Poll: Majority of Obama contributors less likely to support Obama and Dems after Bush tax cut deal

Obama aide pushes tax cut deal
What happens when your Unemployment Benefits stop? A top aide to President Barack Obama has said the president refused to play "Russian roulette" in negotiating a tax deal with Republicans. David Axelrod said Mr Obama was forced to keep lower Tax Rates for the rich in order to extend Unemployment pay. Vice-President Joe Biden was to lobby House Democrats to back the plan the White House forged with Republicans. Meanwhile, a new poll shows only a third of Americans support keeping taxes...

New Gallup Poll Shows Americans Support Major Elements Of Obama Compromise
A Gallup Poll shows Americans support both extending the Tax Cuts for the rich for two years and extension of Unemployment Benefits, the major elements of the deal President Obama made with Republicans. (h/t Plumline) This differs slightly from a November Gallup Poll giving Americans three options for extending the Bush tax cuts. That poll found 40% in favor of extending the Tax Cuts for all Americans, 44% in favor of extending them with limits on Tax Breaks for the wealthy, and 13% in favor o...

Obama's Tax Cut Deal isn't a Cave to the Republicans
When I first heard that the president cut a deal with the Republicans to extend the Bush Tax Cuts for all Americans, including the top 2 percent of earners which the president repeatedly stated he would not, I thought, like many Democrats, that he caved. Often in my life when I offer someone a job, or have an idea I run by them, they will tell me: "Let me sleep on it." So I slept on the president’s announcement. This morning, I awoke feeling less angry and more focused. I have ...

With tax deal, Obama launches bipartisan strategy
Reporting from Washington — Since his Midterm Election drubbing, President Obama has followed what seems like a wobbly course, taking one step to the left, then two to the right. The pattern, now reinforced by his tentative tax deal with Republicans, has pleased GOP adversaries while infuriating allies on the left. But viewed through the lens of Reelection politics, the strategy forged by the White House becomes clearer. The president is appealing to the Independent Voters who handed hi...

White House Privately Pushing Data Showing Bush Tax Cut Extension (for the rich) Politically Popular
Source: Huffington Post WASHINGTON -- Hoping to build support for the tax-cut deal that the president reached with Congressional Republicans, the White House has begun pressing Hill Democrats with polling data showing that extending the Tax Rates for the rich is politically popular. A Senate aide sent over a copy of the email that an administration aide sent to offices on Wednesday morning. In it, the aide touts Gallup polling data showing that "Two-thirds of Americans (66%) favor extending the ...

Touting Tax Deal, Sen. Alexander Claims Obama "Gave In To The Left" For Two Years
Last night on Fox News, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) confirmed his support for President Obama's Compromise to extend all of the Bush Tax Cuts for two years, though he reiterated GOP concerns about providing Unemployment Benefits. "We don't like passing the employment compensation in a way that adds to the Deficit," he said. "None of us likes that. But we think it's urgent that we not have this huge Tax Increase starting January 1, so I'm going to support it." Alexander argued that the compromise...

Two in Three Americans Support Core of Tax Deal
According to a new Gallup survey, 66 percent majorities of Americans support both the extension of all current Tax Rates, and the extension of Unemployment Insurance that comprise the core of the bargain struck by the White House and congressional Republicans. According to Gallup polling conducted Dec. 3-6, the slight majority of Democrats, as well as most Independents and Republicans, would vote for a two-year extension of the Tax Cuts passed in 2001 and 2003. This differs slightly from a Novem...

Angry Democrats rebel against Obama's tax-cut deal with Republicans
President Obama on Tuesday faced an uprising among angry Democrats who strongly opposed his deal with Republicans on Tax Cuts, opening a public rift that could prevent the White House from ending the year with a fresh dose of stimulus for The Economy. This Story Tax deal and spending plan face a hectic finish for Congress West Wing Briefing: Despite tax-cut deal, Obama says he will still take on GOP Graphic: Breaking down the tentative tax deal Obama calls on liberal critics to learn to compr...

