The Democratic House and Senate were mostly cut out of negotiations

[kentuck]

I heard a Democrat on C-SPAN this morning say that they did not know what was cut. The impression that he gave was that only the President and Harry Reid were in negotiation with Boehner and the Repubs and Boehner would report back to the Teabaggers to see if it was acceptable but the Democrats gave their members no such courtesy? Does this sound familiar? Did not the President do that once before? That should not happen again.

[Angry Dragon]

1. You don't tell everyone your chess moves

[gateley]

2. Now that you mention it, I do remember a similar situation but I can't recall

specifically what it was.

Ideally, they should be reporting back to US to what WE think is acceptable, but apparently we don't enter into the equation even though we're the ones who will be affected. :grr:

I've become disenchanted with the entire system. I don't know what would be better, nor how we go about changing what we currently have.

[kentuck]

6. You may be thinking of this?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/09/house-democrats-defy-obama-on-tax-cut-bill/

[gateley]

8. Yeah, I think that's it -- is that what you were referring to in

your OP?

From that link:

"Every economist I have talked to or read over the last couple of days acknowledges that this agreement would boost economic growth in the coming years and has the potential to create millions of jobs,"

Wish he'd read Krugman. :shrug:

Edit - copied and pasted wrong, but now I should add, which he'd TALK to Krugman, too!

[ProSense]

3. I guess the Democrat

missed the parade of Democrats talking about the budget deal and Schumer whispering the details to Reid during the CNN press conference.

Lame.

Here is Kerry's speech on the Senate floor.

Oh, weren't "some Democrats" demanding that the President take the lead?

[kentuck]

4. Did Nancy Pelosi know?

Why was she not happy with it?

[ProSense]

5. Here

Transcript of Pelosi, Van Hollen Press Conference Today on GOP Budget

<...>

Leader Pelosi. Well, you would really have to speak to the Democratic leader in the Senate, the President, or Mr. Boehner because they are inside that room. But the understanding that we have is that they are working very hard.

Let me say at this point that we do not want government to shut down, that we have made every compromise. In fact, we had cut $41 billion from the President's budget at the end of last year. The President and Senator Reid have gone much farther than that in meeting the Republicans more than halfway.

But we understand that some of the concerns are about the amount and some are about the rider. But everybody understands that we cannot shut down government.

<...>

[patrice]

7. And why is Pelosi considered the leader on our issues? Because she pulled that little

stunt in the House last Summer? . . . putting together an otherwise MEANINGLESS vote in support of extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for the Middle Class ONLY, thus limiting the President's options re the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy to one thing and one thing ONLY, extension, which 2 events set us on this particular path in the first place. Pelosi fucked us up for a STUPID bit of political theater that was meaningless in all regards, except that it made it impossible for Obama to play this any other way.

Yeah, right, Pelosi's our leader for Economic Justice :sarcasm:

All very convenient because there's always Obama to blame, a much more popular and wide spread fad than looking at the WHOLE set of players here.

[emulatorloo]

11. Because the Democrats elected her as Minority Leader.

That means she is the leader of House Democrats. Just as Boehner is leader of House Republicans.

[patrice]

12. You think that makes here really committed to Economic Justice??? We elected

Obama President, but he isn't getting any such benefit of the doubt, given so freely to Pelosi and her fuck-up on that Tax Cut vote last Summer. She couldn't have played into the hands of the Rich Tax Cut advocates any better than she did.

[emulatorloo]

17. Dunno about all that. All I know is that she is called leader

because the House Dems elected her as leader when the new congress started.

[subterranean]

14. I'm sorry, I'm not following your logic.

How did voting to extend the tax cuts up to 250K force the president to extend the tax cuts for the wealthy?

[bluestate10]

18. Pelosi should not have held the vote. By holding the vote, she showed

that democrats would not allow tax cuts for everyone to expire if republicans forced their hand. Pelosi's move left Obama with negotiations only on the cuts for the rich, without the hammer of removal of cuts for the middle class as an option. Having a female leading democrats in the House is nice, but there are several democratic House females that can do that role better than Pelosi can, they also have less baggage that republicans can attack.

[tritsofme]

22. Strange way you see this.

I'm not exactly a regular defender of Ms. Pelosi, but no tax increase on those making less than $250k was Obama's big campaign pledge, not Pelosi's. She was following his lead in that regard.

[subterranean]

23. But hadn't Obama already promised not to raise taxes on income under $250K?

He said that repeatedly. It would have been hard for him to backtrack on that promise even without Pelosi's vote. It seems to me the Senate is more to blame for not passing Pelosi's bill before the election (although the Republicans would almost certainly have blocked it).

[patrice]

9. The Middle Class should have taken the hit on those Tax Cuts so that WE could then LEAD the way

on the budget cuts, but noooooooooooooooo Pelosi had to have her little theater of the absurd.

Now the Poor are going to pay the price of that particular ticket, while the MC weeps crocodile tears and yammers about a "third" party.

[patrice]

10. P.S. That was Theater of the Absurd for the benefit of all you "third" partyers, btw! nt

[bluestate10]

20. Third Party of the Absurd? nt

[bluestate10]

19. The vote should have been for removal of cuts for people earning more than $500,000 annually.

That move would have gained enough House support to pass and would have had a better than average chance in the Senate. The move would have put pressure on republicans to give in to some cuts to save the cut package.

[emulatorloo]

15. Yes she knew. Here:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/155037-pelosi-noncommital-on-budget-deal

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) early Saturday morning declined to immediately embrace the budget deal President Obama struck with the GOP.

Pelosi told The Hill she had not yet reviewed the agreement.

Asked if the White House kept her informed of the negotiations, Pelosi responded, "The president told me, but I haven't seen a piece of paper."

[Snoutport]

13. yeah...but it really seems like many dems are just being ignored.

[bluestate10]

21. Just the wannabe progressives. Who could not light a match without

help from centrists and independents.

[bluestate10]

16. Why tell them and have them going on television to divulge all.

Sure that Reid kept his top lieutenants informed and kept them silent. Reid could not have plotted strategy alone.

[dennis4868]

24. Reid was part of the negotiations....

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't he a member of the Senate?