You would think so,and I do......However it will require focus,resolve and determination...Those are not strong points of the general public,who are all too often distracted by the next shiney object...

It was what enabled President Obama to get re-elected. The American people paid attention exactly because the Republicans have been so stupid, stubborn and mean. Since they'll continue to be that way, I think Americans will continue to pay attention. Those long lines of Democrats waiting to vote in the swing states didn't just happen by accident.

To me the glass is definitely half full, because up until recently it had less water in it.

I am not one to cry and moan that we didn't get everything we wanted - the intransigence and frankly, evil environment in DC is so strong that there's not likely a way to get much more than this done in one bite. And a great bite it is to start.

I am in complete agreement that if we can do this, we can do much more - it's going to take time and ongoing effort.

Thanks for your positive take on this. Got my year off to a better start!

Try telling that to 99% of the households in the country.

http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2012/09/13/where-do-you-fall-in-the-american-economic-class-system

We can argue until we're blue in the face about whether the deal was good or not, but make no mistake about it, a lot of wealthy people got off really easy in this deal and for a lot of them the Bush tax cuts were made permanent (assuming this passes the house).

Nothing leads to arguing until you're blue in the face like inattentive reading.

I'd say people making more than 99% of the country would be defined as "wealthiest".

I guess you and the OP would say that those making $250K-$400 are struggling? Middle class (I must have cut class the day that it was explained that 98 or 99% is "the middle" of anything)?

Of course if this "deal" doesn't pass and all taxes go up, then you are both right and I am wrong and I apologize. However I was under the impression that we were talking about this "deal" that I keep hearing about.

and then there's the one guy with 1 penny more than anybody else. He's the wealthiest.

If they kept the tax cuts for everyone but that one guy and then ran around claiming victory.

just because the one's at the bottom of the scale aren't being strung up by their thumbs.

The half millionaires and billionaires will have to pay. How sad.

I can live with the demise of the Bush tax cuts.

And just because you keep saying "The Bush tax cuts have ended", doesn't make it so. But I guess cheerleading for an individual is more important to you than what is actually in the best interest of the country.

Personally I would have prefered "The Obama tax cuts" for 99% of the country after all of the Bush cuts expired..

But I guess I'm sorry you're just a bigger fan of The Bush tax cuts and of extremely wealthy Americans (see, 2 can play at that game).

to a level equal to at least the percentage paid by those in the middle class range (or if the OP is correct, they will pay more of a percentage than an average family)

This must be what he is talking about.

I thought I made that clear. My bad.

After the Tea Party took majority in November 2010, Obama wasn't able to do what he intended on revenues.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_gains_tax_in_the_United_States

I have heard there would be a 28% range bandied about last night, but that's not a sure thing. I expect more good things in Obama's second term. With Warren winning the election and now going to be on the Senate banking committee, look to see more good done:



Elizabeth Warren renews call for Glass-Steagall Act following JPMorgan's announcement that risky trading loss grew to $5.8 billion

http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/07/elizabeth_warren_renews_call_f.html

Voting changes things. Thanks for the post, lunatica.

This Senate bill might not take effect until the House votes,
and those teabaggers are right crazy.

Whether or not it will, is another question.

Not to mention there are still many parts of the budget deal which STILL have not been agreed to,
it delays the sequester for two months. ( automatic defense spending bill)

An end to the biggest tax cut in history for the wealthiest of Americans that pretend their income isn't income.

You would think we would have heard something about that on the news.

This is all news to me.

Sometimes doing nothing deliberately is what changes everything.

Taxes have gone up.

Doesn't it? After curb ALL of the tax cuts would have been done and we could have targeted the ones we wanted to redo.

Aren't these the "tax cuts" that were supposed to be "temporary" and the GOP has fought tooth-and-nail to make permanent? And isn't this the same party that, under Bush II, started two wars, lost billions in the Iraqi desert (with no trace) and didn't have any goddamn way to pay for them?

What kind of government CUTS taxes while taking the country to war, knowing they aren't paying for the conflicts? I seem to remember some Republican officials back then trying to tell us that Iraqi oil will "pay" for the cost of that invasion. . .of course it never happened. Yet the GOP seems determined that the poor, the elderly, and the middle class must pay for those misadventures.

Sometimes I think what this country really needs is some kind of law (or constitutional amendment) requiring the nation PAY the cost of waging war as it is fought WITHOUT cutting back other programs. As far as I'm concerned, Bush II should have hauled out the old World War II war stamps and bonds and sold them around the country to pay for that conflict. Maybe if that had happened we wouldn't be in this situation today.

I sure didn't expect repukes to vote for anything if there wasn't ANY compromise on our side. At least there are no cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, nor SS. Plus this isn't final until the House votes anyway, right? And there's no telling how they're going to vote.

those American hating bastards are capable of anything evil!!!!

He got next to nothing and gave up much.

Other than the good news about the 1 yr extension of long term unemployment and doctors getting paid fairly for medicare patients, I can see no real good in this deal. It seems tilted in favor of the Republicans.

a lot of people do not seem to understand that it's actually a good thing they're over

keeps saying he caved. like hell. I'd say Republicans caved alot more. So Obama won this round... Now its up to John Boner to figure out where his tea bags are.. or if someone stepped on them and he's crying again..

We got a good deal and no amount of ODS will change that. The problem is the Republican Party, not the president!!!

.... that would have happened regardless.

To your point, are the unemployment extensions good for only 1 year, but the below 400K tax cuts permanent?

DU to provide a scenario wherein the Teabaggers in the House would go along with anything. Tell me how to get a better bill pass the wingnuts in the House and I'm right there with you.

We really need to work hard in 2014 to get these assholes out of the People's House!

we need to deal with long term unemployment most critically.

Under no circumstances do I see the teabag caucus voting for anything with the presidents signature. They are a write off. Appealing to them is a fools errand, I agree.

We have 200 Dems and 233 R's. For an unemployment fix, the answer lies in carefully selecting only 17 R districts with high unemployment, and using that issue as leverage, as well as looking for other 'moderate' R's who can be offered something that they are looking for in particular.

IMHO

We could not have gotten that without compromising. Anyone who belittles this deal must not be on unemployment. Not only will the 1year extension keep thousands of Americans off the street and prevent untold misery, but paying out unemployment is one of the most stimulative actions a government can do.

Millionaires around the country are overwhelmingly enraged at the death of the Bush Tax Cuts.

They are planning a Million Millionaire Mad
March on Washington

2013 was going to get here and it did. Then the Republicans voted for a tax cut.

So President Obama basically kept it alive and well for us, while letting it expire for the 1%.

I guess it's all in which eye you squint when looking at it.