Obama’s Tax Cut Extension Part Of Strategy To Show Bipartisanship
The Washington Post reports: “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.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama and Vice President Biden will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10:05 a.m. ET. Obama will participate in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. ET. Obama will receive the economy daily briefing at 2 p.m. ET. He will meet with senior advisers at 5 p.m. ET.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will attend President Obama’s daily briefing at 10:05 a.m. ET. He will attend the Senate Democratic Caucus lunch at 1:30 p.m. ET, in an effort to court Democrats on the White House’s tax compromise package with Republicans.
A Bridge To Republicans Alienates Liberal Base
The New York Times reports: “For President Obama, this is what bipartisanship looks like in the new era: messy, combustible and painful, brought on under the threat of even more unpalatable consequences and yet still deferring the ultimate resolution for another day. For the first time since his party’s drubbing in last month’s election, and arguably for the first time on a major domestic policy since he took office, Mr. Obama forged a deal with the Republican opposition, swallowing hard to give up a central campaign promise while maneuvering to win enough other priorities to declare partial victory.”
Angry Left Sees ‘Refusal To Fight’ As Crippling 2012 Reelection Bid
The Hill reports: “President Obama could be crippling his own reelection effort by making a deal with Republicans to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts, Democratic strategists and liberal groups said Monday. A two-year extension of tax rates ushered in by President George W. Bush nearly a decade ago, would ensure a resumption of today’s fiery debate in 2012, when Obama is expected to reapply for his job, strategists in both parties said.”
Liberal Dems To Obama: Fight Harder
Politico reports: “Resentments between President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats that began simmering even before their mid-term disaster are nearing a boil on Capitol Hill, as liberals make clear that Obama’s efforts to strike a lame-duck deal with Republicans will come at a cost: Open and on-the-record taunting about whether the president is a patsy.”
Pelosi Seems To See No Need For Change
Roll Call reports: “It’s not often that you hear any House Democrat holding up Harry Reid, of all people, as a model. But that’s what some House Democrats are doing privately as they grumble that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has avoided any significant Caucus shake-ups since Democrats suffered historic losses in the midterm elections. ‘If you just look at the things that happened since she’s been [elected Minority] Leader, she hasn’t changed anyone around her,’ one senior Democratic aide said.”
