Why aren't the Dems voting on the tax cuts before the election.

[YewNork]

People ask me and I don't know what to tell them.

[leveymg]

1. Because there are so many Blue Dogs who won't vote to eliminate the tax-cut for the rich.

After the election, they want to make it permanent, and may just do so.

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. With the overwhelming majority of the public, Dem & Repub, wanting

to not extend the cuts for the rich, if they vote to extend them they will lose their seats - but at the same time they REALLY want to extend them. Obviously, they have to delay the vote and trust to media spin and short memories in 2012.

On Edit:
There is not a single member of congress, House or Senate, who will not see his taxes go up if the cut is not extended. Damn near every one is out of touch of the people who sent them there.

[still_one]

2. It is simple, the media has been distorting the "bush tax" cuts for months saying that the Democrats

want to get rid of the "bush tax cuts"

I have seen this repuke talking point exploited by the MSM with all its distortion and misrepresentation, nothing new for the MSM. Occasionally the MSM will give a few minutes to explain what it "really" is, that ALL people will have a tax break up to the first 250K, and everything above that will be taxed at a higher rate, however, that is the exception, not the rule, most of the time the media is trying to use it to portray the Democrats as increasing taxes, effectively perpetuating the big lie

The Democrats have decided it is strategically better to put off the vote until after the election, since they are NOT being given equal time

[Jim Sagle]

3. Because they're actually Republican agents who want to lose.

And no, I'm not kidding even a little bit.

[PoliticAverse]

5. Timeline...

Have you seen this explanatory timeline on talkingpointsmemo.com ?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/tax-cut-tick-tock-how-the-dems-championed-the-issue-before-it-fell-apart.php

[Ozwalt]

6. Yes it's frustrating

Democratic leadership is still in the mode of wanting to rise above the petty behavior and act like mature "adults", but they're not dealing with adults. They're dealing with power-hungry politicians who will do whatever they feel they must in order to continue to consolidate power and money to the top 1/10%. That's why healthcare took so long to pass and is nowhere near what we really need. That's why DADT is still in place. The Dems are acting like they're negotiating in good faith with an opponent willing to do the same thing. Ain't the case. By believing it's best to "not dignify that ridiculous statement with a response", Americans are only really getting one side's description of what's going on.