Nader slams Obama's 'moral weakness,' compares president to Bush
Two-time independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader hammered President Obama on Tuesday for his "remarkable political, moral and strategic weakness" in brokering a tax deal with Republicans. "It has become a widely-noticed habit of yours [Obama's] to concede or to adopt both the Republican terms of policymaking and Republican policies and programs," Nader wrote in a letter to the president. "For many of your 2008 voters, this [deal] will indeed be the last straw for any active support the...

The president extends an olive branch to GOP
Although his liberal supporters are furious about the decision, President Obama's willingness to extend all of the George W. Bush-era Tax Cuts is part of what White House officials say is a deliberate strategy: to demonstrate his ability to Compromise with Republicans and portray the president as the last reasonable man in a sharply partisan Washington. The move is based on a political calculation, drawn from his party's midterm defeat, that places a premium on winning back independent voters...

They're Mad But Most of Them Will Vote For It
The Dems are putting on a good show of being angry with Obama for coming to an agreement with Republicans on taxes, but I think the protestations are more for show than anything. Chances are they'll end up voting for the package because they understand what a failure to extend the Bush Tax Rates will do to The Economy: President Obama on Tuesday faced an uprising among angry Democrats who strongly opposed his deal with Republicans on Tax Cuts, opening a public rift that could prevent the White ...

Will Dems Support Bush Tax Cut Deal?
President Barack Obama has reached a Compromise with Republicans on an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts, but he still has a lot of work to do. He must convince his own party to support the deal. Fresh off a hand shake with Republicans over a deal to extend the Bush era tax cuts for all Americans, President Obama went on national TV on Tuesday to explain why he made the agreement. "I felt the Middle Class tax cuts were being held hostage to the high end Tax Cuts," Obama said. "I think its temptin...

Polls show mixed reaction to tax cut proposal
Support is mixed for a deal brokered by the White House and Congress that extends Unemployment Benefits and Bush-era Tax Cuts for two years, according to recent polls.  As congressional lawmakers wrangle over the Compromise plan's details, a Gallup Poll released Wednesday shows 66 percent favor extending Unemployment Benefits and Bush-era Tax Cuts for two years across all income brackets. Another survey focusing on the extension of the Tax Breaks shows that many don’t approve of keeping the...

Liberal leader suggests GOP House should handle tax cuts, unemployment benefits
A leader of an 80-plus member bloc of House Liberals suggested Wednesday that Democrats should let the GOP-led House handle the expiring Bush era Tax Cuts and Unemployment Benefits next year.  Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said that such a move would force Republicans into deciding whether or not they want to take two potentially unpopular stances during their first month in power. "Let them tell the unemployed they won't get benefits. L...

Democrats react badly to Obama unemployment deal
President Obama held a Press Conference on Tuesday to defend the deal he struck with Republicans to extend federal Unemployment Benefits and the Bush Tax Cuts for the Richest Taxpayers, but Democratic lawmakers still expressed their dismay at the deal. Obama declared that the United States was “founded on Compromise” and that he would not be held hostage to some “abstract ideal.” That did little to satisfy some Democrats, who criticized Obama for not pushing hard enough t...

How Effective Would a Payroll Tax Holiday Be In Spurring Employment and Stimulating the Economy?
Washington’s Blog strives to provide real-time, well-researched and actionable information.  George - the head writer at Washington’s Blog - is a busy professional and a former adjunct Professor. ~~~ Obama’s tax deal with Republicans extends the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy for another 2 years. As Bloomberg notes, Obama said that “he still believes the nation can’t afford to permanently extend the top Tax Rates”. But as Mish points out: Of course the l

The paucity of hope - and other victims of Obama's tax-cut deal
By Harold Meyerson WashPost Tuesday, December 7, 2010; Changelessness we can't believe in. Not much of a slogan, I admit, but a pretty fair statement of where we're at after the president's tax deal with congressional Republicans. It's not that the deal doesn't have some good features. Extending Unemployment Insurance, cutting Payroll taxes, and preserving Tax Credits for College Tuition and low-paying jobs are all imperative, even if some provisions, such as continuing to provide unemployment...

