Obama seems to have decided that showing how conciliatory he can be is more important than making clear where he stands. The administration's strategy is rooted in a fear of what Republicans are willing to do, which only strengthens the GOP's bargaining position.
The president figures that congressional Republicans would be quite happy to let taxes on the middle class rise on Jan. 1 if that's the price of continuing to fight for the tax cuts for the rich. In a game of chicken, Republicans are willing to gamble - even if the economy would take a hit.
There are three issues that Obama's position raises: (1) given a choice between letting the Bush tax cuts expire or not letting them expire, which is the better policy choice? (2) which is the better political choice? and (3) what approach would provide you the best position to bargain for a policy choice of your choosing (in Obama's case, he has stated he wants to keep the Bush tax cuts for the first $250,000 of income and let the rest expire.)
It seemed to me, as I wrote many, many months ago, that there was a convergence with regard to these 3 issues - (1) that letting all the Bush tax cuts expire was preferable to extending all the Bush tax cuts, (2) that this was the better political choice and (3) that this reality would put Obama and the Dems in a better bargaining position with the GOP.
Apparently, Obama and the Dems disagree with my assessment on all counts. But if that is so, how is it possible to justify austerity proposals in the name of reducing the deficit? As Dionne writes:
The dance toward a capitulation on the tax cuts was perfectly timed for the release of the fiscal plan put forward by the chairs of the deficit commission, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson. Bowles and Simpson are having trouble winning broad commission support for their plan. And in truth, how can anyone take a deficit-reduction proposal seriously when the main order of business in Congress is to make sure we widen the deficit by keeping all of the Bush tax cuts?
I have no idea what Obama and the Dems are thinking on these issues. Either they are this stupid or this incompetent. As many things happened that I disagreed with during this Administration, the month after the election has been incomprehensible to me on any level.
My refrain is "pols are pols and do what they do." But what they do is generally intended to help them win election or reelection. Nothing that Obama and the Dems have done seems geared towards that end. It is impossible to understand.
Speaking for me only
