with Congress, especially when their very public stands seem principled and have popular support. This is why it pains me when people pretend that Obama got the best deal he could on the Bush tax rates. [...]

President Obama couldn’t get his deficit commission to agree on a plan to cut Social Security, so they’re setting up a plan whereby the GOP “makes them do it” as the price of raising the debt ceiling: Congress is expected to vote sometime in the first half of next year on legislation to raise the [...]

Our long-term deficit problem is due basically to the incredibly high cost of health care if we fixed that we won’t have a long term deficit problem. The reason our health care costs so much is that Congress allows providers to engage in practices that rip off the public and the government. A great example [...]

President Obama seems remarkably proud of himself for the many “concessions” he won from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as part of their deal to extend all the Bush tax cuts for two years. The administration has really tried to spin the “success” of this deal by claiming Obama got $238 billion in spending while the [...]

For most of the year, Washington is overrun with deficit hysteria, but right now is that special, magical time of the year. No I’m not talking about Christmas! I’m talking about the joyous season of the January 1 scheduled end of temporary tax provisions that would increase rates for the ultra wealthy and end select [...]

The House Democratic caucus voted today to reject the Obama-McConnell tax deal. From Sam Stein: In a meeting on Thursday morning, the House Democratic caucus rejected the president’s proposed deal on the Bush tax cuts but did not fully submarine the possibility of its passage, multiple sources tell The Huffington Post. Members, by voice vote, [...]

Today, in a pathetic attempt at fear mongering to get Congressional Democrats to vote for a massive transfer of wealth to the rich, Larry Summers, Barack Obama’s outgoing National Economic Council chief, told reporters that failure to pass the Obama-McConnell extension of the Bush tax cuts could leed to total DOOM! a double-dip recession. From [...]

I frankly don’t even know how this is nonsense is possible given that the most recent Bloomberg poll taken during and after the deal was announced shows that keeping the tax cuts for the wealthy is unpopular, with only a third of Americans supporting even temporarily keeping the highest tax rate low. By the same token almost every recent poll before the deal was announced, like this CBS News poll, showed the public is behind the original Democratic position about ending the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000 and oppose extending all the tax cuts.

If you’re one of the 99ers who doesn’t know how your bills are going to be paid after the end of the year, give Jared Polis a call and ask him. This deal will be great for him. Maybe he can tell you why it’s good for you, too.

Washington DC: phone 202.225.2161, fax 202.226.7840
Boulder: phone 303.484.9596, fax 303.568.9007
Frisco: phone 970.668.3240, fax 970.668.9679
Thornton: phone 303.287.4159, fax 303.287.4385

Please watch every minute of this. Olbermann’s Special Comment about the McConnell-Obama tax cut deal is deeply and profoundly right.