Here’s a link to the big DailyKos petition page, set up to support the holdouts in the Senate and House Democratic caucus who aren’t willing to roll over for Republicans on the tax breaks for the wealthy. Check it out, scroll down, and notice what’s special about it…
That’s right, it’s all Vermont, baby. Under the petition form, the page presents the two public foci for the (genuinely) Democratic (capital “D”) resistance to this capitulation. For the Senate, a YouTube bit from Senator Bernie Sanders – who, in threatening a filibuster, has become the national hero of those saying “enough is enough” to Obama’s insistence that progressives are his enemy, rather than the GOP he has chosen to acquiesce to (again).
For the House, a bit lower is the letter in circulation (first reported here) from Representative Welch, where the generally cool-headed Congressman gets his mad on a bit.
That makes Vermont the absolute heart of the progressive pushback. Kinda brings a tear to the eye, duddinit?
Also makes you wonder if we won’t have two presidents in a row that pointedly avoid Vermont for the duration of their terms…
(Note: Senator Leahy, too, has indicated publicly that he does not like this plan, which has helped lead to the concerns among the pro-“compromise” crowd that they may not have the votes)
Was just on the tele shucking and such about this deal our dear president has crafted. Could it get any worse??? selling long term unemployed down the river now, the under 99 folks just a little later, and putting the SS tax on the table for further manipulation?? Doing Bush one better on the “you didnt earn it but since dad gave it to you in his will it isnt taxable” tax…
all for 13 months of unemployment and a quick goose to the debt train to China??
Looks like there is something in the water in Vermont….whatever it is some may soon say it produces something called sanity.
Is how utterly futile this exercise will be. We saw it with the stillborn health care reform, where row after row of Democrats vowed not to vote for a plan without a true public option, drew lines in the sand and vowed to do this, that, and the other. It would be wonderful to see Bernie singlehandedly pull this nasty golem of a tax compromise six feet under and bury it, but I’m not holding my breath.
It’s getting to the point where I’m genuinely ashamed to say I campaigned for Obama, and at this rate I’m trying to imagine what an absolute disaster the ’12 elections are going to be. He may still win because the GOP end up with a Palin/Bachmann ticket or something similarly absurd — so removed from reality that even Republicans can’t stomach it, but it will certainly not be because your average sane American Democrat is eager to see him back for four more years.
Last night had on Senator Sanders and then Rep Welch!
And Rep Welch has magically turned back into a Democrat!
After Welch sided with the far-right extremists to kill ACORN (an anti-democracy position he still defends), I was done with him. I’m still done with him, but at least he’s trying to redeem himself.