Self-Inflicted

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TPM Reader BP says the House Dems should be looking in the mirror. Whether that’s true or not, everything that’s happening right now makes the point that it was no less than insane to pass on cracking this nut in September and opt to wait until after a hammering election somehow hoping against hope, thinking against thought that somehow it would be easier after the election. Really? Let’s face it: that was crazy.

With re: to the House Dems not going to vote on the tax deal, several are from my state of Oregon.

I think Congress should have addressed this issue before the election. I think the arm-twisting…….the Gallup poll and trotting out Larry Summers to convince members to vote in favor is behavior by the president that I find demeaning….call me naive.

I watch Washington Journal each morning, and this morning emailed in a question to Rep. Keith Ellison who was appearing. The gist of it was…what was the “game plan” of the Democrats if this issue was not resolved until next year…..what leverage would Democrats have? His response was rather defensive, and he offered no definitive plan or acknowledgment that it would be far more difficult in the next session of Congress. He actually said he thought Republicans, come Christmas Eve, would not want those unemployed to go without having their benefits extended. Really?!

That’s my biggest issue……….I certainly understand Democrats’ anger over how this has played out with the president,,,but they need to take some responsibility as well. To oppose without a concrete plan as to how they would address this in the next Congress leaves me much less sympathetic. With re: to unemployment benefits, I’ve heard too many callers on a daily basis calling into WJ whose benefits have expired or are close to expiring…….too many heart-wrenching stories.

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