Damn that's some bad marketing by the democrats then. Republicans will fight tooth and nail to not repeal the Bush tax cuts. I could easily see the Buffet rule implemented and the Bush tax cuts extended ad infinitum.

Here's an estimate against the "current policy" baseline, which includes extension of the Bush tax cuts (and continued AMT patches). This comes to $263bn over 10 years. However, note that their "current law" baseline estimate is more than twice the $47bn that the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated. That's probably either due to their modeling techniques, or some kind of complication from the fact that they're also modelling a repeal of the AMT, which would tend to increase the impact of the Buffett rule.

Yes, we have to punish those who benefited from it.

Besides, we're just taking money that's not likely to be spent anyhow and giving it to people who will spend it, so it ends up in the same hands eventually anyhow.

Genius.

What could possibly go wrong?

I don't see any way the Bush tax cuts are extended this year, regardless of who wins the election.

Time to see an optometrist imo.

you should migrate over to the GOP war on voting thread, you might find some strange bedfellows

Unless Obamacare gets struck down and he needs to renegotiate with that as a trade chip, there isn't much for the R's to hold the country hostage with for a decent amount of time.

I'd put the odds at >80% for another extension even if Obama is reelected AND the Senate doesn't change hands, and 100% in all other scenarios.

Lol, you think a bunch of Dems want to get thrown out of office for voting for Obamacare again or voting for tax increases?

yeah, you can only get reelected if you deliver the correct free ponies!

And only a lib thinks keeping the money you earned is a free pony. WTF.

The cuts were extended in 2010 without any real GOP leverage. Neither party actually wants the Bush cuts to lapse. The Democrats want the cuts on incomes >$250k to go away, and the Republicans want to keep all of it.

i love it when i pay for services i use and they give me my money back for no reason, just like you lou

I would like to see the services "I use" reduced, where is that option?

You forget the extension bill has to come in December. Consider:

1. Obama loses the election, in which case the tax cuts come to the table from a Rep house when he's a lame duck. No way he doesn't veto that as an FU to the GOP.

2. Obama wins, but the GOP wins the house. In that case the bill to extend the BTC probably dies in the Senate no matter who wins. Either the Dems have a majority and kill it, or they lose the Senate and kill it their lame duck.

3. Obama wins, but the GOP loses the House. In that case the bill to extend BTC comes from a lame duck Congress, which would give it essentially no chance. The Dem party line will be that they have better economy fixing measures than the BTC and they will implement them in the next term so either it dies in the Senate or Obama vetoes it.

So yeah, I think you can say goodbye to the BTC no matter what happens this November.

Voting for something that sounds great until the actual paying for it is precisely how a lot of Dems got voted IN to office. The more unlikely it gets the more people can rally around it. Irrational enthusiasm and all that.

Dems are already labeled the tax party, no amount of reductions or cuts or anything has or will change that with the Right Wing Noise Machine(tm) in effect, why would you think the specter of that is a threat? lol

Right where you take action on your desires and make it happen instead of wistful musing?

disagree. The only thing that might not get extended before the election is a million + in income, as a compromise to get Dems on board in the House and make it more bi-partisan. The Senate Dems wont dare to vote against it and raise taxes on the middle class (which is where the vast majority of the tax cuts lie).

Passing the extension early in the summer is good for the Dems, because if it appears that the rates will go up you can kiss any window dressing of an economic recovery goodbye.

Only the republicans can get away with raising taxes on the middle class and having their base enthusiastically support it.

What middle class tax increases are you talking about here Suzzer?

He's unintentionally supporting the fact that the Bush tax cuts werent really for the rich.

In b4 250k in NYC isn't rich but 150k in Topeka is. Guess which party floated the idea of indexing tax brackets to cost of living and how the other side responded?

payroll tax cut this year, 9-9-9, every other flat tax ever proposed

Obama will spend the next four years implementing corporate/establishment policy. There will be plenty of deceptive rhetoric against the establishment but results/actions are all that matter. He will continue to deliver.

The partisan right will still complain and the partisan left will still defend/rationalize and the left vs. right game will continue. There are plenty of relatively meaningless issues that will be stoked to keep the game alive and eyes shut.

Objective libs who unemotionally analyze this president and his actions on a deep level must realize what is going on. Many on the left bought in so emotionally that they will continue to enthusiastically support a president that represents what they most despise.

Many will dismiss this out of hand but it doesn't change reality.