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June 19, 2013
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 Hold Your Nose and Vote ‘Aye’Posted on Dec 9, 2010Approve the lousy deal. It pains me to write those words, because the agreement President Barack Obama negotiated with Republicans on tax cuts is really quite awful. I know that some progressives have come to see the package as a cleverly disguised “second stimulus,” but they’re just rationalizing. The fact is that nobody would start from scratch and design an economic boost offering so little bang for so many bucks. For a two-year cost of nearly $1 trillion, we get a bit more than $300 billion worth of new measures that are truly stimulative: a cut in the payroll tax, a provision allowing businesses to write off capital investment and an extension of unemployment benefits. We’ll spend the rest—I should say borrow the rest, then spend it—to continue existing tax breaks that obviously are not roaring engines of job growth. The deal invests basically nothing in the nation’s future. We need to be channeling money into education and clean energy, where it can help the United States remain competitive against China and other economic rivals—not into the well-stuffed bank accounts of the rich. Yet congressional Democrats have no real choice but to hold their noses, approve the thing and live to fight another day. The opportunity to shape a better deal—one without those unnecessary, unfair and supremely galling tax cuts for households making more than $250,000 a year—is long gone. Advertisement The Democrats do have public opinion on their side—or had it, at least. Polls showing that a substantial majority of Americans opposed extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich were far more meaningful before the deal was announced. Now the calculus has shifted, and not in a good way. Looking at the agreement, you’d never imagine the federal government was running a deficit. Before the deal was sealed, Democrats argued that it was unconscionable to continue a huge tax break for the rich at a time when the nation is so deeply in debt. Republicans argued that it was irresponsible to keep extending unemployment benefits without paying for them by cutting something else. The solution? Do both. I guess this makes the package unconscionable and irresponsible, but never mind. Oh, and let’s extend the middle-class tax cuts, too. It’s as if a shiny, expensive, prettily wrapped present has been placed under the Christmas tree. The political question is whether anyone will dare to snatch it away. Six months ago, Democrats could have refused to compromise—and forced the GOP to play its hand on the “millionaires’ tax cut” before the election. Obama and congressional leaders could have gotten a better deal and maybe—who knows?—even saved a few seats. But as much as I sympathize with the progressives who are ready to man the barricades, let’s be real. Killing the deal now would mean a middle-class tax increase, no extended unemployment benefits and no payroll tax holiday. Voters would surely feel they had been robbed—and Democrats, perhaps unfairly, would get the blame. As I said, this is painful. Democrats in Congress are understandably irate at being lectured so sternly by a president for whom ending the tax cuts for the wealthy was so important that it was non-negotiable—until he negotiated it away. It’s a sad story, for the country and especially for the Democratic Party. I believe the White House continues to underestimate the anger and disillusionment among the party’s loyal base—and the need for some victories, or at least some heroic battles, to lift the spirits of the faithful. Obama needs to train his newfound passion and outrage on his foes in the GOP, not on the friends and supporters that his press secretary once derisively called the “professional left.” Pyrrhic victories don’t make anything better, however. And that’s what killing the tax cut deal would clearly be. Eugene Robinson’s e-mail address is eugenerobinson(at)washpost.com.  TAGS:
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By Mr Ed, December 10, 2010 at 6:07 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Well. Be careful when someone puts their trust in government to do the right
Report thisthing some time down the road, especially when the author states, “....approve the
thing and live to fight another day.” Pres Obama has proven he is not up to the
task and can’t be depended on to fix the program. A President who sets up a
Deficit Commission with deficit hawks as the chairs does not give anyone
confidence and can’t be counted on.
By de profundis clamavi, December 10, 2010 at 5:14 am Link to this comment
Eugene Robinson is a blind and deaf Obama loyalist who will say anything to justify and defend the President.
This tax cut deal is much, much worse than a temporary embarrassment and setback.
It shows Republicans that they have broken the weak will of the White House and that now they can manipulate the President to exert pressure on congressional Democrats. Republicans can only be expected to become even more intrasigent and extremist, if that’s possible, thanks to Ho’bama’s continuous heavy breathing and cooing at them that he’d like to know if there is anything he can do . . . anything at all . . . to offer them a deal they can slip into comfortably . . .
