Harry Reid, Senate Democrats Threaten to Block Obama Deal on Tax Cuts

Catering to the 20% who call themselves "liberals" and still hate George W. Bush, that's what they're doing:

Disappointed Democratic congressional leaders demanded changes in the White House's tax deal with Republicans on Tuesday despite a spirited argument by President Barack Obama that concessions were preferable to higher taxes for millions of Americans.

"I'm not here to play games with the American people or the health of the economy," Obama said of his day-old deal, which is designed to avert a scheduled Jan. 1 expiration of tax cuts at all income levels.

In a remarkable political role reversal, Republicans lined up to support the package, while lawmakers of the president's party said they were prepared to oppose it. Liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., pledged to "do everything I can to defeat this," including a filibuster to prevent a final vote.

The deal includes an extension of expiring Bush-era tax cuts for all income levels — not just for lower and middle-income taxpayers, as Democrats wanted. It also contains a renewal of jobless benefits due to expire in a few weeks, and a one-year cut in Social Security taxes paid by workers.

Other elements would loosen the estate tax and provide breaks for businesses to spur hiring. Officials said that overall, the proposal could add $900 billion to the federal deficit over two years.

Democratic opposition focused chiefly on two parts of the deal that marked concessions to Republicans — the decision to let expiring tax cuts remain in effect for people in upper incomes, and a change in the estate tax that the GOP has long sought.

Pelosi called the estate tax provision "a bridge too far," and Reid also singled it out for criticism. It would allow $5 million per spouse to pass tax-free to heirs, and tax anything above that level at 35 percent.

The compromise is "something that's not done yet," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "We're going to have to do some more work," he said after a closed door meeting with Vice President Joe Biden and members of the Democratic rank-and-file.

Across the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that said, "We will continue discussions with the president and our caucus in the days ahead."

At his hastily called news conference, Obama bristled at times, casting himself in the role of compromiser-in-chief with the best interests of the economy and public in mind.

"This isn't an abstract debate. This is real money, It will make a real difference in the lives of people who sent us here," Obama said.

Bristol Palin’s Success On "Dancing With The Stars" Sent Viewers Complaining To The FCC

Mediaite.com:

As you may have heard, Bristol Palin recently appeared on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and she did pretty well–defying the judges and rising to the final three. Ultimately, she and her partner finished in third place.


Well, the against-all-odds success of Sarah Palin’s kid apparently boiled the blood of some DWTS viewers, who weren’t satisfied simply moaning to friends, family and neighbors, nor even to picking up the phone and complaining to ABC. No. They went to the government.


Documents obtained by The Smoking Gun detail all kinds of angry complaints registered with the Federal Communications Commission, ranging from accusations that ABC was “encouraging and promoting teen pregnancy” to charges the dance show’s voting system was rigged:


One viewer from Pittsburgh alleged that the show’s voting system had been “fixed by extreme supporters of the Tea Party and Radical Right-Wing. I find that it has become a political platform for Sarah Palin to improve her image and ooze her political slime.” The aggrieved correspondent continued, “Bristol is not a star, what did she do, she had sex and got pregnant. Lets reward her…I made several call to ABC’s complaint line and I hope that their phone lines melt. It has become a political movement, with Tea Party websites instructing on how to vote for Bristol. Ridiculousness!”


Ridiculous, indeed.


Perhaps the complainant least likely to be an entertaining dinner guest is the viewer from Cerritos, California who objected to a hug between Palin and DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba:


Noting that “no other dancer was called over for a hug,” one viewer claimed that the clinch was a “signal for the GOP/Tea Party supporters of Sarah Palin to ‘stuff’ the vote for Bristol Palin, who on both dates had to be dragged over the dance floor.” The writer added, “My 96 year old Mother-in-Law can dance better than Ms. Palin…I want my Government to protect me the viewer from deceptive practices.”


Yeah, um… fear not. The government will get right on this. Not much else on the proverbial plate right now.

Yeah, because Palin Derangement Syndrome does not exist.

Kathy Griffin Gets Booed By U.S. Troops After Calling Bristol Palin Fat

Mediaite.com:

Comedian and self-proclaimed “D-lister” Kathy Griffin hosted VH1 Divas Salute the Troops which was taped for an audience of servicemen at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California, and aired last night. The ribald and unconventional comedian set the tone for the night when she joked about Bristol Palin and her supposed weight gain while competing with Dancing With The Stars. But the joke fell flat, as the military men and woman in attendance lustily booed the host for taking a shot at Sarah Palin’s daughter.


