Tax Cut Compromise Leaves Ardent Obama Supporters Disillusioned

"The Democrats in Congress had a chance to nip this in the bud BEFORE the mid-terms.­..and they punted."
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That's not accurate.

The short version is that it the White House blocked it, just as the White House blocked a public option throughout the healthcare debate and then in the closing days.

Let's look at the logic and plan for why there was nothing done before the mid-terms:  Because the plan was to let Bush's tax cuts expire.  If there were to be middle class tax cuts during the Obama administra­tion, it would be separate from Bush's legislatio­n.  Even the language that Obama and David Axelrod used almost a month to the day after the midterm elections was out of the GOP talking points ("letting the tax cuts expire will raise taxes") -- That was verboten before the elections and denounced by Democrats whenever Republican­s said it.  Then within 3 days of Obama and Axelrod saying it (December 3rd), it spread like wildfire throughout the Democratic talking heads on cable and then the media talking heads quickly joined in.

I don't know how anybody can have witnessed the past 2 years, and seen how the Progressiv­e Caucus has folded on every issue and pledge (Obama wouldn't even allow Kucinich to be the one lone hold-out on the healthcare bill) and believe that Democrats aren't marching in lock-step to the White House's orders.  There is nothing that's going on in either chamber of  Congress that Obama isn't on board with, much less hasn't ordered.  

When your party controls both Houses of Congress and the White House, the president (as the head of the party) works with the congressio­nal leadership on how to get through the party's agenda.  And with the Democratic Party, they get to use their acting skills, too.  The Progressiv­e Caucus has to convince the base it's really fighting for its issues, when what's really uppermost on their agenda is serving their real bosses (transnati­onal corporatio­ns).
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