The deal will also worsen the federal fiscal position, adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt, reducing Social Security revenues, and thus adding budgetary pressure to cut Social Security and other social welfare programs that all Americans (except the richest 2%) depend on.
The “compromise” is not merely distasteful, it is a Trojan Horse.
Report thisBy Not One More!, December 10, 2010 at 4:48 am Link to this comment
When Obama’s 2012 reelection is going to occur, I’m sure this author will again say ‘hold your nose and vote for Obama.’
The democrats, and Obama, would rather vote for republican policy than progressive policy, and that reiterates the futility of voting democrats time and time again, and expecting a different outcome.
The democratic party apologists defending Obama and the policies ‘he has to carry out’ sounds as ‘sincere’ as the Vatican apologists in the sex scandal cover up.
“I’d rather vote for what I want and not get it than vote for what I don’t want, and get it.” - Eugene Debs
I’ve voted third party in the last 3 presidential elections, and I have no regrets but one, that my candidate didn’t win.
Report thisBy glider, December 10, 2010 at 4:13 am Link to this comment
“live to fight another day”
Don’t hold your breath waiting for that day. To cave is to offer the American public no option. Vote Dem and you get Republican, Vote Republican and you get Republican. Unilateral “Bipartisianship” is Totalitarianism.
Take a stand or get out of government!
Report thisBy Leefeller, December 10, 2010 at 3:32 am Link to this comment
Holding ones nose when voting must be a common occurrence, I have been doing it for years!
Report thisBy Leefeller, December 10, 2010 at 3:28 am Link to this comment
Good one Gerard and credit to Tao WAlker’s most profound comment when he stated “We are all Indians now”; with a slight change!
We are all Palestinians now!
Report thisBy mdgr, December 10, 2010 at 2:53 am Link to this comment
The title of your article speaks for itself, Eugene. There is no end to your pusillanimousness, and that’s also true for Obama.
I suspect the dynamic is similar.
Have you ever considered not holding your nose and just doing what is right??
Report thisBy mack894, December 10, 2010 at 1:02 am Link to this comment
“Six months ago, Democrats could have refused to compromise—and forced
the GOP to play its hand on the “millionaires’ tax cut” before the election.
Obama and congressional leaders could have gotten a better deal and maybe—
who knows?—even saved a few seats.”
Why didn’t they? Why was this left until the very last minute? If I did something
like this at work, overlooked a key task that required planning, strategy, timing,
I would be fired immediately.
No corporation would let something like this go knowing the consequences of
loss—and this is a loss; it’s not a compromise.
Sorry, Eugene. We can’t help but hold our noses, but voting is out of the
question…at least for me. I believe President Obama wants this approved to
assuage his own guilt for having let these unemployed people down,
unemployed because of banks to whom we gave billions and billions—trillions
loaned by the Fed Reserve—and no mortgage help.
Pres Obama—hire some decent help.
Report thisBy marcus medler, December 10, 2010 at 12:52 am Link to this comment
nonsense- vote for crap! this is a bad bill, you agree, but it will be ok just hold
your nose. Is that what the enabling priest said when a boy came to report
molestation.—what about the people how long are we to hold our noses. This
type of excuse by comfortable wishy washies must stop!
I suppose the American reps. were immune to stench as they held their noses
for 70 years over the issue of slavery. Boy, they showed real understanding of
christian slave holders. We will wait and slavery will whither in time (well the
shit was all over millions)- yes ever one except those that held people as
property held their noses- But not John Quincy Adams—and we remember
him, not those that held their nose and placated the owners of other humans.
GET WITH IT - hey try living on minimum wages esp.. if you need to pay for
Report thisprivate health insurance.
By R. McGrath, December 10, 2010 at 12:50 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Compromise after compromise, betrayal after betrayal; liberals and democrats
have made obvious to the majority their constituency what has been painfully
obvious to the true left for a long time. They are weak, morally ambiguous
statesmen, who, as Sorel said, need to have their heads constantly held to the
fire by a militant working class. When the working class in the U.S. was
destroyed, the “professional left” joined the ranks of the rich and powerful, just
as they’ve always wanted to. The ghost of the left has now become the right,
and most of the traditional right has joined with the far-right capitalist lunatic
fringe. This is not the beginning of the end, but instead is a guarantee of it.