Ms. Griffin has used the Palin clan for her “comedy” material before. Last summer, while filling in for a vacationing Larry King, she had on as guest Sarah Palin grand-baby daddy Levi Johnston. This was a follow-up to Johnston’s attending the Teen Choice Awards as Griffin’s guest the night before. She later revealed that the “romantic” relationship between Johnston and herself was merely a publicity ploy (duh!)


Griffin may have been guilty of misjudging her audience on this particular joke, but she went with it, even challenging the audience to boo more (which allowed her to “own” the failed joke.)

After this latest smear at one of Sarah Palin's children wouldn't it be fair if some comedian came out and did a spot on how ugly Kathy Griffith is? I mean, it's just jokes, right?

Obama Announces Proposed Deal On Bush Tax Cuts, Jobless Benefits

Of course, this will be a relief to those still struggling in an anemic job market esp. with Xmas right around the corner. The extremes on both the Left and the Right won't be happy, but in this case, screw 'em:

President Barack Obama on Monday announced a deal with Republican leaders that would extend Bush-era tax cuts for two years and unemployment benefits for 13 months while also lowering the payroll tax by two percentage points for a year.


The compromise, worked out in negotiations involving the White House, the Treasury and congressional leaders from both parties, includes provisions that each side doesn't like, Obama said in a hastily arranged statement to reporters after discussing the proposed deal with Democratic leaders.


"It's not perfect," Obama said of the plan, which also would continue tax breaks for students and families contained in the 2009 stimulus bill and allow businesses to write off all investments they make next year. "We cannot play politics at a time when the American people are looking for us to solve problems."


As outlined by Obama and sources, the deal would add up to hundreds of billions of dollars in more federal spending or lower revenue in coming years at a time when the president, Republican leaders and a federal deficit commission appointed by the president all say that the growing federal debt must be brought under control.

Politiks As Usual: In The News 12/6/10

Senators Say Deal Likely On Extending Tax Cuts, Jobless Benefits

TSA Detains Young Mother Over Breast Milk

Obama Downplays WikiLeaks Fiasco

Newt Gingrich Says He's More Inclined Than Not To Run

Law Center Designates Conservative Pro-Family Organizations 'Hate Groups'

Ban On Homosexuals In Military Should Not Be Overturned In Wartime, Say 3 of 5 Service Chiefs

Andrew Sullivan: GOP 'Trying To Keep This Economy Bad'

After The Elections, Haitian Americans Watch And Worry

Bill Maher Calls Obama 'Wimpy, Wussy' On CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS

West, Scott Approach Black Caucus Differently

Political Correctness Kills: Study Shows How Terrorists Infiltrate U.S. Differently

Unusual Methods Helped ICE Break Deportation Record

Meet The Liberal Elite

WaPo Editor Says Valerie Plame Movie "Fair Game" Is 'Full Of Distortions' And 'Outright Inventions'

Hollywood shuffling in the name of continued Bush Derangement Syndrome by the Left. And by the way, the facts have long stated that there was no big conspiracy, Richard Armitage 'outed' Valerie Plame because he simply screwed up:

WE'RE NOT in the habit of writing movie reviews. But the recently released film "Fair Game" - which covers a poisonous Washington controversy during the war in Iraq - deserves some editorial page comment, if only because of what its promoters are saying about it. The protagonists portrayed in the movie, former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson IV and former spy Valerie Plame, claim that it tells the true story of their battle with the Bush administration over Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and Ms. Plame's exposure as a CIA agent. "It's accurate," Ms. Plame told The Post. Said Mr. Wilson: "For people who have short memories or don't read, this is the only way they will remember that period."


We certainly hope that is not the case. In fact, "Fair Game," based on books by Mr. Wilson and his wife, is full of distortions - not to mention outright inventions. To start with the most sensational: The movie portrays Ms. Plame as having cultivated a group of Iraqi scientists and arranged for them to leave the country, and it suggests that once her cover was blown, the operation was aborted and the scientists were abandoned. This is simply false. In reality, as The Post's Walter Pincus and Richard Leiby reported, Ms. Plame did not work directly on the program, and it was not shut down because of her identification.


The movie portrays Mr. Wilson as a whistle-blower who debunked a Bush administration claim that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium from the African country of Niger. In fact, an investigation by the Senate intelligence committee found that Mr. Wilson's reporting did not affect the intelligence community's view on the matter, and an official British investigation found that President George W. Bush's statement in a State of the Union address that Britain believed that Iraq had sought uranium in Niger was well-founded.


