First there is this from The Hill:
President Obama needs to start acting like a Democrat by not caving for a second time and allowing the George W. Bush-era tax rates on the wealthy to expire, according to a founding member of the House Progressive Caucus.
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said on MSNBC Monday night that he and other liberal Democrats are hoping to apply enough pressure on Obama to make him “act like a Democrat.”
He also said the last Democratic-controlled Congress made a mistake in not pushing Obama more.
“Well, in my opinion that’s what the House did wrong in the last Congress, and in part why we lost is we never pushed back no matter how wrong he was or how off-base he was; we never pushed back,” DeFazio said.
Obama caved in December by breaking a campaign promise to let the Bush-era tax rates on the wealthy expire, DeFazio said.
“Remember, the president did run on that, and he did cave on it in December,” DeFazio said.
As a result, if Obama calls for an end to the Bush tax rates on the wealthy in a Wednesday speech on the deficit, DeFazio said it would be a small step.
To really bring down the deficit, “it’s got to be more — honestly — than just the top-bracket tax cuts,” DeFazio said.
The 13-term Democrat said all of the Bush tax rates should be allowed to expire, including those on the middle class. He said this would mean a significant tax hike for wealthier people and a more moderate tax increase for the middle class that would return the nation to Clinton-era tax rates, when he said the government balanced the budget.
Obama supports ending Bush tax rates on families with income above $250,000, but would extend the lower tax rates on people under that threshold. The White House has said Obama will lay out new plans for tackling the deficit in a Wednesday speech.
Funny how Democrats acts like spoiled rotten children, when they are not holding the ball anymore.
Then there is this via New York Daily News:
New York’s congressional delegation trashed President Obama’s budget compromise Monday, calling it “irresponsible,” “dangerous” and “immoral.”
“What [Obama has] done politically does not fit what I think should be done morally,” said Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem), who signaled plans to vote against the budget this week. “My community got a lousy deal in view of the resources that this great nation has.”
Obama reached an 11th-hour compromise late Friday that narrowly averted a government shutdown by slashing $38.5 billion in federal spending over the next six months.
It’s not clear how much of that cut will affect New York – but local pols say the city will suffer more than most.
“The budget…will hurt New York City terribly,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan). “Many of the things hurt like mass transit and public housing funds are particularly New York oriented.”
The MTA is likely to get slammed, which could mean even more fare hikes or service cuts, Nadler warned.
Money also getting slashed: Economic development, help feeding the poor, elderly in nursing homes, child care and Pell grants for college students.
The cuts “would be an outright disaster for our communities,” Nadler said.
The whacks come as the city struggles to absorb the impact of state budget cuts – and as congressional Dems brace for even deeper cuts as talks start this week on the 2012 federal budget.
Hey Charlie, I got one thing to say bud…..:
Cue the Music!
Cry me a freakin’ river dude. 🙄
It is so funny how when Democrats hold the majority; they are civilized people. But the minute they lose the majority, due to overreach; they turn into spoiled rotten children. The hard truth is this; the President’s policies have failed this asinine idea of “tax and spend” utterly failed and the economy is still stalled and now President Obama has lost the “great majority” that he once had and now he has to play by the Republicans rules and also has to do something “Grown Up” to salvage our economy and get the United States out of debt. Now that this is happening, cookie jar robbers like Rangel are acting like the President is a crook or something. It is all quite humorous to watch.