The hallmarks of the present state of the western civilization include an
inability to think, particularly the inability to place events and ideas in context, a
complete lack of empathy and compassion for humans and other forms of life,
spiritual exhaustion, and a lack of courage to do what is necessary in order to
save our species. Part of me hopes that mankind, if it survives what is coming,
will find some type of spiritual and emotional renewal: even something so
simple as learning how to be human again would be wonderful.
This article probably didn’t deserve such a rant. But, then again, reading
Report thisarticles like this from people on the supposed “left” just make me sick. Talk
about the straw that broke the camel’s back!
By G.Anderson, December 10, 2010 at 12:49 am Link to this comment
I’m sure your patting yourself on the back Eugene, for seeming to be so reasonable, in what you believe is making the best of a bad situation.
However, reasons, often are little more than rationalizations, a game of hide and seek with the truth.
Well sometimes when you step in horseshit, it stays on your shoes a long time. It’s going to be very long time before the horseshit comes off on this one, maybe never.
The ability of the Democrat party to convince the dead peasants that they know best, that their words, can fill stomachs, provide jobs, and make everything wonderful again, is gone.
Turning, the clock back, to 10 years ago, when the faux bubble was created, and began to grow legs. Isn’t going to happen, because it was just a pyramid game. And the bankers already cashed out.
Once Obama signs this bill, I’m sure that there will be all sorts of talk about, how necesary it was…
But his ability to lead his party, or the American people will be over, he might as well pack his suitcase and go home..
Because, people will not remember a single thing he says.. Because of the all pervasive stink of his adminstration…
And that stink will remain for a long long time, because it’s much more real than another verbal jerk off.
Report thisBy mack894, December 10, 2010 at 12:34 am Link to this comment
These dems know that this vote will be on their permanent record, a stain from
having broken a promise on an issue they’ve been determined to deal with for
years.
I don’t get it. The president acts like he was surprised by this move. What was
his plan for the past couple of years for dumping this tax cut? Surely he and
the dems held some strategy sessions? Talked about it?
This isn’t a deal—it’s an approval of the Republican agenda. It’s insulting and
it promises nothing—are we to rely on the 2% that this time they’ll really
stimulate the economy, create jobs, etc? Is there a guarantee?
And, yes, it’s insulting that the blame for this, the finger pointing, is at those
who protest it as a bunch of crap. It’s not my fault. I wasn’t in charge. I wasn’t
responsible for keeping a promise.
I don’t think I could vote for it either. We the people tread water; the rich get a
Report thiscruise ship.
By gerard, December 10, 2010 at 12:28 am Link to this comment
It’s almost as if Washington and New York had decided that they are Israel, and that they can cut off the rest of the world from access to water, air, food, jobs, income, rights, health care and every other possibility for living a decent life. We are all Palestinians, and the corporate “settlers” are encroaching on our rights. If we don’t resist in every way we can and make changes to stop war, robbery and unfair distribution, we will not have the means to survive.
Report thisWhat a sick picture American capitalism is these days. The Samson option is upon us, pulling everything down, even though it destroys the giant engine of planetary life itself.
It will take a lot of worldwide internet cooperation and courageous, creative public action from masses of very knowledgeable and committed
“conscientious objectors” to stop it.
Speak truth to power.
By Kath Cantarella, December 10, 2010 at 12:03 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
One half of Congress seems too normal and afraid of the other irrational mafioso half to be effective. Maybe if the normals (D or R) start behaving like irresponsible lunatics to the point of shutting down the government rather than capitulating to the immoral demands of rich men and their political hacks, they’ll start to scare the bejesus out of the others and get some real power back.
That’s all i got. i got nothing.
Report thisBy Inherit The Wind, December 9, 2010 at 11:45 pm Link to this comment
Right. And help the GOP move MORE wealth into fewer and fewer hands.
As Sen. Franken said: 1 year of unemployment benefits for 2 years of tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans is just a plain lousy deal.
(Avg: $85,000 for those making over $250,000, $100,000 for those making over $1,000,000)
Plus it’s a trap: As the expiration date is approaching in 2 years the GOPers will have the PERFECT election issue in 2012.
It’s a terrible, shitty, horrible deal that will UNNECESSARILY put us even deeper into the debt sewer.
DON’T LET THIS GOP PHONY BILL PASS!
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