"Fair Game" also resells the couple's story that Ms. Plame's exposure was the result of a White House conspiracy. A lengthy and wasteful investigation by a special prosecutor found no such conspiracy - but it did confirm that the prime source of a newspaper column identifying Ms. Plame was a State Department official, not a White House political operative.


Hollywood has a habit of making movies about historical events without regard for the truth; "Fair Game" is just one more example. But the film's reception illustrates a more troubling trend of political debates in Washington in which established facts are willfully ignored. Mr. Wilson claimed that he had proved that Mr. Bush deliberately twisted the truth about Iraq, and he was eagerly embraced by those who insist the former president lied the country into a war. Though it was long ago established that Mr. Wilson himself was not telling the truth - not about his mission to Niger and not about his wife - the myth endures. We'll join the former president in hoping that future historians get it right.

George W. Bush's Book 'Decision Points' Still No. 1 After Three Weeks

No matter how much the Left continues to smear him, the former President's staying power just can't be beat:

In a battle between former President George W. Bush and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Bush comes out on top.


His memoir "Decision Points" has maintained its number one spot on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list for the third week in a row, leaving Palin's new book, "America by Heart" second on the list released this weekend.

Both politicos have toured the country promoting their books. Bush has appeared on nearly every major television channel and Palin is in the midst of a 16-stop national book tour.

Palin's publisher, Harper Collins would not release sales figures, but did say they have printed 1 million copies of her new book. The former 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee's first book, "Going Rogue" sold well over 2 million copies and was number one on the New York Times list for six consecutive weeks.

According Random House, Bush's publisher, almost 2.5 million copies of his book are currently in print. Sales of the book now total 1.5 million copies when hardcover, e-book, audio books, large print editions and export edition sales are included.

But there don't seem to be any hard feelings on Palin's part for her number two book status. She tweeted Thursday saying, "just heard America By Heart is #2 NYT bestseller list behind Pres.Bush's good book, so thanks for sharing inspiration."

Liberal Pol Robert Menendez Likens Working With GOP On Taxes To Negotiating With 'Terrorists'

You can't work with people who put ideolody ahead of solutions, you just can't, but if you're a liberal Democrat you just can't help to think this way

Sen. Robert Menendez said Friday that if the Democratic-controlled Senate agrees to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts it could be akin to acceding to terrorist demands. Republicans immediately blasted the New Jersey Democrat for his comparison.


Menendez asked at a news conference, "Does the majority not only have a responsibility to get something done but to get something done that makes sense for the country?"


"Do you allow yourself to be held hostage and get something done for the sake of getting something done, when in fact it might be perverse to the ultimate results? It's almost like the question of do you negotiate with terrorists?"


In a statement titled, "Menendez Compares GOP to Terrorists," the office of House Republican Whip Eric Cantor responded, " Um…No Senator, it is not. Not at all."

Bristol Palin And John Ziegler Goof On Keith Olbermann

Source

Florida To Propose Arizona-Style Immigration Enforcement Law

Come to America the right way by getting your citizenship and you won't have to worry about laws like this:

The first crack at an Arizona-style immigration overhaul has been filed in the Florida Senate, with a proposal that would let law enforcement officers ask suspected illegal aliens to prove their immigration status and could penalize some legal immigrants who aren't carrying proper documentation. 

The bill, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, is the first volley in a likely long and heated debate over the future of immigration policy in the state. Since the passage of the Arizona law last spring, many Florida Republicans - including Gov.-elect Rick Scott - have argued that Florida needs a similar law and campaigned on the issue throughout the summer and into the fall. 

``Any time you file a bill it's basically opening up for dialogue, opening up for discussion, opening up for debate,'' Bennett said. 

Scott, in particular, made the Arizona law a major piece of his race for governor, frequently mentioning it at campaign stops and urging Floridians to follow his lead and make a donation to Arizona's Border Security and Immigration Legal Defense Fund. Since his election in November, the incoming governor has been largely quiet on the subject and has not drawn up any specific proposals yet, but his spokesman said the governor maintains his position on the issue. 

``I have no specifics right now on what an immigration bill would have to have, but his position is still if someone violates Florida laws, the police should ask if they are legal or not,'' said Scott spokesman Trey Stapleton. ``If they are in the state illegally they should be deported.''

Liberals Pressuring Obama to Reject Deal on Bush Tax Cuts

Newsmax.com:

A controversial new ad campaign is hitting the airwaves to pressure President Barack Obama into rejecting any compromise with Republicans that would extend all Bush-era tax cuts in time to prevent a massive tax hike from automatically taking effect at year’s end.


