Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Changing the Tone

Do you remember when President Obama pledged to change the tone in Washington? He sure did it today. Behold as he describes his negotiating session with the Loyal Opposition:

As he recounted the White House effort to get the GOP to relinquish its support for those cuts -- something he described as the party's "holy grail" -- the president admitted bluntly, "I have not been able to budge them." Opinion polls show overwhelming popular support for ending the tax breaks for higher earners. He later added, "I think it's tempting not to negotiate with hostage takers, unless the hostage gets harmed, then people will question the wisdom of that strategy. In this case, the hostage was the American people, and I was not willing to see them get harmed."
Emphasis mine. I'm glad to see that the President is taking things so well.

6 comments:

Brad Carlson said...

Opinion polls show overwhelming popular support for ending the tax breaks for higher earners.

By "higher earners", they mean the richest 2% who pay nearly 50% of all Federal taxes. Doesn't seem like much a of a "break."

CousinDan 54915 said...

Who gives a shit what he thinks.

Mr. D said...

Brad, I caught that, too. There was a link in the original piece to a CBS poll; let's just say I wouldn't go to the bank with those numbers.

Dan, I hear ya. It's just a little unnerving to hear the Leader of the Free World saying something that transparently stupid.

Anonymous said...

Yes Mark. The guy is so transparently stupid that he just goaded most of the Republicans to sign on to what is essentially a second stimulus package that will be pumping money into the economy in the run up to the 2012 elections.

I think he has been talking to Muhammad Ali;)

Rich

Mr. D said...

Rich,

I think calling your opponents "hostage takers" is transparently stupid. But please, keep thinking otherwise. ;)

Anonymous said...

OK, I will. And please keep not giving a shit about what he thinks;)