President Barack Obama took a gamble when he handed Congressional leaders his proposed budget and told them to fill in the details.
“Now, wait just a minute” and “No dice” are phrases coming not from Republicans, but from members of the president’s own party.
The first kick in the teeth of Obama’s health-care reform dreams came from the chairmen of the House and Senate tax-writing committees – Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Max Baucus (D-MT).
The two Democrats have objected to Obama’s plan to limit tax deductions for the wealthiest 1.2 percent of taxpayers in order to pay for such reform. Their objection? Charities will be hurt.
The White House pushed back, saying “the impact on charitable giving would be small.”
Democratic leaders are chipping away at other Obama proposals involving energy, climate change, Medicare, Medicaid and subsidies to big farmers and agribusiness - in apparent constituency- or regional-oriented biases and outright power struggles.
Once more, nothing best expresses this inner-party struggle like the words of Walt Kelly’s “Pogo:” “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
An article by New York Times writers Jackie Calmes and Carl Hulse - “Obama’s Budget Faces Test Among Party Barons” – exposes this inner-party conflict and is essential to understanding what Obama is up against.
Unless, of course, you’re a Democrat and just want to go ahead and shoot yourself in the foot and get it over with.
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demwit
Chronicling the absurd, the obnoxious, the outright lies, the occasional truths and the downright mystical out of the mouths of politicians and pundits.
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4 comments:
Remember the controlled language of Robert Gates when asked the question on "Meet the Press" about the difference between President Obama and the pukey, snot-nosed dork that preceeded him? Gates said Obama makes a point of getting an opinion from everyone, even if they don't offer one during the meeting. Frodo thinks this is what you're seeing; that Obama is giving everybody the opportunity to get input, and to be on the record.
Smart, very smart!
I don't know Frodo....
Don't forget that Democrats are almost as responsible for the existing "easy on the rich because they invest in business and employ people" mega-multi billionaire tax structure as the Republicans. How many decades have the rich been getting away with paying 15% but only if they choose to keep money in the U.S.?
It could take threats of outing their sexual escapades to get them to vote against their personal interests and for the people.
Tiny firmly believes the people should ban together to remove our tax dollars for the politicians one-payer insurance premiums and let them pay their own; lower their pay to comport with workers in the private sector jobs; insist that each takes a second job in the service sector to aid the poor, sick and homeless. Cut their pay rate to the same percentage they are cutting Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, education, etc.
Everyone sign petitions vowing to vote for no-one who takes money or favors from big business and/or lobbyists.
There's more than one way to skin a cat and it's high time some of them are implemented.
Frodo, you cannot always twist a story to make Obama look brilliant. I think it would be very helpful if you actually read the proffered article. I found it very informative. BJ
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