On Thursday, the lame-duck House voted to allow the expiration of tax breaks for household income above $250,000. But even Democrats admit that the bill, widely viewed as a bid to win favor with the Democratic base, is dead on arrival in the Senate, where all 42 GOP senators have said they oppose it.


But that vote, combined with the ad campaign launched by left-wing heavyweights MoveOn.org and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, could rouse the Democratic base and complicate the administration’s effort to reach a compromise with Republicans.


Obama has directed a White House team to negotiate with Republicans on the tax-break extensions. Until Thursday, the consensus among D.C. insiders was that with Obama’s support, moderate Democrats and Republicans would be able to strike a last-minute bargain to extend the tax breaks.


But now some analysts are no longer so sure a deal will get done during the lame-duck Congress.

I bet most lunatics on the Left don't even understand what the "Bush tax cuts" actually does or who it also helps, but hey it has his name on it so it must be BAD!!!

Democrats Give Charlie Rangel A Standing Ovation After Censuring Him

What an embarrassment. This guy was found guilty of 11 ethics counts. Eleven. And you wonder why most Americans are fed up with Democrats in this country? "The most ethical Congress ever" my ass.

Pentagon Poll States 91% Of Service Leaders Reject Homosexual Leaders, 1 In 4 Would Quit

The military should not be used for a social experimentation, much for the wants and needs to the 20% in this country who call themselves "liberals":

THE REAL PENTAGON POLL: 91% REJECT HOMOSEXUAL LEADERS. 85% OF COMBAT MARINES DISTRUST, 71% WON’T SHARE SHOWERS, 24% WON’T RE-ENLIST.


HALF MILLION TROOPS, ONE IN FOUR, WOULD LEAVE THE MILITARY


Former Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt just read the full Pentagon report on repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and here's his analysis:


"Don't believe the phony liberal media reports that 70% of troops support open homosexual service, because that statistic included 'mixed' feelings. A closer reading of the fine print in the newly released Pentagon survey shows our troops answered as follows:


Q45. If you had a leader whom you believed was gay or lesbian…9% positive, 91% negative or mixed impact on unit's performance.


Q68c. 85% of Marine Combat Arms, 75% of Army Combat Arms, 64% overall say Negative, Very Negative, or Mixed impact on unit trust if DADT is repealed.


Q90. 29% would take no action if assigned open showers with homosexuals. 71% would shower at other times, complain to leadership or chaplains, don't know or do "something else" [including violence].


Q81. 24% will leave the military or think about leaving sooner than planned. (One half million troops will QUIT the service early, destroying our national security.)


Q80. 6% will positively recommend service to others after repeal. 94% feel negative, mixed, no effect, or don't know about recommending military service to others. (Destroying recruiting efforts.)


Q66. If open homosexuality impacts combat performance, is the impact...9% positive, 91% negative or mixed impact.


Q71. 11% feel positive or very positive about permitting open homosexuality in field environment or out at sea. 60% negative or mixed. 19% no effect.


Q73. 5% say repeal would positively boost morale. 41% say negative or mixed impact morale. Rest no effect or don't know.

Nancy Pelosi Climate Panel Dies in Republican Sweep of House

Good. "Global warming" has not only turned Al Gore into a billionaire, but it's a crock, a scam rooted in white liberals repeated lies and manipulation of the facts:

Republicans will eliminate the House committee created by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to highlight the threat of climate change, Representative James Sensenbrenner, the top Republican on the panel, said today.


In one of her first acts as speaker in 2007, Pelosi, a California Democrat, created the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to draw attention to climate-change science and showcase how a cap on carbon dioxide needn’t be a threat to economic growth.


Republicans, who won control of the House in the Nov. 2 election, have opposed legislative efforts to regulate carbon emissions as a tax on energy. When the panel convened today, Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, said that the hearing “will be the last of the select committee.”


Sensenbrenner had advocated extending the panel as a forum to scrutinize Obama administration actions. In an opinion column on Nov. 8 in the Washington newspaper Roll Call, he wrote that the committee was “more qualified than any other” to challenge Obama environmental initiatives that he said may threaten the economy. He acknowledged that other Republicans thought the panel should be eliminated to save money.


“We are going to get rid of waste and duplication in terms of how we run the Congress,” House Republican Leader John Boehner, who is slated to become speaker in January, told reporters today. “We believe the Science Committee is more than capable of handling this issue and in the process save several million dollars.”