DeMint Opposes Tax Deal Because Of Jobless Benefits: We Cant Just Keep Paying People To Stay At Home
DeMint Opposes Tax Deal Because Of Jobless Benefits: ‘We Can’t Just Keep Paying People To Stay At Home’ As part of his tax deal with Congressional Republicans, President Obama managed to wring out of the GOP a 13 month extension of Unemployment Benefits. For months, Republicans have made each extension of benefits a protracted, drawn-out fight, even with Unemployment above nine percent and five unemployed job-seekers for every job opening. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) even stayed...

Olbermann: Obama goddamned wrong on tax cut extension
Stumble This! MSNBC's Keith Olbermann let the world know Tuesday that he is not a fan of President Barack Obama's deal with Republicans to extend Tax Cuts for the Richest Americans. Quoting Winston Churchill, the MSNBC host began his "Special Comment" by saying that the Obama Administration had been "weighed in the balance and found wanting." Olbermann called Republicans "ultimately traitorous" for pushing the theory that Tax Cuts for the rich will create jobs. Democratic senators have pointed ...

Poll: Obama supporters strongly opposed to deal extending Bush tax cuts
By Greg Sargent WashPost Okay, we now have our first poll measuring the impact on the Democratic Base of Obama's support for a temporary extension of all the Bush Tax Cuts. Suffice it to say this is a major, make-or-break issue with them that could have real political ramifications for the President and Congressional Democrats. The poll, done by the respected non-partisan firm Survey USA, surveyed over 1,000 people who contributed time or money to Obama in 2008, and found intense, overwhelming...

Poll: Obama supporters strongly opposed to deal extending Bush tax cuts
By Greg Sargent WashPost Okay, we now have our first poll measuring the impact on the Democratic Base of Obama's support for a temporary extension of all the Bush Tax Cuts. Suffice it to say this is a major, make-or-break issue with them that could have real political ramifications for the President and Congressional Democrats. The poll, done by the respected non-partisan firm Survey USA, surveyed over 1,000 people who contributed time or money to Obama in 2008, and found intense, overwhelming...

Today's Power Play: Dems May Warm to Tax Plan, But Cool to Obama
Chris Stirewalt's Power Play is available for a limited time on the America's Election HQ blog. Check back for updates on new subscription offers for app users. "This is the Public Option debate all over again. So I pass a signature piece of Legislation where we finally get Health Care for all Americans, something that Democrats had been fighting for for a hundred years, but because there was a provision in there that they didn't get ... that somehow that was a sign of weakness and Compromise." ...

Obama's Press Conference on the Tax Cuts (VIDEO)
Obama held a Press Conference yesterday to explain the decision to extend the Bush Tax Cuts and to explain just how the hell we got here. He breaks down the conflict between his desired plan, which was to help the unemployed and middle-class through Tax Breaks and Unemployment Benefits, vs. the Republican plan, which was to give Tax Breaks to the wealthiest 2% and the infamous "trickle-down" economic theory. After you listen to the intro, jump ahead to a few seconds before the 28:00 minute mark ...

Developing: Possible Vote on DADT Wednesday Night
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Wednesday morning that he plans to bring the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - which includes the Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - up for a Cloture vote sometime this evening (Eastern time): “And I’m likely going to move to my motion to reconsider on the Defense Authorization Act this evening. Allowing, as I will indicate at that time, time for amendments to that piece of Legislation.” The NDAA faile...

Bloomberg Poll: Americans Don't Want To Extend Tax Cuts For Wealthy
On Tuesday, President Obama defended his Tax Cuts Compromise, suggesting the deal will result in effective policy, rather than merely "sanctimonious" pride in the purity of one's belief. The American People, however, don't appear to see eye to eye with the President on this, according to a newly released Bloomberg poll. When respondents were asked if they generally favor or oppose eliminating Tax Cuts that the wealthiest Americans have received in recent years, 59% say they are in favor while ...